How to get a car accident report in Oregon

Where to get the report

• Oregon DMV Record Services (police report copy) DMV by mail: $8.50, or $9.50 certified

  An officer who investigates a crash that ORS 811.725 requires to be reported, or who prepares a report of a crash from the scene or from interviews, must send the report to DMV within 10 days (ORS 810.460(1), (2)), so DMV holds police crash reports from city police, sheriffs and the State Police. DMV’s records fee list (Form 735-6691) offers a “Photocopy of Police Traffic Crash Report of collision that has been filed with DMV” for $8.50, and DMV’s rule sets $8.50 for an uncertified copy and $9.50 for a certified copy, with an $8.50 search fee when the report is not found (OAR 735-010-0030(6)). Order by mail from DMV Record Services, 1905 Lana Ave NE, Salem, OR 97314, with a check or money order payable to Oregon DMV: an individual uses the Order Your Own Record form (735-7266, which lists the police traffic crash report with spaces for the crash date and county), and an attorney, insurer or other entity that qualifies for personal information uses the Request for Information form (735-7122). Form 735-7122 says requests for police crash reports must include the date of the crash and the county (or nearest city), and that “DMV cannot locate the report by the police report number.” Records cannot be emailed; questions go to Records Services at 503-945-5475 or DMVRequestforInfo@odot.oregon.gov. Other people’s personal information on the copy is blocked out unless you qualify to receive it (see who can get a copy).

  Official page

• City police or county sheriff that responded Public records request; fees vary

  The agency that worked the crash keeps its own file, which can include the crash report, its general offense report, photos, statements and video, and every person has a right to inspect a public record that is not exempt (ORS 192.314(1)). Send a written request: once the person named in the agency’s published procedure receives it, the agency must acknowledge it or complete it within five business days, then complete its response, or give a written estimated completion date, no later than 10 business days after that (ORS 192.324(2), 192.329(5)). Each agency sets its own fees and request process (ORS 192.324(4), (7)). Example, Portland Police Bureau only: it takes requests through the City of Portland’s online records request center or by mail on the Uniform Public Records Request Form to its Records Division, 1111 SW 2nd Avenue, Room 1126, Portland, OR 97204, says the City generally will not accept requests by phone or email, says all public records requests require payment under the City fee schedule, and asks you to call its Public Records Unit at 503-823-0756 if more than 3 weeks have passed without a response. Its crash directive (effective March 20, 2025) has officers complete an Oregon Police Crash Report in their investigation when ORS 811.720 requires one, and says that at crashes that do not meet its investigation criteria officers may investigate or may simply help the drivers exchange information, so not every Portland crash gets a police report.

  Official page

• Oregon State Police (trooper crashes) OSP refers crash reports to DMV

  The Oregon State Police says requests for police traffic crash reports or insurance information should go to DMV (www.oregon.gov/ODOT/DMV, 503-945-5000). For the rest of a trooper’s file, such as an investigative report, officer notes, photos, dispatch audio or video, use OSP’s online records request form or its Public Records Request form, and describe the crash as precisely as you can (highway, milepost, exit, city, county, date, time, parties, case number). OSP says to submit without payment and it will send a letter explaining the fees; among its listed fees are a $12.50 flat rate for an investigative report when staff time does not exceed 30 minutes, including up to 10 pages, and $30.00 for each video or audio recording or disc. OSP takes checks or money orders, says a request may take up to 30 days or more, and gives its Central Records Section contact as 3565 Trelstad Ave SE, Salem, OR 97317, 503-378-3725 ext. 44444, central.records@osp.oregon.gov.

