Houston police crash report: how to get your copy

What Houston police hold, and what TxDOT holds

When a Houston police officer works a crash, the report is written on the state form and filed with the Texas Department of Transportation. HPD's own words describe it as "the Texas Peace Officers' Accident Report form (CRB3) filled out by a Houston Police Officer and filed with the Texas Department of Transportation."

That means the same report can be had in two places. HPD's Records Division hands out copies at its counter and by mail. The state sells it online. HPD's page offers both, and the choice depends on whether you need the full report or the public copy, and how soon.

The Records Division is the part of HPD that deals with the public on this. Its Public Counter, in HPD's description, "responds to call, mail and walk-in requests from the public seeking copies of crash and incident reports."

What HPD asks you for

HPD sets a simple rule. You must give at least two of these three:

• The date of the accident
• The location of the accident
• The names of the drivers or parties involved

It also asks for the incident number if you have one. HPD calls this the HPD Incident Number elsewhere on its page, and says it is sometimes referred to as the case number or offense report number.

The report is not ready straight away. HPD says accident reports require 5 to 8 days of processing before they are available to the public.

Three ways to get the report

HPD's page names the Texas Department of Transportation as the online seller while linking to the LexisNexis BuyCrash site. TxDOT's own online system is described on the TxDOT CRIS page. Either way, the report is the same CR-3.

The H.B. 2633 form and full copies

HPD draws a line between a full copy of a crash report and the copy that anyone can buy. Its rule reads: "Full copies can only be purchased in person or via mail with the accompanying H.B. 2633 form". The form is offered in English and in Spanish, and it has to be printed, completed and sent in, or brought to the counter.

Online, the same requirements apply, but they are met differently. HPD says the H.B. 2633 requirements "must be met for online purchase under penalty of perjury, via questionnaire."

Texas law decides who qualifies for the full report. Transportation Code 550.065, as TxDOT summarizes it, releases a crash report to any person directly concerned in the accident or having a proper interest in it, and others receive a redacted copy. The Texas page lists who that includes.

Going to the counter

The counter is also the fastest route for other public reports. HPD says that open records requests are typically not a same day service, but that "same day service can be achieved by going in person to the Records Division Public Service Counter at 1200 Travis, 1st Floor" for a public release report, provided you have the incident number or enough information to find the report.

Asking by mail

1. Print and complete the H.B. 2633 formEnglish or Spanish. It is needed for a full copy.
2. Write your requestGive at least two of the date, the location and the names of the drivers or parties, and the incident number if you have it.
3. Enclose $6.00A check or money order made payable to the City of Houston.
4. Enclose a self addressed stamped envelopeThe report comes back in it.
5. Mail it to the Records DivisionHPD, Records Division, 1200 Travis, Houston, TX 77002.

Other records from the same crash

A crash can leave several records behind, and HPD's page sends each one to a different office. Some of them are kept for a short time only.

The two short ones matter most. If a 911 call recorded what happened, ask for it within six months. After that, HPD says the audio is no longer kept.

For insurers, HPD notes that Right of Recovery letters should be mailed to the investigative division.

Open records requests

For records beyond the crash report, HPD's Office of Legal Services takes requests under the Texas Public Information Act. They must be in writing, sent once, by one of these routes:

• Online, through the Houston Public Information Request Center or the GovQA portal
• By email to HPD.OpenRecords@houstontx.gov
• By fax to 713 308-9150
• By mail to Houston Police Department, Edward A. Thomas Building, Office of Legal Services, 1200 Travis, 10th Floor, Houston, Texas 77002
• In person, at the drop box on the 1st floor of the same building

Four rules on HPD's page catch people out. Responsive documents are not emailed or faxed, so every request needs a mailing address. You should allow at least ten business days for a response. Payment, including postage, is made before anything is mailed, online in the GovQA portal or by check or money order to the City of Houston with the request number. And open records staff will not certify documents or complete affidavits sent in with a request.

For an offense report, HPD says only the public portion is released unless the case was closed by conviction. A request for the whole report is sent to the Texas Attorney General's Office for a ruling, which HPD says takes around 60 business days. Writing "public information report" in your request avoids that step.

When it goes wrong

The report is not ready

Count the days. HPD gives 5 to 8 days of processing, and the online copy can take longer, because TxDOT gives officers until the tenth day after the crash to file.

You have no incident number

You do not need it. Give two of the date, the location and the names of those involved. You can also search TxDOT's own system by name, as the TxDOT CRIS page explains.

The online copy has names and details blacked out

That is the public copy. For the full report, meet the H.B. 2633 requirements in the online questionnaire, or send the completed form by mail or bring it to the counter.

Another agency came to the crash

If the officer was not from HPD, the report sits with that agency. TxDOT collects crash reports from Texas law enforcement agencies, so the state's system covers it too.

Reading the report

A Houston crash report is the state CR-3. For what its boxes and codes mean, FairSettlement.org has a guide to every code: how to read a Texas crash report.

Questions about Houston police crash reports