HomeCrash reportsGeorgia
How to get a Georgia crash report
Copies come from Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) crash reporting unit, sold online through the BuyCrash portal (LexisNexis); Georgia State Patrol reports are also available through the Department of Public Safety open records unit. Request one at buycrash.lexisnexisrisk.com. GDOT mail-in request: $5 each, plus $2 for a certified report. The BuyCrash price is not stated on official pages read. GDOT mail requests take "at the least two weeks"; GDOT points people to BuyCrash for faster delivery.
Checked against the official pages on October 2, 2026
The statewide copy
| Who has it | Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) crash reporting unit, sold online through the BuyCrash portal (LexisNexis); Georgia State Patrol reports are also available through the Department of Public Safety open records unit |
|---|---|
| Where to request it | buycrash.lexisnexisrisk.com |
| Covers | Reports from Georgia law enforcement agencies (BuyCrash offers "ALL GA Agencies"); GDOT is "the designated state agency for managing and storing the states crash reports in the GEARS database" |
| Cost | GDOT mail-in request: $5 each, plus $2 for a certified report. The BuyCrash price is not stated on official pages read. |
| Usually ready | GDOT mail requests take "at the least two weeks"; GDOT points people to BuyCrash for faster delivery |
| What you need | BuyCrash: the last name of a driver, passenger, owner or pedestrian, the date of the crash, and one of crash report number, VIN or driver's license number. GDOT mail form: last name on the report, date of crash, reporting agency or report number, and a statement of need. |
| Who can get a copy | Per GDOT's form (O.C.G.A. 50-18-72(a)(5)): a driver, the owner or lessee of a damaged vehicle or property, an injured person or witness, an insurer, an attorney for a party or witness, a prosecutor or law enforcement officer, or a news media representative. |
| By mail | GDOT Individual Accident Report Request form (request_form.pdf) with a money order or cashier's check (no cash or personal checks) to Georgia Dept. of Transportation, 935 United Ave. SE, Bldg 24, Atlanta, GA 30316. Reports are mailed back. |
Reports taken by city police or a sheriff
Georgia law requires every state and local law enforcement agency to send its accident reports to GDOT, so city and county reports are in the same system; each department may also give you a copy. O.C.G.A. 40-9-31: "Each state and local law enforcement agency shall submit to the Department of Transportation the original document of any accident report prepared by such law enforcement agency".
The form: GDOT-523
Officers in Georgia write crash reports on the Georgia Uniform Motor Vehicle Accident Report (GDOT-523). Most boxes on it hold numeric codes for things like contributing factors, injuries and road conditions. The state publishes the key to those codes:
City police and sheriff reports in Georgia
| Agency | Covers | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Atlanta Police Department | Atlanta | $11 online at BuyCrash |
| Cobb County Police Department | Marietta | $5.00 charge for all non-involved parties. The page does not state the fee for involved parties or for the online report. |
| Gwinnett County Police Department | Lawrenceville | Hard copy at a Gwinnett police location: $5 per accident report. Online BuyCrash: "there is a charge for this service" |
| Savannah Police Department | Savannah |
When you must call the police
Immediately, if anyone is injured or killed, or apparent property damage is $500 or more (O.C.G.A. 40-6-273 (as posted by GDOT); Georgia DDS Driver's Manual Section 11)
After you have the report
Georgia gives you two years to file a personal injury lawsuit (Ga. Code Ann. § 9-3-33). Every Georgia deadline and fault rule.
Georgia is an at-fault state: the driver who caused the crash, through their liability insurance, pays for the injuries and damage.
8,276 people died in crashes in Georgia 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 Georgia. Both take under a minute.
Questions
How much does a Georgia crash report cost?
GDOT mail-in request: $5 each, plus $2 for a certified report. The BuyCrash price is not stated on official pages read., from Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) crash reporting unit, sold online through the BuyCrash portal (LexisNexis); Georgia State Patrol reports are also available through the Department of Public Safety open records unit. 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 Georgia?
GDOT mail requests take "at the least two weeks"; GDOT points people to BuyCrash for faster delivery. The officer has to finish and submit the report before it can be sold.
Are Georgia crash reports public?
Per GDOT's form (O.C.G.A. 50-18-72(a)(5)): a driver, the owner or lessee of a damaged vehicle or property, an injured person or witness, an insurer, an attorney for a party or witness, a prosecutor or law enforcement officer, or a news media representative.
Sources
- Statewide crash reports: www.dot.ga.gov/GDOT/pages/CrashReporting.aspx
GDOT: "Police crash reports are available through Buycrash. Crash reports can be purchased directly via the BuyCrash website or by mailing a request to GDOT via the GDOT Request Form." Request form: "NOTE: IT WILL TAKE AT THE LEAST TWO WEEKS TO COMPLETE THIS REQUEST; TO RECEIVE YOUR REPORT SOONER CALL 1-866-215-2771 OR VISIT https://buycrash.lexisnexisrisk.com/ui/home"; "Reports Cost $5 each. Additional $2 charge for certified report, if requested." BuyCrash guide: "Enter a driver's, passenger's, owner's or pedestrian's Last Name; the Date of the Crash; followed by any one of the three remaini…
- Request portal: buycrash.lexisnexisrisk.com/ui/home
- Local police and sheriff reports: crashmanual.dot.ga.gov/rules
- GDOT-523 codes: www.dot.ga.gov/DriveSmart/CrashReporting/overlay.pdf
- Driver report duty: dds.georgia.gov/section-11-crashes
No official Georgia page read states a driver-filed written crash report. The Department of Driver Services manual says only: "Notify the nearest law enforcement agency immediately if anyone is injured or killed, or if property damage exceeds $500.00".
- When to call police (O.C.G.A. 40-6-273 (as posted by GDOT); Georgia DDS Driver's Manual Section 11): crashmanual.dot.ga.gov/rules
GDOT statutory rules: "The driver of a vehicle involved in an accident resulting in injury to or death of any person or property damage to an apparent extent of $500.00 or more shall immediately, by the quickest means of communication, give notice of such accident to the local police department". DDS: "Notify the nearest law enforcement agency immediately if anyone is injured or killed, or if property damage exceeds $500.00".
Read October 2, 2026. Laws and fees change; the linked page is the authority.