Report an Illinois Crash and Obtain the Police Record

Determine what must be reported

The Illinois State Police crash reporting instructions identify crashes involving a death, bodily injury or more than $1,500 in property damage when all drivers are insured. If a driver is uninsured, the page gives a $500 damage threshold. These thresholds were read October 20, 2026. If officers did not come to the scene, the page directs the motorist to arrange a report as soon as possible, within 10 days, also checked October 20, 2026. An insurance claim is not the police report described by these instructions.

At the scene, attend to injuries and immediate hazards, obtain emergency help when needed, and exchange identifying information. Preserve the location, direction of travel, vehicle and insurance details, and the information given by responding officers. Take photographs only when doing so is safe. A useful location description identifies the road, nearby intersection or mile marker and direction, rather than only the city you were driving toward.

The responding department may be the State Police, a municipal department or a county agency. Keep its name and report number with your insurance papers. If you are unsure which agency took the report, use the information exchange document or contact the department that responded. Ordering a record from the wrong custodian can produce an unsuccessful search even though a valid report exists elsewhere.

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Use the State Police online filing system only if eligible

The State Police online crash reporting entry page requires a single-vehicle, property-damage-only event with no injuries, occurring on an interstate or a U.S. or Illinois route within the described jurisdiction. Its screening questions are part of the eligibility check. A collision involving two vehicles must be reported in person under those instructions. A minor collision does not become eligible merely because both drivers are willing to type a report online.

Read the questions literally and describe the event accurately. If an injury is reported or the location falls outside the accepted road categories, contact law enforcement about the proper report. Avoid leaving out another vehicle, a passenger's injury or relevant property damage to make the application accept the incident. The State Police announcement of the online reporting service explains that the system was designed for specified crashes where an officer's on-scene response was not needed. The service does not replace emergency response or investigation of an event outside its criteria.

For eligible submissions, retain the confirmation and any printable record the system supplies. A later insurance inquiry may need the exact submission information. Filing another version without explaining that it concerns an existing report can make the record harder to trace. If an important detail was entered incorrectly, ask the receiving agency how to provide a correction or supplemental information.

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Chicagoland freeway desk reports

The State Police reporting page also describes in-person desk reports for freeway crashes in the Chicagoland area. Its listed filing period is within 10 days of the crash, checked October 20, 2026. Bring driver's license information, registration, liability insurance details and callback information for involved drivers. The page identifies participating locations and the procedure for requesting a trooper on arrival. Verify the selected location before traveling because a police building on the list is not necessarily staffed with a trooper waiting at its public counter.

A hit-and-run freeway crash can use the described desk-report process where appropriate. Preserve the other vehicle's description, plate information, direction of travel and witness details without pursuing the departing driver. Explain any injury or emergency when contacting police so the event is routed correctly. This desk-report option should not be confused with the narrower single-vehicle online application.

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The former IDOT motorist report is no longer generally required

The Illinois Department of Transportation crash report page states that motorists no longer have to complete an SR1B Illinois Motorist Report and send it to IDOT under the former requirement. That change does not remove the obligation to report a qualifying crash to law enforcement. A reader who finds an older instruction to mail a separate motorist form should check the current IDOT explanation before duplicating an obsolete step.

There is a stated exception for an employee involved in a crash while using a state vehicle: the IDOT page says the employee still has an internal reporting requirement under state rules. Follow the employing agency's instructions and obtain the required form through the listed IDOT contact. An ordinary privately owned vehicle and a state fleet vehicle do not use identical administrative follow-up.

The IDOT law enforcement reporting guidance concerns the investigating agencies' SR 1050 reports and approved electronic submissions. Its instructions for police and software vendors are not an invitation for a motorist to submit a substitute police form. Keep the police reporting system, the abolished general SR1B requirement and an insurance company's claim form clearly identified when assembling records.

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Request a copy from the investigating agency

The State Police E-Pay instructions tell customers to verify that Illinois State Police investigated the crash before ordering. The Investigated By field on the available report or exchange record can help. Municipal-street crashes are commonly handled by another agency. If the named department is local, use that department's records process instead of paying ISP for a record it may not possess.

For an ISP search, gather the agency report number, a driver's full name, crash date, road or location and county. Enter the number exactly as issued, including meaningful prefixes. Distinguish the crash date from the date you reported it or opened an insurance claim. If you lack a report number, provide the other identifiers and use the Patrol Records contact to ask whether ISP has the incident.

