How to get a car accident report in New Hampshire

Where to get the report

• NH Division of Motor Vehicles (any police report filed with it) $1 a page, $5 minimum, DSMV 505

  An officer who investigates a reportable accident in which anyone is killed or injured or property is damaged must send a copy of the uniform police report to the DMV within 5 days after completing the investigation (RSA 264:26, II), so the DMV holds reports from local police, sheriffs and the State Police. To get one, complete a Request for Motor Vehicle Records (DSMV 505, Rev. 6/26), check “An accident report ($5 minimum, $1 per page),” and give the date and location (street or route and city or town) of the crash. The fee is $1.00 per page with a $5.00 minimum; the DMV says you may include a $5.00 check payable to “State of NH-DMV” and it will contact you if the cost is more, or you can ask the cost first at NH.DMVHelp@dos.nh.gov or (603) 227-4010. Where to send it: by mail to DMV - FR, 23 Hazen Drive, Concord NH 03305 (the form says to write “DSMV 505” on the envelope), or in person, which the DMV’s Accidents Reports page says means the Concord Drop Box ONLY (drop boxes are open Monday through Friday, 8:00 am to 4:15 pm; the DMV says drop box transactions are processed within 7 to 10 business days and items left after 4:15 pm count as received the next business day). For in-person requests the form says to bring photo identification that has not been expired for more than 3 years. To release your report to someone else, or to get another person’s report, the DMV says to email NH.DMVHelp@dos.nh.gov or call (603) 227-4010.

  Official page

• Local police department, sheriff or State Police that investigated Parties may ask the agency; fee varies

  DMV motor vehicle records, including reports required by law, are not public records under the Right-to-Know Law (RSA 260:14, II(a)), but a law enforcement agency of a political subdivision may release copies of the accident reports it prepared, on a form the Department of Safety prescribes, to an owner, operator or passenger of a vehicle involved, a pedestrian hit, the owner of property damaged, the insurance company of any of them, or the authorized legal representative of any of them, and may charge a reasonable fee for it (RSA 260:14, VII-a(a), (b)). It may also give the same people, other than insurers, the information drivers are required to exchange at the scene (VII-a(c)). Ask the records unit of the department whose officer came. Example, Salem Police Department only: its Records Unit says most accident reports are available within a few days, takes requests through its online portal, by mail or in person, charges $0.50 per page by check or money order when you pick the report up, and requires photo ID. For a State Police crash, the Department of Safety’s Right-to-Know page sends State Police records requests to SPHeadquarters@dos.nh.gov; we found no State Police page describing crash report copies, so the DMV route above is the documented one.

  Official page

When you must report a crash in New Hampshire

Stop and give your info at the scene

At the scene: a driver who knows or should have known that he or she has just been in any accident that resulted in death, personal injury or damage to property must immediately stop at the scene and give the driver or owner of any other vehicle involved, any injured person and the owner of any damaged property the driver’s name and address, driver’s license number, the driver’s or owner’s insurance provider and policy information, if applicable, the vehicle’s registration number, and the name and address of each occupant (RSA 264:25, I). If an injured person, the other driver or the owner of the damaged property is unable to understand or receive that information because of injury, absence or removal from the scene or another cause, you must give it to any uniformed police officer who arrives at the scene or immediately to a police officer at the nearest police station. Voluntary intoxication is not a defense on the question of knowledge, and the section applies everywhere, not only on public ways. Calling police: apart from that rule, we found no New Hampshire statute that requires a driver to call police after every crash; cities and towns may have their own rules, so check locally. Moving the car: if the crash happened on the traveled part of the road, you must move your vehicle to an untraveled area if you can do so without risk of further damage to property or injury to persons (RSA 264:25-a). Penalties: failing to meet these requirements where only property is damaged, or failing to make the report to the DMV described below, is a misdemeanor for a natural person and a felony for any other person; failing to meet them when death or personal injury results, or giving required information while knowing or having reason to believe it is false, or failing to comply with any of the section’s other requirements, is a class B felony (RSA 264:29). A class B felony carries up to seven years in prison and a fine of up to $4,000; a misdemeanor the statute does not classify is presumed to be a class B misdemeanor, with no jail and a fine of up to $1,200, unless an exception applies, for example the state files notice by arraignment that it seeks class A penalties or files the charge directly in superior court; a class A misdemeanor allows up to one year and a fine of up to $2,000 (RSA 625:9, IV(c); 651:2, II, IV). Except as RSA 264:29 provides, knowingly giving false information about an accident to a law enforcement officer or to the department or its agents is also a misdemeanor (RSA 264:28).

