Legally reviewed by Alexander Begum, Personal Injury Attorney
Key Takeaways
- Order it from TxDOT. Texas crash reports are sold through TxDOT’s Crash Report Online Purchase System, not by insurers or private “crash report” websites.
- It costs $6, or $8 certified. Texas Transportation Code §550.065(d) sets the fee; TxDOT adds a small card fee online.
- Expect about two weeks. The officer has 10 days to file the report, and TxDOT may take up to 4 more business days to process it.
- The full copy is for people involved. Drivers, injured people, owners, their insurers and their lawyers get the unredacted report; anyone else gets a redacted one.
- It lists the other driver’s insurer. The unredacted report records each driver’s insurance company and policy number.
- Fault on the report is an opinion. The “contributing factors” are the officer’s opinion; legal fault in Texas is decided under Civil Practice and Remedies Code Chapter 33.
To get a copy of your Texas crash report, buy it online from the Texas Department of Transportation’s Crash Report Online Purchase System, usually 10 to 14 days after the crash, for $6 (or $8 certified). You can search by your name, driver’s license number, VIN, the TxDOT Crash ID, or the case number the police gave you at the scene.
The crash report is usually the first official record of what happened, and adjusters read it before anything else. It tells you who the other driver is, which insurer covers them, and what the officer thought caused the crash. If you were hurt and the other driver’s insurer is already calling, our Texas car accident lawyers can get the report and the evidence behind it for you.
What Is a Texas Crash Report?
It is the Texas Peace Officer’s Crash Report, the standard form every police department, sheriff’s office and state trooper in Texas uses. It has long been called the CR-3; TxDOT’s purchase portal now also labels it the CR-4. It records the drivers, passengers and vehicles, each driver’s insurance, injuries, road and weather conditions, a diagram, the officer’s narrative and any citations.
Under Texas Transportation Code §550.062, an officer who investigates a crash must write a report if anyone was injured or killed, or if one person’s property damage appears to be $1,000 or more, and must file it with TxDOT by the 10th day after the crash. That is why the same statewide system holds reports from Brownsville, Harlingen, McAllen and Laredo to Houston and Dallas. TxDOT keeps them for 10 years plus the current year, according to its crash reports and records page.
How Can I Obtain a Copy of a Crash Report in Texas?
The fastest way is online. Many local departments now send people to the same TxDOT system; the Fort Worth Police Department, for example, directs requesters to the TxDOT portal.
- Get the case details at the scene. Ask the officer for the agency name and case number, and note the date, county and road.
- Wait about two weeks. If your search comes back empty, try again in a few days.
- Open the portal. Go to TxDOT’s Crash Report Online Purchase System and choose to search for your report.
- Search with one identifier. Use your name, driver’s license or ID number, VIN, TxDOT Crash ID, or agency case ID. A name search may return several crashes, so add the date and county.
- Certify that you were involved. For the full report, TxDOT asks you to sign an affidavit saying how you qualify under §550.065.
- Pay and save the PDF. An unredacted report paid by card downloads right away, and the link in your confirmation email works for 10 days.
Still no match? The officer may not have filed a report, or the crash may have been on private property. Call the investigating agency’s records division and ask.
How Much Does a Texas Crash Report Cost?
Section 550.065(d) sets the fees: $6 for a copy, $2 more for a certified copy, and $6 for a certified letter that no report is on file.
| Option | Cost | Who can get it | When you get it | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Regular copy, unredacted | $6 plus card fee | People involved or with a proper interest | Immediate download by card | Your records and your insurance claim |
| Certified copy, unredacted | $8 plus card fee | Same as above | Immediate download by card | Court filings and official uses |
| Redacted copy | $6 plus card fee | Anyone | Up to 10 business days after TxDOT review | Someone not involved, such as a witness |
| Certified “no record” letter | $6 | Anyone | After the search finds nothing | Showing an insurer no report exists |
Source: Texas Transportation Code §550.065; TxDOT, Crash reports and records and the CRIS Purchase help center. Paying by electronic check adds a 10-business-day hold.
