What does one copy cost in each state?
These are the prices agencies publish for one standard copy of a crash report, read on each agency's own page. They are sorted from the lowest to the highest. A state with no published price, or one we have not been able to read yet, is left out until it has one.
A row describes the state level source named in it. A city police department or a sheriff in the same state can charge something different. The finder on the home page has every state, including those with no published fee.
Where is a copy free?
In a handful of places, each with a condition attached.
- Ohio. The state's crash report search has no cost for the copy. The state describes those copies as unofficial, and the Highway Patrol sells the official version for $4.00.
- District of Columbia. The police usually give the people involved a copy at no charge. Insurers pay $3.
- Alaska. The Department of Public Safety says most requests for police reports have no cost.
- Phoenix. A personal request gets a digital copy free. Only printed pages cost money.
- Columbus. Electronic copies of offense and accident reports are free of charge from the division.
- Connecticut. The people in a crash can get a free Accident Information Summary online. The state says it is not the official report.
- New Jersey. Drivers and vehicle owners can collect a free uncertified copy in person at the station that investigated.
The pattern is that the free copy is often the electronic one, the unofficial one, or the one handed to the people who were in the crash. If someone else has asked you for the report, check which version they accept before you rely on a free one.
Why is the online price often higher?
A counter takes cash or a check. A website needs a payment company, and that company charges for the service. Agencies pass the charge on in three different ways.
| Method | Examples from official pages |
|---|---|
| A higher online price | Tennessee: $10.00 online, $4.00 at a district office or by mail. Mississippi: $20.00 online, $15 otherwise |
| A percentage on card payments | Illinois: 2.35% with a $1.00 minimum. Ohio's Highway Patrol: 1.95% with a $1.75 minimum, and 3.95% for commercial cards |
| A flat card or portal fee | Wyoming: $2.50 for a credit card. Idaho: a transaction fee on top of $7. Texas: a Texas.gov fee on card payments, and none on an electronic check |
Two agencies say plainly where that money goes. Ohio's Highway Patrol notes that the State of Ohio does not keep any part of the service fee. Connecticut says the convenience fees collected by its outside vendor are not payable to the state.
Texas shows the trade you sometimes make. Its electronic check carries no fee, but the report is held until the payment clears. Paying by card costs a little more and releases the full report at once.
Which agencies charge by the page?
Some departments do not have a crash report price at all. They charge for copies the way they would for any public record, so a short report costs cents.
| Agency | Price |
|---|---|
| Columbus Division of Police, Ohio | $.05 a page on paper. Electronic copies free |
| Cleveland Division of Police, Ohio | Five cents a page |
| Kentucky State Police | 10 cents for each released page, by records request |
| Memphis Police, Tennessee | $0.15 a page for Tennessee residents. $15.00 for people from out of state |
| Phoenix Police, Arizona | $0.25 a printed page on a personal request |
| Honolulu Police, Hawaii | $0.50 for the first page, $0.25 for each page after it |
| Arizona DPS | $9.00 covers the first nine pages by mail. Each page after that is $0.10 |
| Tucson Police, Arizona | For other police reports, $5.00 per report plus $0.25 a page after 15 pages |
Memphis is the one to read twice. The page price is for Tennessee residents who show valid ID. A person from another state pays a flat $15.00.
What costs extra?
| Extra | Examples from official pages |
|---|---|
| A certified copy | Texas: $8 against $6. Oklahoma: $10.00 against $7.00, the difference being a $3.00 certified copy fee |
| Photographs | Ohio Highway Patrol: $4.00 by download, $12.00 on DVD. Nevada Highway Patrol: $5. Arizona DPS: $4.00 for each printed 8x10, $15.00 on a single DVD. Memphis police: $10.00 per accident on CD. Phoenix police: $4 per request |
| A fatal crash report | Delaware: $60.00 against $25.00 for a standard report |
| A commercial request | Phoenix: a $10.00 flat fee plus $0.25 a page |
| Delivery by email | Memphis police: $15.00 per report |
| A subpoena or affidavit | Texas: $8 each |
Do you pay when no report is found?
Sometimes. A few states charge for the search and not for the paper, which means the money is spent whether or not a report turns up.
- Connecticut requires a search fee of $16.00 that is not refundable, whether or not a report is located.
