How To Get An Arizona Car Accident Report
Use Arizona DPS for its own collision records and the investigating local department for local cases. A citizen-submitted report number is different from an investigated collision report.
Sources Checked October 4, 2026 General Information
Match The Record To The Investigating Agency
Arizona DPS’s current records-request page covers records from state trooper investigations and the department’s minor-collision citizen-report tool. It directs requests for town, city, and county investigations to the responsible local agency. Start with the agency name on your exchange sheet or officer’s card; the highway name alone is not a complete request.
Write the crash date, approximate location, case number, and involved vehicle in a short request description. If the agency is unknown, make that your first question. A statewide search result or an advertisement offering reports should not substitute for identifying who created the record. Use the official page’s portal link after you have established the correct route.
Know What Kind Of Report Was Created
DPS’s Citizen’s Report of a Collision instructions explain that an approved submission generates a report number but does not lead to further investigation to determine fault, obtain insurance details, or locate another vehicle. If you used that tool, identify the document as a citizen report when organizing your insurance file.
An officer’s investigation and your own submission can contain different kinds of information. Label the creator and the date on your private index. Do not describe a self-reported account as an independent official finding. If an insurer asks for an investigated report, clarify what exists rather than assuming any police reference number meets the request.
Prepare A Request With A Narrow Scope
List the specific record you need: collision report, supplement, photograph, or other material identified by the agency. If you want more than one item, separate them in the request. Avoid an unexplained demand for “everything” when the immediate task is to obtain the report associated with a particular incident.
- Identify the incident number and date exactly as provided.
- Describe the location with road, direction, and nearby junction if known.
- State your connection to the collision accurately.
- Specify the record types and any known date range.
- Supply a reliable contact route and retain the request confirmation.
These are suggested preparation steps, not a substitute for the portal’s required fields. Do not add facts merely to make every field look complete. If a request form requires a detail you do not know, ask the records office how to proceed. Keep any answer with the submission record.
Understand Access Before Sharing The Result
Arizona Revised Statutes 28-667 identifies categories eligible for unredacted reports and restricts access for commercial solicitation. It also contains investigation and victim-information protections. An involved person should use the agency’s stated eligibility process; this article does not authorize general distribution of a report or guarantee an unredacted copy in every case.
Keep the report in a private folder. Before forwarding it, identify the recipient and purpose and consider whether a narrower document would answer the question. A records request intended to support your own claim is different from collecting reports to market services to people involved in collisions.
Treat Processing Estimates As Estimates
DPS describes an automated route for some qualifying unredacted-report requests and notes that other records can take longer. Do not turn a published service estimate into a guaranteed delivery date. Active investigations, archived material, and requests for substantial video or audio can require different handling according to the agency’s page.
Record the confirmation number, request date, and status messages. When following up, say whether you are checking eligibility, an invoice, a missing attachment, or delivery. Check current fees inside the official process; this guide does not repeat an older fee schedule or claim to have tested payment.
Check The Delivered Record Against Your Request
Open the file and compare its date, report number, participants, and page sequence with your request. Keep the original unchanged. If a supplement was requested but not supplied, ask whether it exists and whether it requires a separate request. Missing material and a disagreement with the narrative are different issues.
For a possible error, make a separate table listing the page, field, concern, and supporting record. Ask the creating agency about its correction process. An insurer can be told that a question is pending; do not silently edit an official document or represent a requested correction as already accepted.
Close The Retrieval Task Without Losing Other Tasks
A useful file contains the request, receipt, delivered report, and unresolved questions. Name each by its source and version. Link the record in your private claim index so you can retrieve it without searching old emails. Keep policy notices and any court-related assessment on separate follow-up lists: receiving a report is not a determination of fault, coverage, or legal timeliness.
Official Sources
These agency and legislative sources support the state-specific information above. Check the current agency instructions before making a request.
- Records RequestArizona Department of Public Safety
- Citizen’s Report of a CollisionArizona Department of Public Safety
- ARS 28-667 Written Accident ReportArizona Legislature
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