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How to get a California crash report
Copies come from California Highway Patrol (CHP), through its Online Crash Report System (Crash Portal) or any CHP Area office. Request one at crashes.chp.ca.gov. CHP 190 by mail or in person: $10.00 for 1-25 pages, $20.00 for 26-50 pages, $30.00 for 51-75 pages, $40.00 for 76-100 pages, with no extra charge for handling or mailing. The online portal fee is not stated on the CHP web pages. Usually ready typically within eight (8) business days from the date of the crash.
Checked against the official pages on October 2, 2026
The statewide copy
| Who has it | California Highway Patrol (CHP), through its Online Crash Report System (Crash Portal) or any CHP Area office |
|---|---|
| Where to request it | crashes.chp.ca.gov |
| Covers | CHP-investigated crashes only. CHP states it cannot obtain copies of collision reports that another police department investigated. |
| Cost | CHP 190 by mail or in person: $10.00 for 1-25 pages, $20.00 for 26-50 pages, $30.00 for 51-75 pages, $40.00 for 76-100 pages, with no extra charge for handling or mailing. The online portal fee is not stated on the CHP web pages. |
| Usually ready | typically within eight (8) business days from the date of the crash |
| What you need | On the CHP 190: crash date (approximate is fine) and location, the driver or owner, which Party of Interest box applies, your name, address and signature, plus a photocopy of your driver license or ID (or a notarized form). The portal requires you to register an account. |
| Who can get a copy | A proper Party of Interest: drivers, bicyclists, pedestrians, passengers, parents of minors, legal guardians, vehicle or property owners, legal representatives, manufacturer representatives, and insurance companies with a valid claim or policy number (CVC 20012). |
| By mail | Form CHP 190 (Application for Release of Information), or a personal letter, mailed or taken in person to the CHP Area office that handled the crash, with a check or money order payable to the California Highway Patrol and proof you are a party of interest. |
Reports taken by city police or a sheriff
City police and county sheriff reports are requested from the department that wrote them, and under Vehicle Code 20012 go to involved parties and their representatives. Example: LAPD charges $11 for a Traffic Collision Report and releases it to a party of the collision, their attorney, insurer or the parent of a minor.
The form: CHP 555
Officers in California write crash reports on the California Traffic Collision Report (CHP 555). Most boxes on it hold numeric codes for things like contributing factors, injuries and road conditions.
Your own report to the state
Yes, in some cases: anyone is injured (no matter how minor) or killed, or property damage is over $1,000. Required in addition to any report made to police, CHP or your insurer. Deadline: 10 days. Form SR-1, filed with California DMV. (DMV SR-1 reporting rule (Vehicle Code 16000))
City police and sheriff reports in California
| Agency | Covers | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Bakersfield Police Department | Bakersfield | $7 flat fee per accident report. An additional fee is charged by LexisNexis for the online payment of reports |
| Fresno Police Department | Fresno | $12.00 convenience fee online |
| Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department | Norwalk | $25 when a file number is provided and a record is found |
| Los Angeles Police Department | Los Angeles | $19.00 check or money order by U.S. Mail |
| Sacramento Police Department | Sacramento | $5.00 for an online report |
| San Diego Police Department | San Diego | $12 per report by mail or in person |
When you must call the police
If anyone is injured or killed, the driver must make a written report to CHP (or city police if inside a city) within 24 hours. No police-notification duty for property-damage-only crashes was read. (California Vehicle Code 20008(a))
After you have the report
California gives you two years to file a personal injury lawsuit (Cal. Code Civ. Proc. § 335.1). Every California deadline and fault rule.
California is an at-fault state: the driver who caused the crash, through their liability insurance, pays for the injuries and damage.
21,077 people died in crashes in California from 2020 to 2024 (NHTSA FARS). See the record for your county.
Check your deadline and a rough claim range
A filing date and a rough value range for California. Both take under a minute.
Questions
How much does a California crash report cost?
CHP 190 by mail or in person: $10.00 for 1-25 pages, $20.00 for 26-50 pages, $30.00 for 51-75 pages, $40.00 for 76-100 pages, with no extra charge for handling or mailing. The online portal fee is not stated on the CHP web pages., from California Highway Patrol (CHP), through its Online Crash Report System (Crash Portal) or any CHP Area office. Reports taken by a city police department or sheriff may be priced differently by that agency.
How long does it take to get a crash report in California?
Usually typically within eight (8) business days from the date of the crash. The officer has to finish and submit the report before it can be sold.
Are California crash reports public?
A proper Party of Interest: drivers, bicyclists, pedestrians, passengers, parents of minors, legal guardians, vehicle or property owners, legal representatives, manufacturer representatives, and insurance companies with a valid claim or policy number (CVC 20012).
Do I have to file my own crash report in California?
Yes, in some cases: anyone is injured (no matter how minor) or killed, or property damage is over $1,000. Required in addition to any report made to police, CHP or your insurer. Deadline: 10 days. Form SR-1, filed with California DMV.
Sources
- Statewide crash reports: www.chp.ca.gov/traffic/request-a-crash-report/
CHP: "A proper Party of Interest (i.e., Drivers, Bicyclists, Pedestrians, Passengers, Parents of Minors, Legal Guardians, Vehicle or Property Owners, Legal representatives, Manufacturer Representatives, or Insurance Companies with a valid claim or policy number) may request a copy of a CHP crash report/investigation, without having to go to the CHP Area office where the crash report was filed online through the Crash Portal." Portal: "Traffic Crash Reports are typically available within eight (8) business days from the date of the crash and can be released to involved parties and/or their auth…
- Request portal: crashes.chp.ca.gov/
- Local police and sheriff reports: lapdonlinestrgeacc.blob.core.usgovcloudapi.net/lapdonlinemedia/tc-report-traffic
- Driver report duty (DMV SR-1 reporting rule (Vehicle Code 16000)): www.dmv.ca.gov/portal/dmv-virtual-office/accident-reporting/
"You or your insurance agent, broker, or legal representative must complete an SR-1 report and send it to DMV within 10 days if someone is injured (no matter how minor the injury) or killed, or property damage is over $1000." "An SR-1 report is required in addition to any other report made to the police, CHP, or your insurance company."
- When to call police (California Vehicle Code 20008(a)): leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=VEH§ionN
"The driver of a vehicle, other than a common carrier vehicle, involved in any accident resulting in injuries to or death of any person shall within 24 hours after the accident make or cause to be made a written report of the accident to the Department of the California Highway Patrol or, if the accident occurred within a city, to either the Department of the California Highway Patrol or the police department of the city in which the accident occurred."
Read October 2, 2026. Laws and fees change; the linked page is the authority.