How to Get a Crash Report in Connecticut

Requests for Connecticut State Police crash reports go to the DESPP Reports and Records Unit in Middletown. Many simple reports are also sold online through BuyCrash.^1,2

For some crashes, the investigating officer or agency must send a copy of the report to the Commissioner of Transportation. This applies when someone is killed or injured, or when any one person has more than $1,000 in property damage. The copy is due within five days after the investigation ends.³

Check BuyCrash online first. Many simple State Police crash reports may be available there within thirty business days of the crash. If yours is there, you can buy it and download it right away.^1,2

Use the DESPP GovQA online portal if your report is not online within thirty days, or if the crash caused a serious injury or a death. The Reports and Records Unit also takes requests there for other investigative reports. To submit a request, create or log in to a customer support account. Your invoice will then appear in your account, and you can pay it online by debit or credit card. GovQA sends updates and responses by email, so check your spam folder.¹

You can also request a report by mail with Form DPS-96-C, "Request for Copy of Report." Make your check or money order payable to "Treasurer - State of CT" and mail it with the form to the DESPP Reports & Records Unit, 1111 Country Club Road, Middletown, CT 06457-2389. DESPP says to send it by U.S. mail only, not by email or fax. If you give an email address on the form, you agree to an electronic response. Large reports or certified copies may come electronically or by U.S. mail. A Spanish version of the form is on the Connecticut State Police forms page.^2,4,5

You can look up a free Accident Information Summary at accidents.despp.ct.gov. It gives preliminary details on the parties, the vehicles and insurance information, plus a brief summary of the crash. It is for information only and is not the official accident report. Summaries are available for thirty days from the date of the crash.¹

If information in the online summary is restricted, you may get a copy of the Accident Information Summary at the State Police Troop for the area where the crash happened.¹

Subpoenas for DESPP reports and records must be served at Connecticut State Police Headquarters, 1111 Country Club Road, Middletown, CT 06457.¹

For a mailed request, Form DPS-96-C asks for the case number, where the crash happened, the crash date and time, and whether it involved no injury, a serious injury or a death. It also asks for the name of each person involved and how they were involved, plus their date of birth and license number if you have them.²

To search for a free Accident Information Summary, you need at least three details. One must be the 10-digit Incident/CFS number or the driver's license number. The search also has fields for last name, license plate and accident date.⁶

To request a report through GovQA, you need a customer support account on the portal. You can create one or log in to an existing one.¹

On Form DPS-96-C, an uncertified report costs $16.00 per request. A certified report costs $17.00 per request.²

The State Police charge a non-refundable $16.00 search fee under C.G.S. §29-10b. You pay it whether or not a report is produced, and payment must be received before any search. State law sets the same $16.00 amount for each copy of an accident or investigative report and for a search that produces no document.^1,7

Online requests may carry extra non-refundable convenience fees from a third-party vendor. Those fees are not paid to the State of Connecticut.¹

You can pay a GovQA invoice online by debit or credit card. For a mailed request, make your check or money order payable to "Treasurer - State of CT" and send it with the form.^1,2

The online Accident Information Summary is free, but it is not the official accident report.¹

Many simple State Police crash reports may be on BuyCrash within thirty business days of the crash.¹

The free Accident Information Summary is available for thirty days from the date of the crash.¹

State Police crash records must be available to people involved in the crash within thirty days of the crash, or when a warrant or summons is issued, if that comes first. DESPP may deny access for longer than thirty days if access would compromise an ongoing criminal investigation.⁷

GovQA requests are processed in the order received.¹

State Police crash investigation records must be kept for at least ten years from the date of the crash.⁷

If you were involved in the crash, state law says State Police crash records must be available to you within thirty days of the crash, or when a warrant or summons is issued, if that comes first. DESPP may deny access for longer than thirty days if access would compromise an ongoing criminal investigation.⁷

State Police crash records become open to public inspection after any related criminal case is finally resolved.⁷

State Police crash records include more than the report itself. They include any memorandum, sketch, chart, written statement, report or photograph from the investigation of a crash with injuries or property damage.⁷

Most Accident Information Summaries are available online to the parties involved in the crash.¹

Under state law, the State Police and every police department in Connecticut use the same crash report form, set by the Commissioner of Transportation. The DESPP Reports and Records page is for State Police reports.^1,3

If you are driving and know you are involved in a crash that damages property, you may have to report it to police. State law says you must report the damage immediately if you cannot give your name, address, license number and registration number to the owner, a witness or an officer.⁸

Section 14-108 of the Connecticut General Statutes, titled "Report of accidents," has been repealed.³