How to Get Your Utah Crash Report

Short answer: Request it from the police agency that handled the crash. If it was the Utah Highway Patrol, the request is made online through the Department of Public Safety's records portal, with an account in your name. If it was a city police department or the sheriff's office, you ask that agency's records section. Utah law entitles you to the report if you were involved in the crash or hurt in it, and when the request is in writing the agency generally has 10 business days to provide it.

What to have in hand

Before you make the request, gather four pieces of information: the date, the location as precisely as you can (street, intersection, or mile marker), the name of the agency, and the case number. The case number usually appears on the card or slip the officer gave you. Without it the request can still be made with the date and location, but it takes longer to locate.

If you do not know which agency it was, our article on how to get a Utah police crash report explains how to find out.

Was a report made in your crash?

Not every crash ends with a police report, and it helps to know when the law requires calling the police. When someone is injured, the driver must immediately notify the nearest law enforcement office by the quickest means available, and if the driver cannot, an occupant of the vehicle who is able must do it (Utah Code § 41-6a-401.7). When there is only property damage, immediate notice is required if the apparent damage is $2,500 or more (Utah Code § 41-6a-401).

Apart from the officer's report, the department may require a driver involved in a crash with injury, death, or $2,500 or more in damage to file their own report within 10 days after the request, and some cities require a report to local police by ordinance (Utah Code § 41-6a-402). If you were hurt and no report was made, do not leave it there: call the non-emergency line for the agency where it happened and ask how to report it.

When it will be ready

The report is not available the same day. An officer who investigates a crash with injury or $2,500 or more in damage must file an electronic copy with the department within 10 days after completing the investigation (Utah Code § 41-6a-402(6)). A complicated crash can take longer to investigate.

Once you make a written request, the agency that employed the officer must provide the report and its accompanying data within 10 business days. It may hold the report back if releasing it would jeopardize an ongoing criminal investigation or prosecution (Utah Code § 41-6a-404(3)(b)).

If the Utah Highway Patrol investigated

The Highway Patrol's page for requesting reports is in English and is titled Get Crash or Police Report. The process it describes has three steps:

Enter the secure records portal (GovQA), which takes you to the Public Safety request section.
Create an account. This is required, because they must verify your identity to release a police record. Look for the Create an Account link.
Fill in the required fields: date, location, and case number if you know it. You receive an email when the report is ready to download.

For questions, the page lists UHP Administration at 801-965-4518 (Utah Highway Patrol, Get Crash or Police Report).

Our Utah Highway Patrol crash report guide covers the portal, the cost and the regional offices in more detail.

If city police or the sheriff investigated

Each department keeps its own records, so the process varies from city to city. Look on the agency's website for its Records section, or call and ask how to request a crash report.

We have step-by-step guides for several of the largest agencies, with each one's portal, fee and records office:

For other government records that are not part of the report, the formal route is a request under Utah's public records law, known as GRAMA. The request must be in writing and include your name, mailing address, email address if you are willing to receive responses that way, daytime phone number, and a description of the record specific enough to identify it. The agency must respond no later than 10 business days, apart from the extraordinary circumstances the statute lists (Utah Code § 63G-2-204).

Who can request it, and whether someone can request it for you

Crash reports are protected; not just anyone gets them. The law requires release of the full report to a person involved in the crash (other than a mere witness), a person who suffered loss or injury in it, and that person's agent, parent, or legal guardian, among others (Utah Code § 41-6a-404(3)(a)).

This matters if a relative who reads English better is helping you. The law defines an agent to include not just an attorney or insurer but any person with your signed permission to receive your report (§ 41-6a-404(1)(c)). If an adult child or someone else is going to handle the request for you, sign a written authorization. Knowingly obtaining a report you are not entitled to is a misdemeanor (§ 41-6a-404(9)(a)).

The agency may charge a reasonable fee for providing the report and its data (§ 41-6a-404(7)). The amount depends on the agency; ask when you make the request.

How to read a report that is in English

The report comes in English and uses abbreviations and codes. Do not sign or answer anything based on it until you understand it. Check first what you can verify yourself:

That your name is spelled correctly. Compound surnames are often cut short or reversed, and that can confuse insurers.
Your address, plate number, and insurance information.
Which vehicle is listed as unit 1 and which as unit 2, and whether the diagram matches what happened.
What was written down as your statement, especially if you spoke with the officer without an interpreter.
Whether the report shows each driver's insurance. The agency must disclose whether each person or vehicle was insured and the name of the insurer (§ 41-6a-404(3)(c)).

If a witness asked that their address and phone number be left off, the officer keeps them in a separate record, which can be obtained in a lawsuit over the same crash (§ 41-6a-402(4)(d)). Missing witness details do not mean they are lost.

If you find a mistake

Data errors, such as a wrong plate, name, or policy number, are fixed by contacting the officer or the agency's records section and bringing the document that proves it. The legal definition of the report includes later supplements, so the agency can add a supplemental report (§ 41-6a-404(1)(a)).

If what you disagree with is the officer's opinion about who was at fault, it is unlikely to change. Ask whether you can add a written statement of your own to the file, and keep a copy. Make sure everything you add is accurate: knowingly giving false information in these reports is a class A misdemeanor (§ 41-6a-404(6)).

If service offers arrive after the crash

Utah law prohibits knowingly using information in an accident report to market services, including legal representation (§ 41-6a-404(9)(b)). If someone you do not know calls or writes to you with the details of your crash, do not give them personal information, and write down who it was.

The report does not decide fault

Insurers give the report a lot of weight, but as a general rule reports filed under that section may not be used as evidence in a civil or criminal trial arising out of the crash (§ 41-6a-404(4)). Fault in an injury case is proved with witnesses, photos, video, vehicle damage, and expert opinion when needed. In Utah you can also recover even if you share some of the fault, as long as yours is less than the other side's; your recovery is reduced by your percentage (Utah Code § 78B-5-818).

To see where the report fits in the whole case, read the steps in a Utah personal injury case, and if an insurer asks you for a statement while you wait for the report, read talking to the insurance company if English isn't your first language.

A note on immigration

We are a personal injury firm and do not handle immigration matters. If you have questions about how a police report or a claim could relate to your immigration status, talk to an immigration attorney.

Common questions

How long does the report take?

The officer has 10 days after finishing the investigation to file it with the department, and once you request it in writing the agency has 10 business days to provide it, unless it is held back for a criminal investigation.

Do I need a lawyer to request the report?

No. You have the right to request it yourself. If you hire us, we request it along with its accompanying data and review it for you.

Does the report say what my case is worth?

No. The report describes the crash; value depends on your injuries, your treatment, and your losses. See damages in Utah personal injury cases.

We can get it and go through it with you

If you were hurt in a Utah crash, we can request the report, review it with you in Spanish or English, and tell you whether anything needs correcting. Call (801) 921-5134 or send us a message.

Free consultation. No attorney fees unless we win. Hablamos Español.