How To Get A Missouri Car Accident Report
Find the correct Missouri records custodian and request the material your claim actually needs.
Sources Checked October 4, 2026 General Information
Start With The Investigating Agency, Not The Road Name
The Missouri State Highway Patrol supplies reports for collisions its troopers investigated. A crash on an interstate or state-numbered road may still have been investigated by a city police department or county agency. Before paying for a record, use your exchange sheet, officer’s card or incident receipt to identify the agency and report number. The Patrol’s traffic-crash records page explains the scope of its records service.
If a local agency handled the investigation, contact that agency’s records unit and ask for its request procedure. Give the date, approximate time, county, road or intersection and involved driver’s name. When you have only a dispatch incident number, ask whether it corresponds to the collision report or whether a separate report identifier was assigned.
Request A Highway Patrol Report Through The Records Service
The Patrol’s current records FAQ directs consumers to its Public Records Center through the Patrol Records Request link, then the Traffic Crash Report Request option. This route allows a requester to manage the request and obtain records. Start from the official Patrol page so you reach the agency-linked service rather than an unrelated report seller.
The published price for a basic Patrol-investigated traffic crash report is $6. Expanded material, including photographs, reconstruction records, certified copies and electronic crash data, can carry additional charges. Specify what you need before paying an invoice. A basic report order should not be treated as a request for every record generated during the investigation.
The records page asks requesters to allow at least ten days after the investigation before requesting a copy and also warns of longer processing waits. That is agency processing guidance, not a guarantee that your report will be delivered on the tenth day. If the report is pending, ask the records unit how to check availability and retain the request identifier.
Prepare An Accurate Request
Collect the crash date, location, names of involved drivers, investigating troop if known and report number. State whether you need an ordinary copy, a certified copy or additional material. Follow the current form’s identity and authorization questions accurately, and ask the records unit what supporting documentation is needed if you are requesting on behalf of another person.
For a mailed request, use the current official instructions for the form, payee and mailing destination. Keep a copy of the request and payment record. For an electronic request, save the confirmation and any invoice. If a download link arrives, save the file in a secure folder and check that all pages open; do not depend on indefinite access through an online account.
Keep The Complete Report Separate From A Public Incident Summary
A brief public crash entry can help identify an investigation, but it may not contain the diagrams, coding, narrative or supplements included in the full report. Tell an adjuster which version you have. If an insurer asks for the police report, confirm whether it needs the complete record and whether it will obtain its own copy.
List other evidence separately: photographs, reconstruction material, video, dispatch information or a later supplement. Ask which office is the custodian and whether a separate request and fee apply. A recording might be held by a local dispatch center rather than the Patrol records unit. Narrow a request by date, location and time range so the custodian can identify the material.
Review Facts And Ask About Corrections
Check the location, vehicle descriptions, names, plates, insurance entries and diagram. For an apparent transcription error, describe the field, explain the correction and provide a supporting record. Direct the request to the investigating agency. Keep your language factual and ask whether the agency can amend the report or add a supplement.
A disagreement about fault is different from a misspelled name. Preserve photographs, witness details and other supporting evidence even if the officer does not change a conclusion. Save the original report and any amended version with their receipt dates. That history helps explain why two people may have different copies of the record.
Do Not Confuse A Report Purchase With Financial-responsibility Reporting
The Department of Revenue’s accident information provides Form 1140 for a separate process involving uninsured motorists and financial responsibility. Buying a Highway Patrol report does not automatically complete that form or respond to a licensing notice. Review any Department of Revenue correspondence independently and retain proof of what you submit.
Likewise, obtaining a police record does not open an insurance claim. Notify the relevant insurer through its claims channel, supply the agency and report number, and send the report when available. Keep one organized file containing the report, request receipt, insurer correspondence, photographs and expense documents so each later submission can be traced to its original source.
Official Sources
These agency and legislative sources support the state-specific information above. Check the current agency instructions before making a request.
- Traffic Crash ReportsMissouri State Highway Patrol
- Traffic Report Frequently Asked QuestionsMissouri State Highway Patrol
- Accident InformationMissouri Department of Revenue
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