How to Get a Crash Report in Massachusetts

The Registry of Motor Vehicles (RMV) provides copies of police crash reports in Massachusetts. This covers reports filed by state police and by local Massachusetts police agencies, as long as the RMV has processed them.¹

If you're requesting as an individual and have a Massachusetts credential, you must request a copy online through the myRMV Online Service Center. In the Reports section, select "Request Crash Report." Massachusetts registered businesses must also request online. The RMV requires a MyMassGov login for most individual myRMV services, and if you don't have a MyMassGov Personal account, you need to create one.^1,2

The RMV accepts mail requests from only three groups. These are people without a Massachusetts-issued credential, authorized recipients, and permitted users under the federal Driver Privacy Protection Act (DPPA) who don't have access to the Crash Program. If your credential is from another state, you must request by mail. Use the "Request for Copy of Police Crash Report" form. It lets you ask for a standard copy or a certified copy, which carries the official stamp of the Registrar of Motor Vehicles. Send the completed form, a copy of your ID, and a check or money order payable to MassDOT. The address is Registry of Motor Vehicles, Crash Records, P.O. Box 55889, Boston, MA.^1,3

DPPA permitted users in the RMV's Crash Program get copies through the Crash Data Portal. To log in, you need a Crash Account ID number and a username (an email address) on record with the RMV. After you submit a request and pay the fee, you get a notice when the report has been found. Then log in to the portal to get it. DPPA users without a Crash Account ID number must request by mail. If you're requesting as an individual, the Crash Program page sends you to Mass.Gov/RMV instead.^1,4

To request online as an individual, have these ready: a driver's license or learner's permit number, first and last name, date of birth, the driver's Social Security Number, an email address, and the fee.¹

A Massachusetts registered business needs its Federal Identification Number (FID), the last 4 digits of the vehicle identification number (VIN), the plate type, and the registration number.¹

A mail request must include the completed form, the fee, and a photocopy of your license or state ID. The RMV won't process it without the ID copy.³

The mail form asks for the date of the crash, the city or town where it happened, and whether there was property damage. It also asks for the names, license numbers, and plate numbers of the people involved.³

If you were involved in the crash, you must sign and date the mail form, which states under the penalties of perjury that the information you provided is true and correct.³

If you're an authorized recipient, send photocopies of the license or state ID of both the person authorizing release and yourself.¹

There's a $20 non-refundable search fee for each crash report you request.¹

The mail form lists the same $20 fee for a standard copy and for a certified copy. Pay by check or money order payable to MassDOT.^1,3

The RMV asks you to wait at least 4 weeks after the crash before you request a copy, so the report is available. Then allow 4 weeks for processing.¹

If the RMV can't find your report, it keeps searching its database for 90 days from the date of the crash.¹

Four groups can request a copy: individuals involved in the crash, Massachusetts businesses whose vehicles were involved, authorized recipients, and DPPA permitted users.¹

To request as an individual, you must be the vehicle operator, the vehicle owner, an occupant, or a vulnerable user (formerly called a non-motorist) involved in the crash. A witness can also request, and so can a property owner whose property was damaged in the crash. You also need a current or expired credential.¹

The RMV's request form says crash report information is protected under Chapter 64 of the Acts of 2016, but you can authorize its release to an authorized recipient. On the mail form, you sign Section E. The authorized recipient signs Section H.³

A DPPA permitted user requesting by mail must select a DPPA requester category in Section G of the form and sign in Section H.³

If a local Massachusetts police agency filed the report, you can still request it from the RMV. The RMV's process covers reports filed by local police as well as state police, as long as the RMV has processed them.¹

You must complete and file a Motor Vehicle Crash Operator Report if you were the operator in a crash where someone was killed or injured. You must also file one if the crash caused over $1,000 in damage to any one vehicle or other property. The rule comes from M.G.L. Chapter 90, Section 26.^5,6

File it with the Registrar within 5 days after the crash, unless you're physically unable to. If the operator is incapacitated and isn't the vehicle's owner, the owner must file it within the 5 days.^5,6

The completed report goes to three places: the local police or state police where the crash happened, the driver's insurance company, and the RMV. Filing it is free.⁶

The Registrar can revoke or suspend the license of anyone who violates the crash-reporting requirement.⁶

If your vehicle was damaged in a crash where someone unlawfully left the scene, a police department must accept your crash report. This applies even if the damage was $1,000 or less.⁶