- Maryland charges a $4.00 document search fee that is not refundable.
- New York charges a $7.00 search fee and a $15.00 report fee for each report ordered online.
Others go the opposite way. Virginia's DMV returns your fee if it does not find a report. Phoenix police issue a refund when no record is found. Texas goes further and will issue a Certified Letter of No Crash Record without charge when its search finds nothing.
Before paying a search fee, make sure you are asking the agency that investigated. A search in the wrong place finds nothing and can still cost you.
Who sets the fee?
In many states the price is written into law.
- Ohio's Revised Code 5502.12 sets a fee of four dollars for a copy from the agency that submitted the report, unless the county commissioners approve another amount.
- Illinois describes its $5.00 as a statutorily set fee, and Arkansas calls its $25.00 a statutory fee.
- Washington says it is directed by RCW 46.52.085 to collect its $10.50.
- Connecticut's $16.00 search fee comes from C.G.S. 29-10b.
- Oklahoma's $3.00 certified copy fee is set by 47 OS 2-110.
Where no statute fixes the price, a city or an agency does. Phoenix changed its police records fees by a vote of the city council.
How do agencies take payment?
The payment rules matter as much as the price. A request sent with the wrong kind of payment comes back unfilled.
| Agency | Accepted | Not accepted |
|---|---|---|
| TxDOT, Texas | Credit or debit card, or electronic check, through Texas.gov | Payments funded from a foreign source |
| Tennessee, online | Visa, MasterCard, American Express or Discover | Prepaid cards |
| Arizona DPS | Card through its portal or in person, business check, cashier's check, money order | Personal checks |
| Memphis Police | Cash, money orders, cashier checks, cards and Cash App | Personal checks. No refunds |
| Columbus Police, paper copies | Cash, money order or certified check | Personal checks |
| Maryland State Police | Check or money order | Cash |
The bottom line
- Most published prices are $10 or less, and the highest we have read is $25.
- The free copy is often the electronic one or the unofficial one.
- Paying online often adds a card or portal charge.
- A search fee can be kept even when no report is found. Connecticut and Maryland both keep theirs.
- Check which forms of payment the agency accepts before you send anything.
Questions about police report fees
How much is a police report for a car accident?
It depends on the agency. Among the states checked so far, the District of Columbia charges the people involved nothing, Wyoming charges $3, Maryland $4, Texas $6, Virginia $8, Pennsylvania $22 and Arkansas $25. Online orders often carry an added card or portal fee.
Can I get a police report for free?
In some places. Ohio's state crash search has no cost, the District of Columbia usually charges the people involved nothing, and Phoenix police give personal requesters a digital copy free. Columbus police send electronic copies of their reports free of charge.
Why does a police report cost more online?
Because a payment company or portal adds its own charge. Tennessee charges $10.00 online and $4.00 at a district office or by mail. Mississippi charges $20.00 online against $15. Illinois adds 2.35% with a $1.00 minimum to card payments.
Is a certified copy more expensive?
By a few dollars, where an agency publishes both prices. Texas charges $8 for a certified copy and $6 for a regular one. Oklahoma charges $10.00 certified and $7.00 regular. Ask whoever wants the report whether they need the certified version before paying for it.
Do I get my money back if the report is not found?
It depends on the agency. Connecticut keeps its $16.00 search fee whether or not a report is found, and Maryland's $4.00 is a search fee that is not refundable. Virginia returns the fee when it finds no report, and Phoenix police issue a refund when no record is found.
Why do some agencies charge by the page?
Because they price a crash report like any other public record. Columbus police charge $.05 a page for paper, Memphis police charge Tennessee residents $0.15 a page, and Honolulu police charge $0.50 for the first page and $0.25 for each page after it.
Who decides what a police report costs?
Often the state legislature. Ohio law sets four dollars. Illinois describes its $5.00 as a statutorily set fee, Arkansas calls its $25.00 a statutory fee, and Washington cites a statute for its $10.50. Elsewhere the agency or the city sets the price.
Can I pay for a police report with a personal check?
Not everywhere. The Arizona Department of Public Safety, Memphis police and Columbus police do not accept personal checks. Tennessee accepts a personal check for a mailed request. Check the agency's page before you send payment.