Who Can Get the Full, Unredacted Report?
Texas treats crash reports as confidential. Under §550.065(c)(4), the full report goes only to people “directly concerned in the collision or having a proper interest therein.” That includes anyone involved (drivers, passengers, pedestrians and cyclists), their lawyers, a driver’s employer or parent, vehicle and property owners, the insurers covering the vehicles or people involved, and anyone who may bring a wrongful death claim. Everyone else gets a redacted copy that hides names, addresses, license plates, and insurance company names and policy numbers (§550.065(f)(2)). If you were hurt, buy the unredacted version.
What If the Police Did Not Write a Report?
Under §550.026, a driver in a crash that injures or kills someone, or leaves a vehicle unable to be driven normally and safely, must immediately notify the police, or the sheriff or state troopers outside city limits. If someone is hurt, call 911.
There is no longer a state “blue form” to file. Texas once required drivers to send their own Driver’s Crash Report (CR-2) when no officer investigated, but that requirement ended in 2017, and TxDOT says it no longer keeps CR-2 forms. If a local agency gives you one, fill it out and keep a copy; some cities can require their own reports under §550.067.
Then build your own record: photos of the cars and the scene, the other driver’s license, insurance card and plate, and witness contact information. Our guide to what to do after a car accident in Texas has the full checklist. If the other driver left, a police report matters even more; see hit-and-run crashes in Texas.
Hurt in a crash and waiting on the report? The other driver’s insurer does not wait, and adjusters often ask for a recorded statement before you have seen what the officer wrote. A lawyer can pull the report, the video and the photos, and deal with the insurer for you. Call (956) 982-1800 for a free consultation.
What to Check on Your Crash Report
Most of the report is codes. TxDOT publishes the CR-3 code sheet for crashes on or after April 1, 2023. These fields matter most for an injury claim.
| Field | What it shows | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Proof of financial responsibility | Each driver’s insurance company and policy number | Tells you which insurer to put on notice |
| Contributing factors | Coded causes, such as 44 (followed too closely), 61 (speeding over the limit) or 75 (cell phone use, texting) | TxDOT’s instructions call this the investigator’s opinion, but adjusters lean on it |
| May have contributed | Conditions the officer saw but could not say caused the crash | Weaker than a contributing factor |
| Injury severity | K (fatal), A (suspected serious), B (suspected minor), C (possible), N (not injured) | An “N” at the scene does not mean you were not hurt |
| Narrative and diagram | The officer’s account and drawing of the crash | Check directions, lanes and signals |
Source: TxDOT, Crash Report Code Sheet (CR-3CS, 2023) and CR-100 Instructions to Police for Reporting Crashes, version 29.0.
Injuries often show up a day or two later, so an “N” is common and is not the end of a claim. What matters is that your medical records connect the injury to the crash; see what to do if you didn’t go to the doctor after a car accident.
If something is wrong, §550.068 says only the officer who wrote the report can change a material fact; anyone else’s correction must be a written supplement naming who made it. Our guide on what to do if your police report is wrong covers the steps.
Does the Crash Report Decide Who Was at Fault?
No. The report is important evidence, but the officer’s opinion is not the final word. In a Texas injury case, responsibility is assigned by percentage under Chapter 33 of the Civil Practice and Remedies Code, and under §33.001 you are barred from recovering only if your share is greater than 50 percent. An officer who arrived after the cars were moved, or heard from only one driver, can get it wrong.
The evidence that changes a bad report is usually elsewhere: video, witnesses, vehicle damage and event data recorders. TxDOT holds only the report form. It says dash cam video, field notes and photos must be requested from the investigating agency, which for police means a Public Information Act request. An agency that wants to withhold records must ask the Attorney General for a ruling within 10 business days (Government Code §552.301), and agencies often withhold records while a criminal case is open (§552.108). Video is not kept forever, so ask early. Commercial truck crashes carry even more evidence; see our truck accident lawyers page.