The driver report you may have to file

No police, injury/over $1,000: 15 days

Who must file: anyone driving a vehicle that is in any manner involved in an accident, and any owner of a vehicle that was illegally parked when it was involved, must within 15 days report the facts in writing to the Division of Motor Vehicles, with a statement of the circumstances, if anyone is injured or killed or if damage to property is in excess of $1,000, unless a police officer investigated the accident, in which case the officer’s report satisfies the requirement (RSA 264:25, I). An owner who is not otherwise required to file may file one. If the driver is physically or mentally incapable of making the report, the owner of the vehicle or the owner’s representative must make it forthwith after learning of the accident, and the driver or owner must give the DMV any additional information it requires. The DMV’s FAQ puts it this way: if the police responded, you do not have to file; if they did not, and the combined damages were over $1,000.00 or someone was injured, you must file an Operator Report. The form: Motor Vehicle Accident Report, DSMV 400 (Rev. 04/14), signed and dated, with complete insurance information or a statement that you have no coverage; the DMV says to mail it to NH Dept. of Safety, DMV - FR / Accidents, 23 Hazen Drive, Concord NH 03305 (the form itself says Department of Safety, Accident Section, at the same address). Because a police department may take several weeks to send its report, the DMV says any driver may also submit a DSMV 400 to help with an insurance claim, and it is added to the driver’s file. Insurance verification: if police investigated and insurance information was unavailable, the DMV says the drivers or owners involved must verify insurance online or on Insurance Verification Form DSMV 385 (Blue Card). Penalty: not filing is a misdemeanor for a natural person, or a class B felony when death or personal injury resulted (RSA 264:29); the DSMV 400 form says the same in plain terms. Uninsured drivers: New Hampshire does not require auto insurance, and after receiving the report the director must suspend the license and registration of a driver or owner involved unless an exception applies, such as a liability policy in effect at the time of the crash, until security for any judgment and future proof of financial responsibility are given (RSA 264:3). The report is not admissible in a criminal trial arising from the crash where the person who filed it is a defendant, with limited exceptions (RSA 264:25, II).

What the report costs

DMV $1/page, $5 min; local fees vary

DMV: the Department of Safety’s rule sets “$1 per page for accident reports with a minimum of $5” (N.H. Admin. R. Saf-C 5608.01(a)(7), as last replaced by filing #14423, effective November 6, 2025), and the DMV’s page and the DSMV 505 form give the same $1.00 per page and $5.00 minimum. A separate rule for parties to a DMV hearing lists $5.00 per page for a certified accident report (Saf-C 203.14(b)(7)). Insurers: RSA 260:15, II says the department may issue a copy of any motor vehicle record to an insurance company or other authorized agent for a fee of $17, and the same fee rule lists $17 as the price of a non-certified driver record under that statute (Saf-C 5608.01(a)(3)); we could not confirm whether the DMV charges an insurer $17 or the per-page price for a crash report. Local police: an agency releasing its own report under RSA 260:14, VII-a may charge “a reasonable fee,” so the price varies by agency (Salem, for example, charges $0.50 per page). Filing the driver report (DSMV 400) has no fee that we found.

When the report is ready

Police file within 5 days of finishing

The investigating officer must send the report to the DMV within 5 days after completing the investigation, and for a fatal crash must also give the Department of Safety written notice within 7 days of the crash (RSA 264:26, II). The DMV warns that it may take several weeks for a law enforcement agency to submit a Police Accident Report to the DMV, and its drop box requests are processed within 7 to 10 business days. Fatal crashes: the DMV’s FAQ says a completed fatal report goes to the County Attorney’s office, which may not release it pending litigation, that a fatal report may not be available for several months, and that once it is released you should receive it within thirty (30) working days. Local copies: Salem’s Records Unit, for example, says most of its accident reports are available within a few days. Retention: the department may destroy accident reports at the end of 5 years from filing (RSA 260:16), and the DMV says accident involvement stays on each driver’s record, without fault, for 5 years.

Who can get a copy

People involved, insurers, lawyers

From the DMV: motor vehicle records are not public records (RSA 260:14, II(a)). Anyone involved in the crash as an owner, operator or passenger of a vehicle involved, a pedestrian hit, or the owner of property damaged is entitled to a copy of the accident report filed with the DMV, and when someone died, an attorney admitted in New Hampshire who certifies on the DSMV 505 that he or she represents the decedent’s estate or next of kin is entitled to it (Saf-C 5605.08). You can always get records about yourself with proof of identity, and anyone else can with the record holder’s notarized written consent (RSA 260:14, VII). Auto insurers (companies authorized to write automobile and personal excess liability policies), self-insured entities and their agents may get records for claims investigation, anti-fraud activities, rating or underwriting (RSA 260:14, IV(a)(2)), and the DSMV 505 also lets banks and lienholders, tow companies, licensed private investigators, employers, insurers, public utilities and law firms request under RSA 260:14 by stating the intended use and filing a Certificate of Authority. Records may also be released for use in a court or agency proceeding under an order of the court or agency (RSA 260:14, V(a)(2)). Releases under paragraphs IV and V exclude photographs, computerized images and Social Security numbers. From the local agency: its own report may go to the owners, operators and passengers of vehicles involved, pedestrians hit, owners of damaged property, their insurers and their authorized legal representatives (RSA 260:14, VII-a). Exception: the accident report of a crash involving a vehicle owned or leased by the state, a county, a city, a town or a local public entity is a governmental record open under the Right-to-Know Law (RSA 91-A) except where disclosure would risk exposing undercover law enforcement activity (RSA 260:14, II-a).

What to do now

1. 1

   Stop, exchange information, move if safe

   Give your name, address, license number, insurance details, registration number and each occupant’s name and address, and move the car off the traveled road if you can do so without risk.

2. 2

   File DSMV 400 within 15 days if police did not investigate

   If anyone was hurt or killed or property damage was over $1,000 and no officer investigated, mail the Motor Vehicle Accident Report to the DMV in Concord within 15 days.

3. 3

   Order the police report from the DMV

   Mail a DSMV 505 with the crash date and location to DMV - FR, 23 Hazen Drive, Concord, or leave it in the Concord drop box; the fee is $1.00 a page with a $5.00 minimum.

4. 4

   Ask the responding agency for video now

   Body camera and cruiser video are separate records, and body camera video is normally kept only 30 to 180 days unless something triggers a longer hold, so send a written Right-to-Know request quickly.

5. 5

   Post the crash on the bounty board

   Dashcam and business camera footage is not in any police file and is often overwritten within days.

Frequently asked questions