How To Get A Louisiana Car Accident Report
Start with the agency that investigated your crash, then confirm its request process and whether photographs require a separate order.
Sources Checked October 4, 2026 General Information
Start With The Investigating Agency
A Louisiana crash report is easier to find when you know who prepared it. Look at the information exchange sheet, officer business card, incident number or tow paperwork. Record the crash location and parish as well as the investigating agency. A crash inside city limits may be handled by municipal police; a parish sheriff or State Police may investigate elsewhere. Louisiana’s crash-report statute distinguishes these responsibilities. The highway number alone does not establish which records office has your file.
For a State Police investigation, use the Louisiana State Police Traffic Records Unit. For another agency, start with that agency’s official records office and ask whether it sells reports directly or uses an authorized service. Do not assume that a missing result in the State Police portal means no report exists. Keep the incident number exactly as written, including letters, leading zeros and punctuation.
Prepare A Focused Request
The LSP request form identifies the details that help locate a record: crash date, location or highway, parish, troop, driver name and report number. Assemble these before paying. If you do not know the number, ask the investigating office how to identify the report using the information you have. Avoid guessing a number that might retrieve someone else’s collision.
Write down your relationship to the crash as well. State law restricts access to specified recipients, including involved parties, qualifying representatives and insurers. If you are helping a relative, ask what identification or authority is needed before submitting their information. A family connection by itself should not be treated as proof of entitlement. Use the agency’s secure submission route for identification documents.
Choose The Appropriate LSP Channel
LSP offers online purchases and purchases at troop offices. Its current instructions direct requests for fatal-crash reports to a troop office in person. Start from the official LSP page so you reach the service it identifies. Check the displayed fee and accepted payment method before checkout; paper, card and online transaction costs may differ. Save the payment receipt separately from the downloaded report.
If you plan to visit a troop, confirm that the report is available and that you have the completed form and acceptable payment. The request form states that cash and personal checks are not accepted at troop locations. For an online purchase, download the PDF immediately and test that it opens. Store an untouched copy before making highlights or adding notes to a working version.
Understand Availability Without Confusing It With A Deadline
LSP currently asks requesters to allow 15 working days after a crash. Louisiana’s statute also addresses access for eligible recipients within seven working days after the investigation is completed. Those statements measure different events. An unfinished investigation can affect availability; neither is a promise that every record appears a fixed number of days after the collision.
When a search fails, ask whether the investigation remains open, the report is awaiting processing, or a different agency holds it. Keep the date and substance of that answer. Do not postpone notifying an insurer while waiting for a report. You can explain that the record has been requested and provide the investigating agency and reference number.
Order Photographs Deliberately
Decide whether you need only the written report or also photographs and other records. The report PDF should not be assumed to contain everything the investigator collected. LSP describes a photograph process and additional timing for fatal-crash images on its Traffic Records page. Confirm the current photo contact and delivery method there before sending a separate request.
In a written inquiry, identify the crash and ask what materials are available, the charge and whether the request covers all photographs or selected images. Keep your own photographs in their original files. Label copies with the photographer, approximate time and subject without changing the originals. This makes it easier to compare your images with the official materials later.
Check The Report And Handle Possible Errors
Read the entire document, including diagrams, numbered vehicle descriptions and attachments. Check names, vehicle identification, plate numbers, insurance information and the location. Separate a clerical mistake from disagreement with a witness statement or an investigator’s assessment. Make a short list identifying the page, field, proposed correction and document that supports it.
Ask the issuing agency how to submit that information and whether it creates a correction, supplement or written response. This guide does not promise a particular amendment process or outcome. Preserve the original report alongside any revised version. When sending an update to an adjuster, identify which version is new instead of silently replacing the earlier file.
Your Request Checklist
- Confirm the investigating agency and crash identifiers.
- Confirm your eligibility and the required identification.
- Choose the official request channel and review its current fee.
- Ask separately about photographs and supplemental records.
- Save the receipt, original PDF and follow-up correspondence.
Official Sources
These agency and legislative sources support the state-specific information above. Check the current agency instructions before making a request.
- Traffic Records UnitLouisiana State Police
- Crash Report Request Form DPSSP 3125Louisiana State Police
- Revised Statutes 32:398Louisiana Legislature
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