How to Get a Crash Report in Wisconsin

WisDOT's Crash Records Unit is the data steward for Wisconsin's DT4000 motor vehicle crash data. The DT4000 Crash Report is one of the forms WisDOT's Badger TraCS Unit maintains for use by all Wisconsin law enforcement agencies.¹

The Division of State Patrol's Bureau of Transportation Safety maintains a database of traffic crash records.⁴

Some local agencies also keep or provide copies of their own officers' crash reports. Examples are the Milwaukee Police Department's Open Records Section and the Waukesha County Sheriff's Records Division.^5,6

Online. Buy your report on WisDOT's crash report purchase site. After you pay, you can print or download it right away. Reports download as PDF files. If you buy several, you can download them one at a time or as a zip file. Reports bought online are not emailed, faxed or mailed to you.^2,3

Paper copy by mail. WisDOT's DMV contact page has a "Purchase mailed crash report" option. It opens WisDOT's Email Inquiry Form, which says to expect a response within two business days. The DMV contact page also lists an email address and phone number for requesting a copy of your crash report.^7,8

By mail, for reports not sold online. Some reports that WisDOT's purchase site finds are not available to buy online. The site lists them and tells you to print them to mail to DOT. Milwaukee Police's crash report page lists this mailing address for WisDOT's Crash Records Unit: 4822 Madison Yards Way - 9th Floor South, Madison, WI 53705. The unit's own letterhead gives the same address.^3,5,9

No pickup at DMV offices. WisDOT's purchase site says crash reports are not available by email, fax or pickup at any DMV office.³

To search WisDOT's purchase site, you need either the report's document number, or the crash date and a Wisconsin driver license number.³

Document numbers look like 9MM99FG or B000001. They can't contain vowels, spaces or dashes.³

For a date search, you can enter the full crash date or just the month and year.³

WisDOT's FAQ lists this information for searching for a crash report: the DOT crash report document number, the crash date and driver's license number, or the DOT accident/crash number.¹⁰

A desktop or laptop computer. The purchase site is optimized for them. Phones and tablets may lack the software needed to view purchased reports.³

To find a report you already bought, use the Reissue Reports page. You need the Order Id from your payment confirmation email. You also need the document number, the crash date and driver license number, or the accident/crash number.¹¹

WisDOT's DMV fees page lists the crash report fee as $6.¹²

The same page says DMV must add a convenience or service fee of up to 2.35%. The fee covers charges from credit and debit card companies and PayPal.¹²

A report becomes available on WisDOT's purchase site once it is completed and received from the law enforcement agency that reported the crash. This can take 10 business days or more.³

When you buy a report online, you can print or download it as soon as you pay.³

WisDOT's purchase site says reports stay available there for four years from the date of the crash. WisDOT's enforcement FAQ says reports for crashes in the last 90 days can be bought and printed online. The two pages don't agree.^3,10

If you ask for a mailed copy through WisDOT's Email Inquiry Form, the form says to expect a response within two business days.⁸

The Waukesha County Sheriff's Office says that under Wisconsin law, a public records request may not be refused because the requester is unwilling to be identified.⁶

The Waukesha County Sheriff's Department says copies of its accident reports may be redacted to comply with the federal Driver's Privacy Protection Act (DPPA) and Wisconsin public records laws.⁶

When a request involves restricted records, the Waukesha County Sheriff's Department will ask you to prove you are legally authorized to get them.⁶

To get unredacted or partially redacted copies from the Waukesha County Sheriff's Department, you must complete the DPPA Permissible Uses Form, on paper or online. You must also appear in person with photo ID, even if you want the records mailed.⁶

Milwaukee Police Department (MPD). MPD says all crash reports its officers complete can be requested from LexisNexis or WisDOT. For reports bought through LexisNexis BuyCrash, MPD's crash report page lists a support line.⁵

You can also request MPD crash reports from the MPD Open Records Office. Call the number on MPD's crash report page, or go in person to 2333 N. 49th Street (2nd Floor), Milwaukee. In-person hours are Tuesdays and Thursdays from 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.⁵

MPD Open Records charges $0.25 per page or CD and $0.50 per color photo. It accepts only cash or check.⁵

Reportable crash reports completed by MPD are generally available from the MPD Open Records Section within 14 days of the incident. MPD's online Traffic Accident Lookup says reportable reports can take up to 10 business days to appear after the crash, if there are no issues with the report.^5,13

To check whether an MPD crash report is available, MPD asks for the case number, name or date of the crash.⁵

If a reportable report isn't in the online lookup after 10 business days, the lookup says to call MPD Open Records. The lookup and MPD's main crash report page list different phone numbers for Open Records. The lookup page's footer is dated 2019.¹³

Non-reportable Milwaukee crash reports don't appear in the online lookup. They are available only from the MPD Open Records Section. You can request non-reportable crash forms by email, using the address on MPD's crash report page. You can also mail your request to Open Records Section, Milwaukee Police Department, PO Box 531, Milwaukee, WI 53201.^5,13

Waukesha County Sheriff. The Sheriff's Records Division keeps the records its Patrol Division and Detective Bureau generate, including accident reports. It is at 515 W. Moreland Boulevard, Waukesha, WI 53188. It is open 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday to Friday, except legal holidays.⁶

You can mail records requests to Waukesha County Sheriff's Department, Attention Records Division, PO Box 1488, Waukesha, WI 53187-1488.⁶

The Records Division charges $0.25 per page copied. Records on CD or DVD cost $10, on top of the per-page charge.⁶

WisDOT says that under Wisconsin law (s. 346.70(1)), a crash must be reported when it causes injury, $1,000 or more in damage to any person's vehicle or property, or $200 or more in damage to government-owned property other than a vehicle. WisDOT's enforcement FAQ says a crash must be reported immediately.^2,10

If law enforcement does not file a report, the driver must complete the Wisconsin Driver Report of Crash (DT4002).²

WisDOT's Driver Report Own Crash application says not to report a crash unless an entry criterion is met and no law enforcement officer has already completed a crash report.¹⁴

If WisDOT sends you a letter saying you were in a reportable crash and asking for a report, you must complete a crash report.²

Before you start a driver crash report, have your driver license number, VIN, Social Security number and vehicle insurance information ready. If you have no Social Security number, the Driver Report Own Crash application lets you identify yourself with a Wisconsin driver license number and date of birth.^2,14

WisDOT's online driver crash report form times out after 30 minutes of inactivity. If that happens, you lose what you entered.²

If your car was parked and unoccupied when it was damaged, you must be able to identify the driver or owner of the moving vehicle to submit a crash report online. If you don't have complete information on that driver or owner, WisDOT says not to submit a report. It says the crash isn't reportable without enough information on the moving vehicle.⁹

For help filing a driver report of crash, WisDOT's DMV contact page lists an email address and phone number.⁷

If WisDOT sends you a letter saying you were in a reportable crash, you must submit your motor vehicle insurance information. You need the crash number, the VIN or license plate, and your insurance company information. You don't need your agent's details.¹⁵

Wisconsin requires complete liability insurance information for everyone involved in a reportable crash, regardless of fault. If any motorist in the crash is uninsured, additional forms must be completed under the safety responsibility law.^2,15

A reportable crash appears on the driver record of every driver involved, regardless of fault. The record shows only that the driver was in a crash on a given date, plus its severity and county.²