How to Get a Crash Report in Maine

Crash reports are kept in the Maine State Police Crash Database. Under Maine law, the Chief of the State Police receives and analyzes crash reports. The Maine Department of Public Safety, Maine State Police, runs the online service for searching the database and ordering reports.^2,4

The officer who investigates a crash completes the report and sends it to the Maine State Police Traffic Division. Maine law applies this duty to any law enforcement officer who investigates a reportable crash. The state search lists municipal police departments and county sheriffs' offices among the investigating agencies you can search by.^1,4,5

The State Police point people to the Maine Crash Reporting online service for crash reports. Their public-records page says requests for traffic accident records should go there.^3,6

According to the state FAQ, non-reportable crashes are not kept in the state system. The FAQ describes these as crashes with under $1,000 in combined damage and no injury reported at the scene. Maine law sets the damage threshold for a reportable crash at $2,000, so the two figures differ. For a non-reportable crash, contact the police department called to the scene. It should have an incident report on file.^1,4

ATV and snowmobile crashes covered by the Maine Warden Service are not in the state crash database. For those, contact the Maine Warden Service.¹

The state database does not hold every crash from before January 1, 2003. Crash records from 1976 through 2002 are on microfilm. You can get them by written request, with payment, to the Maine State Police Traffic Division in Augusta.¹

Online: Search the Maine Crash Reporting online service. Searching is free. If the search finds matching reports, you can order one or more and pay by credit card or with an InforME subscription. Reports ordered online are sent by email. If you have no email, you can ask for the report to be faxed, though email is preferred.^1,2,3

By mail: Print the request form linked from the online service's homepage and fill it out. Mail it to the Maine State Police Traffic Division with a check payable to Treasurer State of Maine and a self-addressed envelope. The state FAQ gives the address as State House Station #20, Augusta, Maine 04333-0020. You can also use this route for crashes before January 1, 2003, including microfilm records from 1976 through 2002.^1,7,8

Manual search: If the online search finds no match for a crash before 2003, you must submit a manual search request to the Maine State Police Traffic Division. You can pay online or by check. To pay by check, download, print and complete the request form. The report is sent by regular mail, fax or email.^2,7

Through a city police department: The Waterville and South Portland police departments provide online access to their crash reports through BuyCrash.^9,10

State Police incident investigation reports: Mail the State Police request form to Maine Department of Public Safety, Attn: Maine State Police, Records Management Services, 45 Commerce Drive, Suite 1, 42 State House Station, Augusta, Maine 04333-0042.¹¹

To use the online service, you need the name and date of birth of someone on the crash report. That person can be a driver, passenger, pedestrian or witness. To search by name, enter their first name, last name and date of birth.^2,5

You can also search by crash date, crash location or investigating police department. If you don't know the exact date, you can enter a date range. If you have a Crash Incident ID Number, you can enter it too.^2,5

The easiest searches usually use the crash date with the town, or the crash date with a last name.¹²

Police do not hand out the crash report at the scene. If the patrol car has a printer, the officer may print a Driver Report Form for each driver. It lists driver, vehicle, crash location and investigating agency details, which you can use to search. If you did not get one, you can get the driver information later from the investigating agency.^1,12

To order online, you need a Mastercard, Visa or Discover credit card, or an InforME subscription.²

You need Adobe Reader to view or print the report, which is a PDF.²

Many people share names and dates of birth. It is up to you to make sure the report is about the right person.⁵

For a manual search, you need the name and date of birth of a driver in the crash, plus the crash date or location, and your contact information.⁷

The mail-in request form asks for the legal name, date of birth and residence of the drivers involved.⁸

Searching the state database online is free. Each report you order online costs $10.00. You are not charged if your search finds no matches.²

A manual search request costs $10.00. The fee is non-refundable.²

The mail-in request form lists a police traffic crash report at $10.00. Make your check payable to Treasurer State of Maine. The form says its fees are non-refundable.⁸

The mail-in form also lists an Officers Investigative Report at $10.00. It is available only for fatal crashes investigated by the Maine State Police.⁸

The State Police request form for incident investigation reports says extra fees apply for any other parts of the investigative file you receive.¹¹

Most reports ordered online are sent within two hours of the order. If your crash details are correct and the report is in the database, you should get it within 24 hours of your search.^1,2

Maine law gives the investigating officer 5 days from being notified of the crash to send the report to the Chief of the State Police. If your search does not find the report, the agency may not have sent it in yet. Reports are downloaded daily, so try again in a few days.^1,4

For a manual search, you get an email about the search status within 7 business days if you give an email address.⁷

For a report on microfilm, you may get it in five days or less if your details are correct. If it has not arrived within five days, contact the Maine State Police Traffic Division. Its contact details are on the online service's homepage.^1,2

The state FAQ says anyone who wants to buy a crash report can do so.¹

Maine law lets the Chief of the State Police disclose a crash's date, time and location. It also lets the Chief disclose the names and addresses of drivers, owners, injured people, witnesses and the investigating officer.⁴

The law also sets limits. Apart from exceptions listed in the law, the State Police may not publicly share personally identifying data from its crash report database. It may release a vehicle plate number from the database only to someone who gives it an affidavit saying what they will not do with it.⁴

Investigative records are handled differently. The State Police say police investigative and intelligence records are not generally public records in Maine, and their release is restricted under Title 16, chapter 9. The State Police request form says incident investigation reports are confidential and may not be released to the public if there is a reasonable possibility that release would cause consequences named in state law.^11,13

The state crash report may not be the whole file. The investigating agency may hold more, such as officer narratives, witness statements, photographs or other recordings. For those, contact the investigating agency directly.²

Only the investigating officer can change a crash report. Send any corrections to that officer.¹

Waterville: The police department provides online access to its crash reports through BuyCrash. The city says reports are available 48 hours after the crash, or sooner if completed, except for fatal crashes and crashes under investigation. Fatal crash reports must be bought at the Waterville Police Department. The city's page also says BuyCrash has both reportable and non-reportable crash reports within one hour of report completion.⁹

Waterville police send businesses to BuyCrash for crash reports. They give a report to a business only if it can't be found on BuyCrash or the request is a walk-in public records request.⁹

South Portland: The police department provides online access to its crash reports through BuyCrash. The city says reports are available 72 hours after the crash, or sooner if completed, except for fatal crashes and crashes under investigation. Fatal crash reports must be bought at the South Portland Police Department.¹⁰

Under Maine law, a crash is reportable if it happens on a public way, or a place where public traffic is expected, and causes injury, death or apparent property damage of $2,000 or more. Damage is judged by the market value of the needed repairs, not limited to the current value of the vehicle or property.⁴

A reportable crash must be reported right away, by the quickest means. You can report it to a state police officer, the nearest state police field office, or the sheriff's office or a deputy sheriff in the county where it happened. You can also report it to the police department, or an officer, of the town or city where it happened.⁴

The law names the driver of an involved vehicle first as the person responsible for reporting. If the driver is unknown, an owner of an involved vehicle who knows about the crash must report it.⁴

Snowmobile operators do not have to make this report. Neither do ATV operators, unless the ATV is registered for highway use.⁴

The owner or driver of a vehicle in a crash must give the Secretary of State any extra information it requires to decide whether proof of financial responsibility applies.⁴

Knowingly failing to make a required report on time is a Class E crime. The Secretary of State may also suspend or revoke the license and registration of anyone who fails to make a required report or give the information it requires.⁴

Maine law used to include a separate forty-eight-hour report. That section has been repealed.⁴