How to Get a Police Crash Report in Utah

Short answer: Request the report from the agency whose officer investigated the crash. For a Utah Highway Patrol report, that means the Department of Public Safety’s online records portal. Utah law gives people involved in a crash, and people injured in it, the right to the report, and an agency that receives a written request generally has 10 business days to provide it.

The crash report is usually the first document an insurance adjuster asks for. Getting it early lets you check it for mistakes while memories and evidence are still fresh.

Step One: Figure Out Which Agency Has It

There is no single statewide window for every Utah crash report. The report stays with the agency that responded:

• City police for most crashes on city streets
• The county sheriff for unincorporated areas and for cities that contract with the sheriff
• The Utah Highway Patrol for most crashes on interstates and many state highways

If you are not sure, look at the card or paper the officer handed you at the scene. It usually shows the agency and a case number. The towing receipt, your insurer’s claim notes or the other driver’s insurer may also list the agency. If all else fails, call the non-emergency line for the city where the crash happened and ask whether they took the report.

Requesting a Utah Highway Patrol Report

UHP crash reports are requested online. The UHP crash reports page links to the Department of Public Safety’s records portal. You create an account, which is required so the department can verify your identity, then fill in the date, location and case number if you have it. The portal sends an email when the report is ready to download.

The page lists UHP Administration at 801-965-4518 for questions. It does not list a fee, and fees can change, so check the portal when you request.

Requesting a City or County Report

Each city police department and sheriff’s office runs its own records section. Most have an online request form or a records email address on their website, and some still take requests in person. Expect to give your name, the date and location of the crash, and the case number. Some agencies charge a fee for copies.

Who Is Entitled to the Full Report

Crash reports are not public in the way many people assume. Under Utah Code 41-6a-404, reports are generally protected, but the department or the investigating agency must disclose an unredacted report to:

• A person involved in the crash (other than a witness)
• A person who suffered loss or injury in it
• That person’s agent, parent or legal guardian, which includes their attorney and their insurer
• Certain others, such as law enforcement and, in limited form, the news media

On a written request, the investigating agency must provide the report and its accompanying data within 10 business days. The agency may hold back a report if releasing it would jeopardize an ongoing criminal investigation or prosecution, which sometimes happens after DUI or fatal crashes. The agency must also disclose whether each person or vehicle involved was covered by insurance, and the name of the insurer. That is often the fastest way to learn which company to call.

More Than the Paper Report

The statute defines “accident report” broadly. It can include witness statements, photographs, diagrams, field notes, and body camera and dash camera video. If you only received the one-page summary, ask for the accompanying data too.

For related records that are not part of the crash report, such as dispatch logs, the formal route is a records request under Utah’s Government Records Access and Management Act (GRAMA). A GRAMA request must be in writing and include your name, mailing address, daytime phone number and a reasonably specific description of the record (Utah Code 63G-2-204). The agency generally must respond within 10 business days, though the statute allows more time in listed extraordinary circumstances. Agencies may charge a reasonable fee to cover their actual cost (Utah Code 63G-2-203), and a denial can be appealed to the agency’s chief administrative officer within 30 days (Utah Code 63G-2-401).

Video is the evidence most likely to disappear. If you think a body camera or dash camera recorded the crash, ask about it early.

What Is in a Utah Crash Report

Reports vary by agency, but most include:

• Date, time, location, road and weather conditions
• Drivers, passengers, owners and vehicles, with insurance information
• Witness names and contact information, though a witness can ask that their address and phone number be left off
• A diagram and a short written narrative of how the officer understands the crash happened
• Contributing factors the officer noted, and any citations issued

What to Do if the Report Has a Mistake

Read the report as soon as you get it. Common errors include a wrong plate or insurance policy number, a misspelled name, the vehicles swapped in the diagram, or a statement attributed to the wrong driver.

For factual errors, contact the officer or the agency’s records unit, explain the problem, and provide proof, such as your registration or insurance card. Agencies can add supplemental reports, and the statute’s definition of an accident report includes later supplements. An officer is less likely to change their opinion about who caused the crash. If you disagree with the narrative, ask whether the agency will add a written statement from you to the file, and keep a copy of your request either way.

The Report Is Not the Last Word on Fault

A crash report carries weight with adjusters, but it is one officer’s view, often formed in a few minutes at a busy scene. Under Utah Code 41-6a-404(4), accident reports filed under that section generally may not be used as evidence in a civil or criminal trial arising out of the crash. Fault in an injury case is decided on the evidence: witnesses, photos, video, vehicle damage and, sometimes, vehicle data. A citation is not the same as civil fault, and the absence of a citation does not mean the other driver was careful.

Utah also compares fault. You can recover from a driver whose fault is greater than yours, reduced by your own share (Utah Code 78B-5-818). An unfavorable line in a report is something to answer with evidence, not a reason to give up. Our post on what evidence helps a car accident case covers the rest of the file, and the steps in a Utah personal injury case shows where the report fits in the larger process.

Talk to a Utah Car Accident Attorney

If you have been hurt in a crash, we can request the report and the accompanying data for you and check it for errors. Call (801) 921-5134 or send us your case for a free consultation. No attorney fees unless we win. Hablamos Español.