How to Get a Crash Report in Kansas

The Kansas Highway Patrol (KHP) Records department processes, keeps and archives the reports written by KHP field personnel.¹

Under K.S.A. 8-1611, an officer who investigates certain crashes must send a written report to the Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT). This covers crashes with an injury, a death or apparent property damage of $1,000 or more.⁷

KDOT says it receives a crash report only if the crash caused a death, an injury, more than $1,000 in property damage, or damage to KDOT property.²

KDOT describes its Safety Data Section, in the Bureau of Transportation Safety, as the state's repository for all motor vehicle crashes on public roads. KDOT's Crash Data Unit holds crash data submitted by local law enforcement and other agencies.^2,3

If you want the most complete record of crashes at a location, KDOT encourages you to submit an open records request.²

Online through Kansas.gov. This is KHP's online accident report system. It has reports from May 1, 2013, and earlier reports may be added over time. Sign in with a Kansas.gov account, enter crash details such as a name, case number or date, and pay by credit card to download the report. The system's Contact page lists contact details for questions about accident reports.^4,5,6,8

Through KHP's Records Portal. KHP's Records Department page lists the portal as a way to order copies of records. KHP's July 2025 open records brochure says records requests, and questions about a request, go through the GovQA portal at kansashighwaypatrol.gov.^1,9

By mail. Send a written request to the KHP Records Section at General Headquarters in Topeka. KHP mentions this option for crashes before May 2013 and for people without computer access. Include a self-addressed, stamped envelope and your payment. Official pages list two addresses. The Kansas.gov crash log page lists the Records Section at 708 SW Jackson, Topeka, KS 66603. KHP's own website and its July 2025 brochure list General Headquarters at 122 SW 7th Street, Topeka, KS 66603. Confirm the address with KHP before you mail your request.^1,9,10,11

In person. You can also make a request in person at the KHP Records Section in Topeka. Official pages list two addresses: 708 SW Jackson and 122 SW 7th Street. Check which one to use before you go. KHP lists office hours of 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.^1,4,9,10,11

You need at least one of these: the name of a person involved, the case number or the crash date.¹¹

Give as much detail as you can. KHP asks for the case number, the date, the location and the names of the people involved.¹

To order through the Kansas.gov online system, you need a Kansas.gov account and a credit card. Before you start, you must certify that you will not use lists of names or addresses from the records to sell property or services.⁶

For a mailed request, include a self-addressed, stamped envelope and your payment.¹¹

KHP's open records brochure says an agency may require a written request and proof of identity.⁹

KHP charges $5 for a crash report and $2 for each witness statement. Payment is due when you make the request.^1,10

The Kansas.gov online system charges a fee for downloaded documents. It says the total reflects pricing through the Kansas.gov electronic payment processor. Kansas.gov provides the service as a third party, under a contract awarded and administered by the Information Network of Kansas (INK). It says online prices through the state portal include funds to develop, maintain, enhance and expand the portal's services.⁶

For other records, KHP tells you the cost when you make the request. Its open records brochure says reasonable fees, not more than actual cost, may be charged for access to records, copies and staff time spent on a request.^1,9

KHP says there is a delay between the end of an investigation and the official crash report reaching its Records Section. It gives no specific time frame. The online system also says there can be a delay before a report reaches KHP Records and is available online.^4,5

Under K.S.A. 8-1611, officers have 10 days after an investigation to send KDOT a report on a crash with an injury, a death or apparent property damage of $1,000 or more. That deadline does not tell you when you can get a copy.⁷

For open records requests, KHP's brochure says you have the right to a written response within three business days. It also says most records are produced within three business days. That covers records requests in general, not crash reports specifically.⁹

In the online system, you can sign in with a free KanAccess account and ask for a free email notice when a case is updated.⁴

Retention policies set how long reports stay available in the online system.⁴

KHP's online crash log posts preliminary information on injury and fatal crashes. Entries go up once a dispatcher enters the details a trooper radioed in from the scene, which can be several hours after the crash. In fatal crashes, KHP withholds victims' names until next of kin are notified.^1,5,11

The crash log is not the official report, and the official report supersedes it. Entries stay up for up to 14 days from the crash, or up to 30 days if their information has been updated.^1,5

KHP Records responds to requests for crash report copies from attorneys, courts, insurance companies, the public and other agencies.¹

KHP says it is authorized to provide crash report information under the Kansas Open Records Act (K.S.A. 45-215 et seq.). It says the public may copy or print the documents.¹¹

Under K.S.A. 8-1611(b), the crash reports officers must send to KDOT, and the information in them, are not privileged or held confidential.⁷

Some details may be held back. Parts of a report may be redacted for legal reasons, such as protecting the identity of minors involved. KHP's crash log page also cites K.S.A. 45-221(a)(30) of the Kansas Open Records Act. It says private information may be withheld when releasing it would be a clearly unwarranted invasion of personal privacy.^4,11

KHP's open records brochure lists arrest reports, criminal investigation records, and car camera or body-worn camera videos among records protected from disclosure under the Kansas Open Records Act.⁹

The KHP Records department keeps reports written by KHP field personnel. The Kansas.gov system is KHP's online accident report retrieval system. KHP's preliminary crash log does not include crashes worked by other law enforcement agencies.^1,5,6

If a city police department handled your crash, check with that department. For example, the Wichita Police Department Records Bureau provides copies of its own accident reports.¹²

The Wichita Records Bureau directs people who need documents, Axon video or full reports to the city's Open Records Request page. The bureau takes phone calls and walk-in customers from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.¹²

If no police officer is present, K.S.A. 8-1604 says the driver of any vehicle involved, or any occupant 18 or older, must report the crash immediately. The report goes to the nearest police authority, by the quickest available means of communication. This applies when there is apparent property damage of $1,000 or more, or when anyone involved is injured or killed. It also applies when the people specified in subsection (a) of the law are not present or not able to receive the driver's information.¹³

If you damage an unattended vehicle or other property, K.S.A. 8-1605(a) says you must do one of two things. Find the operator or owner and give them your name, address and vehicle registration number. Or securely attach a written notice in a conspicuous place in or on the vehicle or property. You must also notify the nearest police authority without unnecessary delay.¹⁴

Under K.S.A. 8-1607, the Division of Vehicles of the Kansas Department of Revenue may require a driver or owner involved in a crash to file a written report. It can do this whenever it deems a report necessary to satisfy another provision of law.^15,16