  Official page

When you must report a crash in Oregon

Injury/over $2,500: police now, DMV 72h

Which crashes count: a collision is reportable when it results in injury or death to any person, wherever it happens, or when it happens on a highway, on premises open to the public or on premises next to them and damages the property of any person by more than $2,500 (ORS 811.720(1), (2)). When property damage is the trigger, who must report depends on what was damaged: the driver of a vehicle with more than $2,500 in damage must report; if property other than a vehicle in the collision was damaged, each driver must report; and if a vehicle was damaged so badly it had to be towed from the scene, each driver must report (ORS 811.720(2)(a), (c), (d)). DMV states the same tests as: injury or death; damage to your vehicle over $2,500; damage to any vehicle over $2,500 and any vehicle towed from the scene; or damage to anyone’s property other than a vehicle in the collision over $2,500. The $2,500 figure may be raised every five years for inflation, rounded to the nearest $100 (ORS 811.720(3)). Snowmobile and some all-terrain vehicle operators are exempt (ORS 811.720(4), 811.745(4)). Police notice: for the same crashes, the driver, if physically capable, must give notice immediately to a police officer or a law enforcement agency by the quickest means available (ORS 811.745, 811.748(1)); if the crash caused a serious injury or death, calling 9-1-1 (the emergency communications system) immediately satisfies the duty (ORS 811.748(2)). DMV’s page says to use a non-emergency police number. If the driver cannot, an occupant must give the notice (ORS 811.750). Failing to notify police is a Class A traffic violation (ORS 811.748(3)), which carries a presumptive fine of $440 and a maximum of $2,000 for an individual (ORS 153.019(1)(a), 153.018(2)(a)). At the scene, whatever the damage: stop at or as close to the scene as possible without obstructing traffic more than necessary, and give the other driver or passenger your name and address, the owner’s name and address, the names and addresses of your occupants, the plate number, your insurance company, policy number and the insurer’s phone number, and on request your license number (ORS 811.700(1)(a), (b)). For an unattended vehicle, find its operator or owner and give them your name and address, the owner’s name and address, the plate number and your insurance company, policy number and the insurer’s phone number, or leave a written note with those details and a statement of what happened in a conspicuous place in that vehicle (ORS 811.700(1)(c)). If someone is injured or killed, also give reasonable help, including arranging transport to a doctor or hospital, and if everyone you must inform is dead, unconscious or unable to receive the information, stay until a police officer arrives, unless you need to leave for medical care or to report the crash and you take reasonable steps to return or contact the nearest officer (ORS 811.705(1)(e), (f)). Leaving the scene of a property damage crash is a Class A misdemeanor (ORS 811.700(3)), punishable by up to 364 days in jail and a fine of up to $6,250 (ORS 161.615, 161.635); leaving an injury crash is a Class C felony, and a Class B felony if anyone suffers serious physical injury or dies (ORS 811.705(3)), punishable by up to 5 or 10 years and fines of up to $125,000 or $250,000 (ORS 161.605, 161.625). A witness to a crash with injury, death or damage to an attended vehicle must give the drivers, occupants or injured person their true name and address, a Class B traffic violation if not (ORS 811.715). If no one appears hurt, the vehicle runs and does not need towing, and it is safe to drive it off the roadway as close to the scene as possible, you must do so; not doing so is a Class C traffic violation (ORS 811.717), presumptive fine $165, maximum $500 (ORS 153.019, 153.018).

The driver report you may have to file

Form 735-32 to DMV within 72 hours

For any crash that is reportable under ORS 811.720 (see above), each driver who must report has to complete a report on a DMV-approved form and submit it to DMV within 72 hours, and within the same 72 hours give DMV proof, on a DMV form, of the financial responsibility (insurance) in force at the time (ORS 811.725(1)(a), (c)). DMV’s form is the Oregon Traffic Collision and Insurance Report, Form 735-32. DMV says you must file even if a police officer filed a report, and the form adds that you must file even if you are licensed in another state or are not an Oregon resident. If you cannot file within 72 hours, DMV says to submit it as soon as possible. How to file: online at DMV2U (DMV’s recommended route, open only to a driver in the collision who has an Oregon license, permit or ID number; download or print what you submit), by mail to DMV Crash Reporting Unit, 1905 Lana Ave NE, Salem, OR 97314, by fax to 503-945-5267, or at any DMV office; paper forms are also at DMV offices and local law enforcement agencies, or from DMV at 503-945-5000. Send only one report per collision, because DMV says each report shows as a new collision on your record; DMV does not decide fault but posts the collision to the driving record of drivers required to report. If you think your crash is not reportable, DMV accepts evidence such as a repair bill or estimate from a repair business or a statement from an insurer; call the Crash Reporting Unit at 503-945-5098. Keep a copy and proof of when you filed: DMV cannot give you a copy of your own report later (ORS 802.220(5)), though it issues a free Certificate of Filing to a person who filed or claims to have filed. The owner must report if someone else was driving and the driver did not (ORS 811.730), and an occupant must report if the driver is physically incapable (ORS 811.735). A city may require an additional report (ORS 811.725(4)). For a commercial motor vehicle, the form says Form 735-9229, Motor Carrier Collision Report, must also be filed within 30 days when there is a fatality, an injury requiring treatment away from the scene, or a vehicle towed because of disabling damage. Penalties: not filing is a Class B traffic violation (ORS 811.725(5)), presumptive fine $265, maximum $1,000 (ORS 153.019(1)(b), 153.018(2)(b)), and DMV must suspend your driving privileges until you file the report or for five years, whichever is sooner (ORS 809.417(1)). Giving information you know or have reason to believe is false is a Class B misdemeanor (ORS 811.740), up to 6 months and $2,500 (ORS 161.615, 161.635).

What the report costs

$8.50 from DMV; local fees vary

DMV: $8.50 for an uncertified copy of the Oregon Police Traffic Crash Report and $9.50 for a certified copy, and an $8.50 search fee if the report you ask for is not found (OAR 735-010-0030(6)); DMV’s fee list and records page describe the $8.50 as covering the record search, charged whether or not the record is found. DMV’s separate Oregon Traffic Collision and Insurance Information letter, which gives the people involved the details from the drivers’ own reports, costs $12.50, also charged whether or not a record is found. A copy from a city police department or sheriff is a public records request, and the agency may charge fees reasonably calculated to reimburse its actual cost of making the records available, which can include attorney time spent reviewing and redacting them; it may not charge a fee greater than $25 without first sending you a written estimate and getting your confirmation to proceed (ORS 192.324(4)). It may waive or reduce fees when making the record available primarily benefits the general public (ORS 192.324(5)). Example, Oregon State Police only: a $12.50 flat rate for an investigative report of up to 10 pages that takes no more than 30 minutes, $25.00 per hour beyond that, and $30.00 for each video or audio recording. Example, Portland Police Bureau only: it says all public records requests require payment under the City fee schedule. Ask the agency for its price before you pay.

