How to Get a Crash Report in Illinois

Ask the agency that investigated your crash for a copy. The Illinois State Police (ISP) gives out copies only of crash reports it completed, so make sure ISP handled your crash before you ask ISP for one.^1,2

To see which agency handled your crash, check the "Investigated By" box in the upper left corner of your motorist report. If the box doesn't say "Illinois State Police," contact the agency listed there for a copy.²

If you don't have a motorist report, you can call the ISP Patrol Records Unit to check whether ISP handled the crash. It also helps with crash report requests. Its contact details are on ISP's E-Pay page.¹

Illinois law enforcement agencies also send their crash reports to the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT), on paper or electronically through approved third-party systems. IDOT's crash reports page says state law requires this within 10 days after the crash is investigated. IDOT's Division of Transportation Safety administers the state's crash information and analyzes the reports.^5,6

If ISP handled your crash, you can use ISP's E-Pay service to request, pay for, and receive a redacted copy by email. The "Crash Reports" link on the E-Pay page takes you to the payment site. There you can make a one-time payment without creating an account. The report arrives with the subject line "Illinois State Police Traffic Crash Report," and it can land in a spam or junk folder. Check there.^1,3,7

You can also request an ISP crash report by mail. Send a written request to Illinois State Police, Patrol Records Unit, 801 South 7th Street, Suite 600-M, Springfield, Illinois 62703. Include a self-addressed, stamped envelope and a $5.00 check or money order payable to "Illinois State Police." There's no E-Pay service fee.^1,4

You request a Traffic Crash Reconstruction Report separately, by mail. Send a written request, a $20.00 check or money order payable to Illinois State Police, and a self-addressed, stamped envelope. To get the report number or check the status of a reconstruction report, email the ISP Patrol Records Unit. The email address is on ISP's Reconstruction Report page.⁸

ISP lists traffic crash reports and reconstruction reports as publicly available records. It won't provide them in response to a general Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request, though, unless you can't reasonably get them through the crash report pages it links to and you tell its FOIA Office so in writing.^4,9

For an E-Pay request, ISP lists the Agency Crash Report Number, a driver's first and last name, the date and location of the crash, and the county where it happened. ISP's E-Pay page says the report number is in the upper middle of the motorist report. You can give the location as a road, such as Interstate 55, State Route 29, or U.S. Route 50.¹

For a mail request, include as much of this as you can: the Agency Crash Report Number, the date of the crash, the location of the crash, and the names of the drivers and passengers involved. ISP's mail page says to take the report number from the upper right corner of the Driver's Information Exchange document.⁴

For a Traffic Crash Reconstruction Report, include the Agency Crash Report Number, the date and location of the crash, and the names of the drivers and passengers involved.⁸

By mail, an ISP crash report costs $5.00. Pay by check or money order made out to "Illinois State Police." ISP doesn't accept cash.⁴

E-Pay adds a service fee to the $5.00 fee set by law. For credit card payments, the service fee is 2.35%, with a $1.00 minimum. Mail requests skip it.¹

A Traffic Crash Reconstruction Report costs $20.00, paid by check or money order payable to Illinois State Police.⁸

If you send a subpoena with your request, include an extra $20.00 subpoena processing fee.⁴

ISP processes E-Pay requests in the order it receives them. It sends each report only after the report is approved, so a request may take 10 or more business days to process.¹

ISP crash report requests fall under the Illinois Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). You get a redacted copy.⁴

To get an unredacted copy, send a subpoena or an order signed by a judge with your request.⁴

Traffic Crash Reconstruction Reports are also subject to FOIA and are released in redacted form.⁸

ISP rarely handles crashes on municipal streets. If another agency investigated your crash, ask that agency for the report. The "Investigated By" box on your motorist report tells you which agency that is.^1,2

According to ISP, each driver in an Illinois traffic crash must file a crash report if the crash caused a death, a bodily injury, or more than $1,500 in property damage when all drivers are insured. If any driver is uninsured, the damage threshold drops to $500.¹⁰

If no police officer comes to the scene, you must file a report with ISP as soon as possible, within 10 days, according to ISP's Crash Reports page.¹⁰

You can report a crash to ISP online only if it involved a single vehicle, caused property damage only with no injuries, and happened on an Interstate or a U.S. or Illinois Route. The online form doesn't take two-vehicle crashes. Report those in person. If your crash doesn't meet the online rules, contact law enforcement to make a report.^10,11

For a crash on a Chicagoland freeway, you can file a Desk Report in person within 10 days of the crash. Hit-and-run crashes can be reported as a Desk Report too. ISP says not to follow the other vehicle. Exchange information with the other drivers, and be ready to give your driver's license information, vehicle registration, proof of liability insurance, and call-back numbers for any driver who isn't there.¹⁰

Troopers take Desk Reports at the local police departments listed on ISP's Crash Reports page. They take them Monday through Friday, 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM and 7:00 PM to 3:00 AM, and anytime on Saturdays and Sundays. When you get there, call the number on that page and ask for a Trooper. You can also file a crash report at any time at ISP Troop 3 Des Plaines Headquarters, 9511 West Harrison Street, Des Plaines, IL 60016.¹⁰

Under Public Act 102-0560, you no longer need to fill out the SR1B Illinois Motorist Report and send it to IDOT. The exception is a state employee in a crash while driving a state vehicle, who must still file the Motorist Report with IDOT's Bureau of Data Collection under State Rules. State employees who still have to file it can request a copy of the form by email. The address is on IDOT's Crash Reports page.⁶