Beware of Crash Report Websites and Solicitation Calls
TxDOT warns that websites offering Texas crash reports, free or paid, are not affiliated with it and are not authorized providers. Reports come only from TxDOT or the agency that wrote them.
Texas also limits who can contact you. Under Penal Code §38.12(d), a lawyer, chiropractor, physician or private investigator may not send you a written communication or solicitation about the crash before the 31st day after it, or after you have said you do not want to be contacted. The crash report records whether you want to be contacted, and under §38.12(e), a “do not contact” choice on the report is presumed to be your wish.
Don’t Let the Report Hold Up Your Claim
You do not need the report to start. Notify your own insurer promptly, because your policy sets that deadline, and get medical care. If your car lost value, read about diminished value claims in Texas. Under Civil Practice and Remedies Code §16.003, most injury lawsuits must be filed within two years, and claims against a city have much shorter notice deadlines. See how long you have to file a claim after a car accident in Texas.
Frequently Asked Questions
How can I obtain a copy of a crash report in Texas?
Buy it online through TxDOT’s Crash Report Online Purchase System. Search by name, driver’s license number, VIN, TxDOT Crash ID or the agency’s case number, certify that you were involved, and pay $6, or $8 for a certified copy, plus a small card fee.
How long does it take to get a crash report in Texas?
Usually about two weeks. The officer has until the 10th day after the crash to file the report with TxDOT, and TxDOT says processing can take up to 4 more business days. Once it is in the system, an unredacted report paid by card downloads immediately.
Do I have to pay for a crash report in Texas?
Yes. Transportation Code §550.065(d) sets the fee at $6 for a copy and $2 more for a certified copy. TxDOT warns that websites offering free Texas crash reports are not authorized providers.
What happens if I don’t report an accident within 10 days?
In Texas, the 10-day deadline belongs to the officer, who must file the report with TxDOT. Drivers no longer file their own state report; that requirement ended in 2017. Your duty is to notify police immediately when someone is hurt or a car cannot be driven, and to notify your insurer as your policy requires.
How much damage do you have to report?
An officer who investigates must write a report when anyone is injured or killed or when one person’s property damage appears to be $1,000 or more. A driver must call police right away if anyone is injured or killed or a vehicle cannot be driven normally and safely, whatever the dollar amount.
Why is a “crash report” website or caller contacting me?
Some websites and call centers use crash data to find people after a wreck. TxDOT says sites offering Texas crash reports are not affiliated with it, and Penal Code §38.12 bars lawyers, chiropractors, physicians and private investigators from soliciting you in writing within 30 days of the crash. Get your report only from TxDOT or the police agency.
Hurt in a Texas Crash? Get The Giant on Your Side
The report is only the start, and the video and witness evidence behind it can disappear while you wait. The Law Giant’s car accident lawyers help injured people across Texas, from Brownsville, Harlingen and McAllen to Laredo, San Antonio, Houston and Dallas.
The consultation is free, and you pay no attorney’s fee unless we win. Call (956) 982-1800 or contact us online.
Sources and authorities
- Texas Transportation Code Chapter 550 (§§550.026, 550.062, 550.065, 550.067, 550.068).
- Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code §16.003 and §33.001.
- Texas Government Code Chapter 552 (§§552.108, 552.301); Texas Penal Code §38.12.
- TxDOT, Crash reports and records; CRIS Purchase and its help center; CR-3 Code Sheet (2023); CR-100 Instructions (v29.0).
- Fort Worth Police Department, Get a Copy of My Accident Report.
This article is general information about Texas law, not legal advice, and reading it does not create an attorney-client relationship. Every case depends on its facts; talk to a lawyer about yours. Past results do not guarantee a similar outcome.