When the report is ready

Police file with DMV within 10 days

An officer must submit the crash report to DMV within 10 days of the investigation or of preparing the report (ORS 810.460(2)). We found no DMV statement of how soon after that a copy can be ordered, and DMV fills records orders by mail (records cannot be emailed). For a request to the agency itself, the Public Records Law requires an acknowledgment within five business days and a completed response, or a written estimated completion date, within 10 business days after that, though those deadlines do not apply when staff are unavailable, compliance would demonstrably impede other necessary services, or the volume of requests makes them impracticable; the agency must then still act as soon as practicable and without unreasonable delay (ORS 192.324(2), 192.329(5), (6), (8)). The Attorney General’s Public Records and Meetings Manual (2024) calls this a baseline expectation of 15 business days. Example, Oregon State Police only: it says a request may take up to 30 days or more. Example, Portland Police Bureau only: it asks you to call if more than 3 weeks have passed. We found no official statement of how long DMV keeps police crash reports. Collisions stay on your DMV driving record: the certified court print shows collisions for at least five years, and a three-year abstract leaves out crashes more than three years old (ORS 802.220(4)(a)).

Who can get a copy

Others’ details only if you qualify

DMV copies: DMV says anyone ordering DMV records must qualify to receive the information under ORS 802.175 to 802.191, the Oregon records privacy law. Personal information means a driver license, permit or ID card number, name, address and phone number. DMV’s How to Request a DMV Record guide (Form 735-7161) and its records privacy page say you can still order a record if you do not qualify for personal information, but it will be “sanitized,” showing only your own; DMV’s records fee page, by contrast, says that if you do not qualify it will deny the request and return the payment. Who qualifies includes an attorney using the information in connection with a civil, criminal, administrative or arbitration proceeding, including investigation in anticipation of litigation (ORS 802.179(4)(a)), an insurer in connection with claims investigation (ORS 802.179(6)), anyone with the notarized written permission of the person (ORS 802.179(12)), and a person who was injured, or whose property was damaged, by the unsafe operation of a vehicle (ORS 802.179(17)). Under DMV’s rule for that last group, you show a police crash report, police incident report or Oregon Traffic Collision and Insurance Report proving the injury or damage (or give DMV enough to find one it holds), and you may then get personal information about the owners, drivers and occupants of the vehicles involved and about witnesses listed in those reports (OAR 735-010-0220). Drivers’ own reports: the reports drivers, owners and occupants file with DMV are confidential and go only to state administrative and enforcement agencies, including police for investigations, but on request DMV must tell any party involved, a personal representative or family member the identity of the owner, driver and occupants and the plate number of each vehicle, the companies insuring them, and the names of witnesses (ORS 802.220(5)(a)); that is DMV’s $12.50 certified letter. Those reports cannot be used as evidence in any civil or criminal trial arising out of the collision, apart from DMV’s own suspension hearings and a certificate showing whether a report was filed (ORS 802.240(5)), and “the report required following a collision” may not be referred to or admitted as evidence of negligence or due care in a trial of an action to recover damages (ORS 802.240(4)(a)). Police reports filed with DMV are subject to release or use as ORS 802.240 provides (ORS 810.460(3)). Local agency copies: any person may ask under the Public Records Law (ORS 192.314(1)), and agencies may withhold exempt material such as some personal information or information about an ongoing investigation, as Portland Police lists. If you are suing the public body or have filed a tort claim notice under ORS 30.275(5)(a), you must send your request in writing to the custodian and, at the same time, to the public body’s attorney (ORS 192.314(2)).

What to do now

1. 1

   Notify police at once if it is reportable

   Injury, death, more than $2,500 damage to your vehicle or to other property, or a tow with more than $2,500 damage means you must notify police immediately. Call 9-1-1 for a serious injury; otherwise DMV says to use a non-emergency number.

2. 2

   File Form 735-32 with DMV within 72 hours

   File online at DMV2U if you hold an Oregon license, permit or ID, or by mail, fax or at a DMV office. A police report does not replace it, and DMV cannot give you a copy later, so keep one.

3. 3

   Order the police report from DMV

   Mail Form 735-7266 with a check for $8.50 (uncertified), plus the crash date and county. The fee is charged even if no report is found, so allow time for the officer to file it.

4. 4

   Ask the responding agency for its whole file

   Send a written public records request for the report, photos, statements, and body camera or dashcam video, with the date, time, location and case number.

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