Requesting Virginia Police Crash Reports and Submitting Crash Information

Decide whether you need an existing report or a new submission

A police crash-report request asks DMV for a report already submitted by the investigating agency. A voluntary crash submission supplies information about an incident, including information that may help DMV investigate insurance compliance. The DMV police-report request page and reporting-a-crash instructions describe those separate transactions. Identify which one applies before completing forms or sending payment.

For an existing report, gather the incident date, approximate time, exact locality, roadway, involved driver's name, and the investigating agency or case number if available. If a police department gave you its own incident reference, retain that reference even if it is not the only search field on DMV's application. Where police did not investigate, do not assume that a voluntary report creates an officer's narrative, diagram, or factual findings. Tell the insurer or representative what kind of document you actually have.

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Establish your eligibility for the complete record

Virginia's crash-report access statute allows specified involved people and authorized representatives to inspect reports. Eligible categories include involved or injured persons, owners of involved vehicles or property, authorized attorneys and insurers, and qualifying personal representatives. Parents or guardians have a stated route when a person injured or killed was a minor. Complete the request in your actual capacity instead of selecting driver merely because that appears to be the simplest box.

The CRD 93 Information Request form revised July 1, 2026 includes a category for an authorized towing and recovery operator responding to a public safety tow. That access serves the specific purpose of obtaining the registered-owner and insurance information for the vehicle towed. It is not a general authorization for a towing business to collect collision reports about unrelated vehicles. The statute also restricts dissemination of a report obtained through that provision.

DMV may request evidence supporting the claimed relationship or authority. An attorney, insurer, guardian, or tow operator should be prepared to establish that connection to the incident rather than relying only on a business name. A person outside the complete-report categories cannot obtain the same access simply by paying the fee. The current DMV police-report procedure describes further review and the narrower treatment of requests supported by other legal authority.

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Complete CRD 93 without omitting the certification

Fill in the requester information, select Police Crash Report under the information requested, and identify the applicable involvement category. Supply as much incident information as you can accurately establish. For a passenger or injured pedestrian, include the relevant name rather than forcing the person into the driver's field. Explain your purpose clearly when the relationship requires additional context, and attach supporting documentation appropriate to the authority claimed.

Read and sign the form's certification about the stated use of the information. A form that identifies the crash but omits the required signature remains incomplete. Preserve a copy of the submitted request and attachments so a later status inquiry can specify what DMV received. If you submit a written request instead of CRD 93, follow every item listed on the DMV request page, including your involvement and the identifying incident details. A one-line request for all accidents involving a common name is unlikely to identify the intended record adequately.

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Choose a payment route that matches the submission

The current DMV fee is $8 for each requested police crash report, verified October 21, 2026. Mail requests go to the Customer Records Work Center address printed on the request page and must include a check or money order. DMV's current instructions no longer accept credit-card payment by mail for this transaction. A customer service center accepts the listed in-person payment methods when taking the request, subject to its normal service availability.

For fax payment, use the DMS 004 payment authorization revised February 10, 2026 with the required records application. DMS 004 specifically directs customers not to mail that form. The crash webpage and payment form list different Customer Records fax numbers, so confirm the intended destination with the work center before transmitting a completed payment authorization. Mail or an office visit provides another published route when that fax detail remains unresolved.

If you routinely order records for an authorized business purpose, the request page provides a work-center contact for a possible billing arrangement. Do not assume that arrangement exists simply because the company has ordered other DMV products. The billing setup, eligibility to receive a particular crash report, and the number of reports requested remain separate questions. Retain the transaction receipt with the request rather than treating a bank charge alone as proof of which report was ordered.

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Allow for completion, review, and delivery

DMV's public instructions say requested reports are sent by first-class U.S. mail. An office visit ordinarily submits the request to the records work center rather than guaranteeing that every customer leaves with a printed report. The operational procedure provides limited immediate-handling arrangements for specified involved requesters when the report is available, but those arrangements do not remove the need for eligibility review or an existing report. Ask about the actual available service if timing is critical.