The ISP online copy request page routes redacted reports through E-Pay for delivery by email. As read October 20, 2026, the report price is $5, with a credit-card service charge of 2.35% and a $1 minimum service charge. Payment does not instantly generate the report. ISP says requests may require 10 or more business days because the report must be approved and the request processed; that processing statement was checked October 20, 2026. Save the receipt and check the email account's junk folder for the agency response.

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Mail requests, subpoenas and redactions

The State Police mail request instructions call for a written request with the report identifiers, a self-addressed stamped envelope and a check or money order payable to Illinois State Police. The ordinary crash-report charge is $5, checked October 20, 2026. The listed address is Patrol Records Unit, 801 South 7th Street, Suite 600-M, Springfield, Illinois 62703. Recheck the mailing instructions before sending payment and avoid enclosing irreplaceable personal originals that the request does not require.

ISP says these requests are governed by the Illinois Freedom of Information Act and normally produce redacted records. For an unredacted copy, its copy and mail pages require a subpoena or an order signed by a judge with the request. The mail instructions list an additional $20 processing charge when a subpoena is submitted, checked October 20, 2026. Being one of the drivers does not, by itself, override the published unredacted-copy requirements. Follow the applicable legal process if the case requires protected information.

Read the returned record's explanation of any withholding. Redaction can remove protected details without meaning that the entire report is unavailable. If a court or insurer requires a particular version, identify that requirement before ordering repeatedly. The issuing agency can explain what was supplied and which process applies to a request for additional material.

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Reconstruction reports and other incident evidence

A detailed reconstruction report is a separate record, and not every collision produces one. The ISP reconstruction request page lists a $20 check or money-order charge, checked October 20, 2026, and requests the report number, crash date, location and involved parties. It provides a Patrol Records contact for a status or report-number question. Determine whether a reconstruction exists before treating it as an automatic attachment to the ordinary traffic crash report.

For other records, such as a particular video, photograph or investigative document, consult the State Police FOIA instructions. Describe the record type, incident, time range and relevant identifiers precisely. A request for a named camera recording during a defined event gives the custodian more useful information than an unexplained request for everything. The agency also explains that an active investigation can affect what may be released. A general records request should not be assumed to accelerate a pending crash investigation.

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Use the record in an insurance claim

Once the report arrives, compare basic identifiers with your own records and provide the insurer the version it requests. A police narrative, damage estimate, medical record and coverage decision have different purposes. If the report contains a factual error, ask the investigating agency about its correction process and preserve the evidence supporting the correction. Editing your own copy does not change the agency's official file.

The Illinois Department of Insurance claim guidance explains an insured person's responsibilities after a loss. Keep the police number, claim number, photographs, repair documents and correspondence together so each inquiry can be connected to the same incident. For broader road-safety research, IDOT crash data resources provide statistical information. Those aggregated datasets serve a different need from the identified police report required for a personal claim or legal proceeding.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Can a two-car Illinois crash be filed through the ISP online crash application?
The online eligibility screen excludes two-vehicle crashes and directs them to an in-person reporting route. Contact the appropriate police agency even when the damage appears modest.

Is the old SR1B mailing requirement still part of every Illinois collision?
IDOT says the general motorist submission requirement has ended. Qualifying police reporting remains, and the agency separately identifies a continuing report for employees involved in crashes in state vehicles.

Where should I order a report made by a city police department?
Use the records procedure of the city agency that investigated. The State Police copy service asks applicants to verify ISP involvement before purchasing its report search.

Will paying ISP E-Pay immediately download my crash record?
The request still needs processing and the underlying report must be approved. Retain the payment reference and watch the designated email account rather than treating the charge as immediate delivery.

Does being an involved driver guarantee an unredacted ISP copy?
ISP publishes a subpoena-or-judge-order requirement for the unredacted version. Check that process before assuming driver participation alone changes the version supplied through an ordinary request.

Is an Illinois reconstruction report included with every traffic crash report?
Reconstruction is a separate type of investigative record and may not exist for the event. Confirm its availability with Patrol Records and use the dedicated request instructions when that is the record needed.

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More Illinois SOS guides

The other Illinois SOS guides, 52 of them:

Where this subject meets the courts and the county records: what the Illinois records law opens and looking up an Illinois court case.

Police reports in the largest Illinois counties, each with the local court and office that holds the file: Cook, DuPage, Lake, Will, Kane and McHenry.