Ordering a North Carolina Motor Vehicle Crash Report

Start with NCDMV's current ordering instructions

The NCDMV crash report page explains how individuals and businesses obtain records. North Carolina reports contain information about several people, so being involved in a collision does not automatically make every other person's identifying details available. Check the current route for your requester category before relying on an old online ordering guide.

Write down the crash date, county, involved driver's name and any report number supplied at the scene. If several vehicles or agencies were involved, identify which agency prepared the report you need. The insurance claim number and the police report number can be different identifiers. Keeping both avoids a search based on a reference that the records custodian does not use.

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Distinguish reporting a crash from ordering its record

The reporting requirements in G.S. 20-166.1 require the driver in a reportable accident to notify the appropriate law enforcement agency immediately by the quickest means of communication. That requirement was checked October 21, 2026. A later request for a certified copy does not take the place of notifying the agency that must investigate.

The statute also describes how officers prepare and forward reports to the Division. A report may be moving through the investigating agency's process before it becomes available through NCDMV. If the crash is not found, verify the name, date and county with the investigator rather than filing multiple paid requests with slightly different guesses. Ask whether a supplemental report exists when significant information was added after the initial investigation.

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Complete the current TR-67A request

Use the TR-67A crash report request form linked from NCDMV's current page. It asks for the involved driver's information, crash date and county, then the requester's name, address, identification and relevant role. The form provides separate selections for a requester with a qualifying permissible use, a requester without one and an involved party requesting a redacted copy.

Print and complete the document as instructed, including the signature and sufficient identification details. The form warns that incomplete information or an insufficient explanation can result in denial. Describe the actual requester's role instead of using an insurer's or lawyer's category merely because the record may eventually be forwarded to one. Retain a copy of the completed request so you can answer any follow-up about its contents.

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Understand redaction and permissible use

North Carolina's motor vehicle privacy statute directs the Division to follow the federal Driver's Privacy Protection Act. The permitted-use selection matters because a crash report may identify drivers, passengers and other people whose information is protected. A redacted copy removes restricted personal details while supplying the releasable crash information.

The NCDMV intended-use terms explain the certification required for access. The ordinary permission to obtain one's own driving record should not be applied to everyone else's information in a crash report. TR-67A identifies the allowed crash-report uses and additional restrictions for particular categories. Review that specific list and provide professional or agency identification when the request relies on such a role.

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Order as an individual by mail or in person

NCDMV's posted process directs an individual involved in a crash to request the redacted report by mail or in person. Its current page says individuals cannot order crash reports online. Mail the completed TR-67A with the appropriate signed payment to the Crash Reports Unit address printed on the form. Do not send the packet to a driver license testing counter or an address taken from an obsolete form.

The page read October 21, 2026 asks customers to allow 10 business days from receipt for mail processing. That estimate begins when the request is received, not when the crash happened or the envelope was posted. Keep mailing information and the payment details so you can identify the transaction if the agency needs to locate it.

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Use the designated record counters

The NCDMV records and reports directory identifies the vehicle registration offices used for in-person record requests. The crash page lists Raleigh Central Services at 4121 New Bern Avenue and the Huntersville office at 12101 Mt. Holly-Huntersville Road. Confirm the service location before traveling, because an ordinary license plate agency elsewhere is not automatically a crash-record counter.

As read October 21, 2026, the crash instructions provide immediate in-person service for requests involving five records or fewer, while larger requests must be mailed. Bring the completed form, identification and accepted payment. Availability still depends on the report being in the system and the request meeting the applicable release requirements; the counter cannot produce an investigation that has not been received.

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Follow the business ordering requirements

The online channel is available under NCDMV's instructions to qualified businesses or organizations based in North Carolina or licensed to operate there. Examples include insurers, attorneys and private investigators whose requests satisfy a permissible use. Out-of-state business or organization requests go by mail. A business name alone does not establish that the purpose of a particular request qualifies.

The online instructions request identifying information for the individual making the request, an approved personal identifier, the involved driver's license number and the crash date. Prepare those details through the organization's authorized records process. Save the downloaded PDF and the receipt in the appropriate case file, and use the personal information only for the purpose supporting access.

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Check the certified-copy charge

Both the current TR-67A and G.S. 20-42 list a $6.50 crash report charge, read October 21, 2026. The request form directs checks to NCDMV and says cash is not accepted for mailed requests. Follow the current ordering channel's payment instructions rather than assuming every office or website accepts the same payment method.

North Carolina's fee-adjustment law helps explain why an older publication can show a different amount. Use the current charge for the requested document. Certification concerns the status of the supplied copy; it does not grant access to personal information that must otherwise be redacted.

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Search Patrol information and request other evidence separately

The state's Highway Patrol collision search information concerns crashes investigated by the Patrol. A crash handled solely by a municipal department may not appear in that search. Failure to locate it there does not establish that no official report exists.

For additional Patrol-held material, consult the State Highway Patrol public records instructions. Identify the event and the particular material requested instead of assuming a certified crash report includes all photographs, recordings or investigative documents. The Patrol directs certified crash report requests to NCDMV and identifies a separate custodian for medical examiner and toxicology records.

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Review errors, insurance questions and other record types

Compare the received report with the known vehicle identifiers, location and chronology. If you believe an entry is wrong, contact the investigating agency with the report number and the supporting information. Preserve the issued copy and any later supplement; editing the PDF yourself does not create an official correction.

The Department of Insurance's post-accident guidance explains the insurer's separate investigation and claim process. A report can be evidence without settling every coverage or fault dispute. Use the Department's insurance assistance service for an insurance complaint, and order a driving history only when you actually need the driver's licensing record rather than the collision narrative.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Can an individual involved in a crash use NCDMV's online crash ordering service?
The current agency instructions route individuals to mail or in-person requests for a redacted report. Online ordering is described for eligible businesses and organizations with the required identification and permitted use.

Why does my certified copy have information removed?
Certification and privacy review address different aspects of the document. A certified copy can still be redacted when the requester lacks a qualifying basis to receive another person's protected identifying information.

Does the Highway Patrol search include a city police investigation?
That search is directed to Patrol-investigated collisions. Contact the city department that investigated the crash and use NCDMV's report instructions to obtain the appropriate certified record.

Will the crash report include every photograph and recording?
Additional evidence may be held in a separate agency file and require its own request. Describe the material and event to the proper custodian instead of assuming it accompanies the standard report copy.

Can I correct an apparent mistake before sending the report to my insurer?
Ask the investigating agency to review the specific entry and any supporting evidence. Keep the official document intact and supply any agency-issued supplement, rather than altering the report and presenting it as an official version.

Is a crash report the same record an employer requests to check driving history?
A driving history records licensing information and applicable entries on the driver's record. The crash report documents a particular collision, so confirm which record the employer or other recipient actually requires before ordering.

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More North Carolina DMV guides

The other North Carolina DMV guides, 52 of them:

The records side of the same subject, state by state on SearchSystems: North Carolina records requests and the North Carolina court records guide.

Police reports in the largest North Carolina counties, each with the local court and office that holds the file: Wake, Mecklenburg, Guilford, Forsyth, Durham and Cumberland.