When a requested report has not yet reached DMV, the current procedure describes monitoring for 30 days from the crash date. If it becomes available during that period, the work center sends it; otherwise, the procedure provides for a mailed refund. The public page also states that the fee is returned when no report is found. This is distinct from a promise that every police investigation will finish within a particular number of days.

The police reporting statute currently applies to investigated crashes involving injury, death, or apparent total property damage of $3,000 or more. It directs the officer to forward the report within 24 hours after completing the investigation. That timing begins with completion of the investigation, not automatically with the collision, and it does not establish next-day delivery of a purchased copy. A lower-damage incident may still produce local documentation even when the statutory DMV-report threshold is not met.

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Use FR 200 for the voluntary reporting process

The FR 200 Voluntary Report of a Crash gathers information about the vehicles, people, insurance, and incident. DMV's reporting page directs a driver, vehicle owner, or representative to submit the report with CRD 93 and the stated payment for its described process. Follow those instructions carefully when asking DMV to obtain insurance information, and keep a copy of what you report. Identify uncertainties honestly instead of converting estimates into asserted facts.

The voluntary submission does not replace the driver's immediate responsibilities at the scene. Virginia's stop, identification, and assistance requirements address collisions involving injury, death, or damage to attended property. A damage threshold used for an officer's DMV report should never be treated as permission to leave a scene without meeting the driver's obligations. Deal with emergency assistance and the appropriate police notification before turning to a records request for later insurance work.

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Understand the report's limits and request corrections properly

The Traffic Records Electronic Data System overview explains how Virginia uses crash information for analysis and roadway safety. Its law-enforcement submission system is not a public customer portal for purchasing a personal crash report. Use the records-request route rather than attempting to obtain an agency login or treating a public statistical chart as your individual report.

Virginia law requires the covered reports to be retained for at least 36 months from the crash. Keep your own copy if you expect a later claim, but do not describe the minimum retention period as a guarantee that all supplementary material is held forever. The law on the use of investigating officers' reports also imposes confidentiality and evidentiary limits. Obtaining the report does not make DMV a decision-maker on civil fault or insurance coverage.

For a disputed vehicle description, statement, diagram, photograph, or investigative fact, contact the investigating officer or agency. Identify the exact entry, provide reliable supporting material, and ask whether a corrected report or supplement will be submitted. Preserve both the original and any official amendment so the record's history remains clear. Altering the downloaded or scanned document yourself would not create an official correction and could confuse everyone relying on the police record.

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Frequently Asked Questions

How much does DMV charge for a Virginia police crash report?
The current request fee is $8 per report, and DMV states that it returns the fee if no report is found.

Can I send credit-card details with a mailed CRD 93?
DMV now limits mailed payment for this transaction to a check or money order, while the separate DMS 004 authorization is intended for the fax route.

Does anyone who knows the crash date qualify for a full report?
Complete-report access depends on the involvement or legal authority recognized by Virginia law, which the requester must identify and may need to document.

Does the officer's 24-hour rule guarantee delivery the day after a crash?
The statutory forwarding period starts after the investigation is completed and does not guarantee that a customer can obtain a finished report immediately after the incident.

Is FR 200 the same document as a police investigation report?
FR 200 is the voluntary crash-reporting form and does not establish that an officer investigated or approved the submitter's description.

Who should correct a mistaken fact in my police report?
Direct the specific correction request and supporting evidence to the investigating agency, which can determine whether an official amendment or supplement is warranted.

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More Virginia DMV guides

The other Virginia DMV guides, 52 of them:

The public records that sit beside this page, on SearchSystems: what the Virginia records law opens and looking up a Virginia court case.

Police reports in the largest Virginia counties, each with the local court and office that holds the file: Fairfax, Prince William, Loudoun, Chesterfield, Henrico and Arlington.