There are currently road test cancellations or DMV offices closed for in-person services. See our “Cancellations, Closings and Delays” page for more information.
You are required by the New York State Vehicle and Traffic Law to file an crash (accident) report if you are involved in any crash where there is damage to the property of one individual (including yourself) that is more than $1,000. The report must be filed within 10 days.
The New York State DMV keeps (motorist and police) crash reports for 4 years from the date of a crash, except for rare cases. These cases are described in Vehicle and Traffic Law, Section 201(i). Certified crash (accident) report copies include an attestation and signature of the Commissioner of Motor Vehicles.
It takes 14 - 60 days for an crash report to become available in our system. The time depends on where the crash occurred, and who filed the report (police or a motorist).
| FILING METHOD | REPORT ENTERS SYSTEM |
|---|---|
| Electronically filed police report in one of the 5 boroughs of New York City | at least 14 days after crash |
| Paper police report | at least 30 days after crash |
| Motorist report from anywhere in New York State | at least 60 days after crash |
You can search, purchase, and immediately download certified crash (accident) reports online.
You must pay both a $7.00 search fee, and a $15.00 report fee for each report. You will be charged separately for the search fee and for each report you order. You will receive a confirmation email for each transaction.
Please note: you must complete Step 1 of the online transaction before you will be able to perform a free or paid search.
To see if your report is available in our system use 'List Reports on File by Date.' This will show a list of crashes by the county and date you select (see screenshot example below). The list of crashes will include the plate numbers of the vehicles involved in the crash.
If there are reports you want, you will need to do a paid search before you can order them.
To search for your report use 'Search by Plate Number, License Number, or DMV Accident Case Number' (see screenshot example below).
You will be charged a fee even if you enter incorrect information or if the report(s) are not found.
Each search costs $7.
To order reports, you will need one of the following (which you can get from the search)
Each report costs $15. For example, if there are 3 reports in our system for one crash (a police report and 2 motorist reports) and you must purchase each of them, the order fee will be $45).
After you pay, you will be able to download your reports (in PDF format).
Note: Some customers have problems downloading PDF documents from our website. Make sure your operating system and web browser are up to date.
You will have 7 calendar days to access reports you already purchased online. After 7 days, you will need to purchase the reports again.
