HomeCrash reportsNew Mexico
How to get a New Mexico crash report
Copies come from NM Department of Public Safety, Law Enforcement Records Bureau (NMSP and Motor Transportation Police crash reports); NMDOT Traffic Records holds the statewide crash database. Request one at nmdps.govqa.us. The fee is not stated on the official page.
Checked against the official pages on October 2, 2026
The statewide copy
| Who has it | NM Department of Public Safety, Law Enforcement Records Bureau (NMSP and Motor Transportation Police crash reports); NMDOT Traffic Records holds the statewide crash database |
|---|---|
| Where to request it | nmdps.govqa.us |
| Covers | NM State Police and Motor Transportation Police uniform crash reports only; city police and sheriff reports come from those agencies (NMDOT also accepts a Crash Data / Copy of Uniform Crash Report request form) |
| What you need | Written (preferred) or oral request through the DPS records request portal; DPS page does not list required identifiers |
| Who can get a copy | anyone (DPS 'will release these reports upon a written or oral request ... by any civilian, law enforcement agency or officer, and any other agency') |
| By mail | DPS IPRA written request form by mail to P.O. Box 1628, Santa Fe, NM 87504 or fax 505-827-3388; copy fees for physical copies $1.00 first page, $0.25 each subsequent page, $6.75 per disc; electronic delivery through the portal is free |
Reports taken by city police or a sheriff
City and county agencies sell their own reports; the Albuquerque Police Department contracts with Carfax for Police to distribute reports online at $7.50 per report, or in person at 400 Roma NW, and also lists CrashDocs.org (report number, last name of a party, and accident date required).
The form
Officers in New Mexico write crash reports on the New Mexico Uniform Crash Report (UCR). 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 New Mexico
| Agency | Covers | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Albuquerque Police Department | Albuquerque | $7.50 per report online. In person at Records: $0.50 per page for any report |
After you have the report
New Mexico gives you three years to file a personal injury lawsuit (N.M. Stat. Ann. § 37-1-8). Every New Mexico deadline and fault rule.
New Mexico is an at-fault state: the driver who caused the crash, through their liability insurance, pays for the injuries and damage.
2,196 people died in crashes in New Mexico 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 New Mexico. Both take under a minute.
Questions
Are New Mexico crash reports public?
anyone (DPS 'will release these reports upon a written or oral request ... by any civilian, law enforcement agency or officer, and any other agency')
Sources
- Statewide crash reports: www.dps.nm.gov/law-enforcement-records-bureau/
LERB maintains all NMSP or MTPD uniform crash reports throughout the state. ... Our department will release these reports upon a written or oral request (written is preferred) by any civilian, law enforcement agency or officer, and any other agency. | A fee is not charged for records provided electronically through the GovQA request portal. | Physical copies of records provided in person, by mail, or by fax are subject to a copy fee of: $1.00 for the first page $0.25 for each subsequent page $6.75 for discs
- Request portal: nmdps.govqa.us/WEBAPP/_rs/SupportHome.aspx
- Local police and sheriff reports: www.cabq.gov/police/online-services/obtain-traffic-accident-crash-reports
- Crash report codes: api.realfile.rtsclients.com/PublicFiles/f260a66b364d453e91ff9b3fedd494dc/ea5a296
- Driver report duty (NMSA 1978, 66-7-207(A)): www.nmlegis.gov/Sessions/23%20Regular/bills/house/HB0271.pdf
The driver of a vehicle involved in an accident resulting in bodily injury to or death of any person or total property damage to an apparent extent of [five hundred dollars ($500)] one thousand dollars ($1,000) or more shall, within five days after the accident, forward a written report of the accident to the department of transportation. (current text of 66-7-207(A) as printed in 2023 HB 271, which died in the Senate; $500 remains current)
Read October 2, 2026. Laws and fees change; the linked page is the authority.