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How to Get a Utah Highway Patrol Crash Report

Short answer: A Utah Highway Patrol crash report is requested online through the Department of Public Safety's records portal, which runs on a system called GovQA. You open an account so the department can confirm who you are, enter the crash date, the location and the case number if you have one, and the portal emails you when the report is ready to download.

UHP's own Get Crash or Police Report page says the patrol uses GovQA for all record requests. Below is that process in order, what UHP and the Department of Public Safety publish about cost and timing, and how to tell when the report you need is not a UHP report at all. The Utah law behind crash reports is covered in our main guide, how to get your Utah crash report.

Make sure a trooper worked the crash

By statute, the Highway Patrol enforces the state laws and rules governing use of the state highways and regulates traffic on all highways and roads of the state (Utah Code § 53-8-105). In day-to-day terms, troopers usually handle collisions on I-15, I-80, I-215 and the other freeways, including the miles that run straight through a city. A wreck on a residential street or a city arterial normally belongs to the city police or the county sheriff instead. Our pages on Utah's most dangerous roads and dangerous intersections in Utah look at where serious crashes cluster around the state.

The fastest way to know is the card or slip the officer handed you. If it says Utah Highway Patrol or Department of Public Safety, you are in the right place. If it names a city department or a sheriff's office, the DPS records center's FAQ is direct about it: for a crash investigated by any other agency, you need to contact that agency. The state Bureau of Criminal Identification, which uses the same portal, adds that it has no access to police reports, so asking there will not help. No card at all? Our article on getting a Utah police crash report lists other papers where the agency name tends to show up.

Requesting the report, step by step

  1. On UHP's report page, click Start Report Request. You leave the UHP site and land in the DPS Public Records Center.
  2. Create an account. UHP calls this required, because you have to verify your identity to view police records. The link on the login screen reads Create an Account.
  3. Choose the request type. In the portal's list, the patrol's option is labeled Public Safety - Utah Highway Patrol Public Records Request.
  4. Complete the required fields. UHP names them as the date, the location, and the case number if known.
  5. Watch your inbox. UHP says an email arrives when the report is ready to download.

The portal's login page says all communication from the agency goes to the email on your account, and that the account lets you track and monitor your requests. Use an address you check daily and keep the password somewhere safe.

What UHP charges

Neither the report page nor the offices page lists a flat price for a crash report. The DPS records center FAQ answers the cost question this way: you are charged based on the time it takes to complete the records, you may pay by credit card when you file online, and card payments carry a service charge. To hear a figure before you file, call UHP Administration at 801-965-4518, the contact number the report page gives.

How long it takes

The report is not ready the next morning. An investigating officer has 10 days after completing the investigation to file the report electronically (Utah Code § 41-6a-402(6)), and once your written request is in, the agency has 10 business days to provide the report and its accompanying data (§ 41-6a-404(3)(b)).

Video runs on a much slower clock. In its FAQ on dash camera footage and photos, UHP says it is processing a large number of requests for body-worn and dash camera video and estimates 120 days from when a request is received to finish the work. The video FAQ lists redaction fees of $35 per hour.

Who UHP will give it to

A DPS FAQ calls crash reports and crash photos protected records. It says anyone who suffered a loss is entitled to a copy, naming the vehicle owner, the insurance company, the driver and the passengers, and it adds the parents of anyone involved. Two more answers on the portal fill in edge cases:

  • If your car was in the crash but you were not driving, you can get the report as long as you are listed on it as the vehicle owner.
  • A private investigator must send a copy of the investigator's license and a signed release from the client, will pay a fee, and can obtain only the report for the client being represented.

Those answers line up with state law, which requires release to people involved in the crash, people who suffered loss or injury, and their agent, parent or legal guardian, among others (§ 41-6a-404(3)(a)). An agent includes anyone with your signed permission to receive your report (§ 41-6a-404(1)(c)), so a relative can make the request for you if you sign for it.

UHP offices along the Wasatch Front

UHP's offices page lists section offices statewide. Each listing has a Request Accident Report button, and it points back to the online request page rather than to a walk-up counter. The offices are still worth a call when you have a question about a particular trooper's report. Near the Wasatch Front, the page lists:

  • Salt Lake: 5681 South 320 West, Murray; (801) 284-5520; weekdays 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
  • Salt Lake, Section 4 West: 2780 W 4700 S, West Valley City; (801) 840-0101; weekdays 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
  • Farmington (Davis): 631 North Lagoon Drive; (801) 447-8120; weekdays 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
  • Ogden: 461 Stewart Street; (801) 393-1136; weekdays 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
  • Utah County (Orem): 763 North 1370 West; (801) 234-8285; weekdays 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

For an emergency, dial 911. For non-emergency calls, the report page lists DPS Dispatch at 801-887-3800.

Fixing a mistake

A wrong plate, a misspelled name or the wrong insurer can usually be corrected through a supplemental report. Contact the section office that handled the crash, describe the error and send something that proves it, such as your registration or insurance card. A trooper's opinion on who caused the crash is much harder to change; the main guide linked above explains what you can add to the file.

Questions people ask about UHP reports

Can I pick up a copy at a UHP office?

Plan on the portal. UHP says it uses GovQA for all record requests, and even the office listings send report requests back to the online process.

I never got a case number. Can I still request it?

Yes. UHP lists the case number as something to enter if known, alongside the date and location. Describe the location as precisely as you can: the freeway, the direction you were traveling, and the nearest exit or mile marker.

Will my insurance company have it too?

It can. The DPS FAQ names the insurance company among those entitled to a crash report, so an adjuster may have read it before you do.

A stranger called me about my crash. Is that allowed?

Not if they got your details from the report. Knowingly using information in a crash report to market services, including legal representation, is prohibited by § 41-6a-404(9)(b). Do not give personal information to an unknown caller, and write down who it was.

Hurt in a crash troopers handled?

If you were hurt and hire us, we request the report and its data for you and go through it with you, at no cost to you as part of your case. For a free case review with our legal team, call (801) 921-5134 or send us a message.

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