HomeCrash reportsDistrict of Columbia
How to get a District of Columbia crash report
Copies come from Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), Public Documents Section. Request one at mpdc.dc.gov. No fee for first-party requests; insurance companies pay $3 per PD-10 (MPD's reports overview page says $3 for all PD-10s).
Checked against the official pages on October 2, 2026
The statewide copy
| Who has it | Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), Public Documents Section |
|---|---|
| Where to request it | mpdc.dc.gov |
| Covers | MPD Accident Reports (PD-10) for crashes an MPD officer wrote up in the District |
| Cost | No fee for first-party requests; insurance companies pay $3 per PD-10 (MPD's reports overview page says $3 for all PD-10s) |
| What you need | As much as you have of: full name, date, location and time of the accident, and the six-digit report number (CCN). Email or mail requests also need a copy of a government-issued photo ID and the completed PD Form 10B (Application for PD Form 10 Accident Report). |
| Who can get a copy | First party only: an involved party, or the attorney, attorney's staff or investigators of an involved party. Third parties must go through MPD's FOIA Office. |
| By mail | Email, or mail with a self-addressed stamped envelope, to Metropolitan Police Department, Public Documents Section, ATTN: Accident/Incident Reports, 441 4th Street NW, Room 550 South, Washington, DC 20001. Mail-in requests: allow six weeks. Mail requests are paid by money order. In person by appointment only: (202) 671-6705. |
Reports taken by city police or a sheriff
The District has one police department, so MPD is also the local source. If you do not know the six-digit report number (CCN), call the station of the police district that responded: "If you need to find out the report number, call the station of the police district that responded to the incident."
The form: PD-10
Officers in District of Columbia write crash reports on the MPD Accident Report (PD-10). Most boxes on it hold numeric codes for things like contributing factors, injuries and road conditions.
Your own report to the state
No separate driver report is required. DC DMV tells drivers not to report crashes to DMV; the police report (PD-10) is written by the responding officer. (DC DMV vehicle insurance page)
When you must call the police
If anyone is injured: call 911 (or an ambulance) and stay until police arrive. If only property is damaged: give your identifying information to the owner, or if the owner is not there, give your information and the crash location to police or 911. DDOT also says call 911 if medical or police help is needed or a vehicle cannot be driven. No dollar threshold in the statute. (D.C. Code 50-2201.05c(a))
After you have the report
District of Columbia gives you three years to file a personal injury lawsuit (D.C. Code § 12-301(8)). Every District of Columbia deadline and fault rule.
200 people died in crashes in District of Columbia 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 District of Columbia. Both take under a minute.
Questions
How much does a District of Columbia crash report cost?
No fee for first-party requests; insurance companies pay $3 per PD-10 (MPD's reports overview page says $3 for all PD-10s), from Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), Public Documents Section. Reports taken by a city police department or sheriff may be priced differently by that agency.
Are District of Columbia crash reports public?
First party only: an involved party, or the attorney, attorney's staff or investigators of an involved party. Third parties must go through MPD's FOIA Office.
Do I have to file my own crash report in District of Columbia?
No separate driver report is required. DC DMV tells drivers not to report crashes to DMV; the police report (PD-10) is written by the responding officer.
Sources
- Statewide crash reports: mpdc.dc.gov/service/request-accident-report-pd-10-or-incidentoffense-report-pd-2
MPD: "Requests for a PD 10/Traffic Crash Report may be made by a First Party ONLY (Involved Party OR Attorney/Attorney Staff/Investigators of Involved Party). Third Party requests should be submitted through the MPD's FOIA Office." "There is a NO Fee for 1st Party Requests". "Copies of the PD-10 are usually available to first party requestors at no charge and insurance companies for claim purposes at a fee $3 for each PD requested." "For Mail-In requests, please allow six weeks for processing from the date the request is made."
- Local police and sheriff reports: mpdc.dc.gov/service/request-accident-report-pd-10-or-incidentoffense-report-pd-2
- Driver report duty (DC DMV vehicle insurance page): dmv.dc.gov/service/vehicle-insurance
"If you are involved in a crash involving an injury, call 911. Do not report any crash to DC DMV."
- When to call police (D.C. Code 50-2201.05c(a)): code.dccouncil.gov/us/dc/council/code/sections/50-2201.05c
"Where another person is injured, call or cause another to call 911 or call or cause another to call for an ambulance or other emergency assistance if necessary, remain on the scene until law enforcement arrives, and provide identifying information to law enforcement and to the injured person; (2) Where real or personal property belonging to another is damaged ... provide identifying information to the owner or operator of the property ... or, where the owner or operator of the property ... is not present, provide or cause another to provide identifying information and the location of the coll…
Read October 2, 2026. Laws and fees change; the linked page is the authority.