How to Get a Crash Report in South Dakota

The South Dakota Office of Accident Records keeps a database of crash information for public roads. It runs the state's crash-report site, safesd.gov, where you can buy crash reports. Reports stay in the database for 15 years.^1,2

State law (SDCL 32-34-10) requires the officer or other person assigned to investigate a crash to send a report to the South Dakota Department of Public Safety. The report is due within three days after the investigation is complete.⁴

The state's mail-in form defines a state reportable crash as one that injures or kills anyone. If no one is hurt, a crash is reportable when apparent property damage is $1,000 or more to any one person's property, or $2,000 per crash.⁵

Not every crash is in the state database. Crashes in parking lots or on private property are not reportable to the Office of Accident Records and are not sent to the state. You also may not find a report if damage was under $1,000 to any one person's property or under $2,000 in total. The same is true if Marsy's Law has been invoked.^2,5,6

Online: Buy the report through the state's crash-report site, safesd.gov. If you pay by debit or credit card and the report is available, you get it right away.^2,3

By mail: Download the Accident Report Request form from safesd.gov and fill it out. Use one form for each report you want. Mail it to the address on the form: 118 West Capitol Avenue, Pierre, South Dakota 57501-2000. Mail-in requests can be paid only by cash, check or money order. Make checks payable to DPS - Accident Records.^2,5

To get a copy of a state crash report, you must be able to give at least two of these: the date of the crash, the driver's last name and the county where the crash happened.²

If you request by mail, the form asks for the driver license number, the date of the crash, the street or highway where it happened, the city or county, and the investigating officer.⁵

If you don't have the details you need for a search, the state's crash-report site says to contact the law enforcement agency that investigated the crash to get them.²

Online: a $4 fee to find and provide the report, plus a $6 convenience fee.²

By mail: $4.00 per report. The fee pays for the search. It is kept whether or not a report is on file. You can pay only by cash, check or money order. Make checks payable to DPS - Accident Records.^2,5

State law (SDCL 32-34-13) sets a $4 fee for each request to find a report on file. Any report found is provided at no additional cost.⁷

If a county or city law enforcement office gives you a copy of a crash report, state law lets it charge $4 per copy.⁸

A report becomes available to buy after the investigating law enforcement agency submits it and it is accepted into the South Dakota Accident Records Database.¹

The state's crash-report site says a report may not be found if fewer than 10 days have passed since the crash.²

If you request by mail, the form recommends waiting until 20 days after the crash to send your request.⁵

If you buy online with a debit or credit card, you get the report right away if it is available.²

By law, the investigating officer has three days after the investigation is complete to send the report to the Department of Public Safety.⁴

Agencies without breath-testing equipment won't have chemical test results right away. The 2024 state reporting manual tells them to hold the crash report for up to 5 working days for the results. This can delay when the report reaches the state.⁶

The state's crash-report site says crash reports are covered by South Dakota's open records law. State law (SDCL 32-34-13) says crash reports and the information in them are not privileged and may not be held confidential.^2,7

The Office of Accident Records provides crash records and reports on request to individuals, insurance agents, law enforcement and others. It does so in compliance with Marsy's Law.¹

If victims exercise their rights under Marsy's Law after a report is submitted, the Office of Accident Records promptly removes the report from all records. In that case, you may not be able to find it.^1,2

The state's crash-report site points you to the law enforcement agency that investigated the crash if you need details for a search, such as the date, the driver's last name or the county.²

State law lets county or city law enforcement offices charge $4 for each copy of a crash report they provide.⁸

If you are the driver in a crash that injures or kills someone, state law (SDCL 32-34-7) says you must give notice immediately. The same applies if the crash causes apparent property damage of $1,000 or more to any one person's property, or $2,000 per crash.⁹

You must notify the nearest available law enforcement officer who has jurisdiction, by the quickest means of communication. A violation is a Class 2 misdemeanor.⁹

If the driver is physically unable to give notice, another occupant of the vehicle who is able to must give it.¹⁰

A person who is physically unable to make an accident report does not have to make one while the incapacity lasts.¹¹

If the secretary of public safety finds the original report insufficient, the secretary may require a supplemental report. Drivers involved in the crash or officers may have to file it on a Department of Public Safety form.¹²

The investigating officer must have a notice attached to the damaged vehicle saying the crash has been reported and is being investigated. A garage or repair shop may not start repairing a vehicle that shows evidence of a reportable crash unless the vehicle carries this notice.^4,13