Alcona County, Michigan: Crash Reporting Requirements: Police, Driver, and Motor Vehicle Reports

Alcona County, Michigan local guide: This county or county-equivalent page applies the state and national guidance and official resources below to people looking for accident information in Alcona County, Michigan. The agency responsible for a police report or records request can depend on where the incident occurred and which agency investigated it. Confirm the agency shown on the report or incident information before requesting a record.

Short answer

In Michigan, a driver must immediately report a crash to the nearest or most convenient police station or police officer when it injures or kills a person, or causes apparent total property damage of $1,000 or more. The police—not the driver—complete the state UD-10 Traffic Crash Report for a reportable crash and forward it to the Michigan State Police (MSP). Michigan Compiled Laws § 257.622 sets out those roles.

If an officer is needed at the scene, the MSP says to call 911. To file a UD-10, contact the law-enforcement agency for the area where the crash occurred or a Michigan State Police post; the MSP Traffic Crash Reporting Unit cannot file it for a driver. Once processed, an eligible report can be purchased through the state’s Traffic Crash Purchasing System (TCPS).

Immediate checklist

Get help and notify police when the crash meets the Michigan reporting threshold. For an emergency or to have an officer dispatched to the scene, call 911. Otherwise, the statute’s direction is to report immediately to the nearest or most convenient police station or officer when the injury, death, or apparent-damage threshold applies.
Exchange or leave the required identifying information in a vehicle-only crash. If the other vehicle’s owner or operator cannot be located, report it to the nearest or most convenient police officer. MCL § 257.620 addresses this specific situation.
Ask which agency is making the report and retain the case/incident number, if provided. The reporting agency is the right contact for a case number and for a request to change a UD-10.
Wait for processing before trying to purchase the report. MSP describes a typical processing window of 3–30 days, depending on the reporting agency; it does not state a mandatory agency-submission deadline.
Use the official TCPS or, if the required search information is unavailable, the MSP records-request route. Do not send duplicate records requests by more than one method.

Who reports what in Michigan?

The driver’s police-notice duty

Michigan’s general crash-reporting law applies when a driver is involved in a crash that injures or kills someone or causes apparent total property damage of $1,000 or more. The driver must immediately report it to the nearest or most convenient police station or police officer. This is a duty to notify law enforcement; it is not an instruction to complete the UD-10 yourself. MCL § 257.622

For a collision with another vehicle on public or private property, the driver must stop and locate and notify the other vehicle’s operator or owner with the specified identifying information. If the owner cannot be located, the driver must report the crash to the nearest or most convenient police officer. That is a separate, narrower rule for vehicle-to-vehicle collisions. MCL § 257.620

A similar rule applies when only a fixture legally on or next to a highway is damaged: the driver must take reasonable steps to locate and notify the owner or person in charge; if that person cannot be found, report it to the nearest or most convenient police officer. MCL § 257.621

The officer’s UD-10 report

The UD-10 is Michigan’s traffic crash report. The officer receiving a report, or the officer’s commanding officer, forwards it to the MSP on the form prescribed by the MSP; the law says the investigating officer completes the form in full. The MSP’s Traffic Crash Reporting Unit says all law-enforcement agencies complete the report for reportable crashes and forward it to MSP for analysis and statewide crash data. Its UD-10 instructional guides are expressly resources for law-enforcement partners completing the form.

In practical terms, a driver’s immediate report to police and an officer’s UD-10 are related but different actions. Contacting police does not guarantee that a late report will be created: MSP says crashes not reported immediately are subject to the reporting agency’s discretion as to whether it will file a report.

Separate driver, motor-vehicle agency, insurer, and claim reports

The official Michigan materials cited on this page direct drivers to law enforcement and assign UD-10 completion to investigating officers. They do not identify a separate ordinary-crash self-report form for a driver to submit to the Secretary of State or another motor-vehicle agency. The MSP also says its Traffic Crash Reporting Unit does not manage driving records; questions about those records go to the Secretary of State’s Driving Records Activity Unit.

These sources also do not establish an insurer-notice deadline, a public-entity claim notice, or a lawsuit filing deadline. Those are not presented here as Michigan crash-reporting requirements. Preserve your own records and obtain the official crash report if you need one for another process. For practical next steps after a crash, see What to Do After a Car Accident and the Car Accident Evidence Checklist.

How to find or request the UD-10

MSP describes the Traffic Crash Reporting System as the central repository for statewide traffic-crash data, and TCPS says it sells crash reports submitted by all Michigan law-enforcement agencies. That scope is for submitted traffic crash reports; it should not be treated as a promise that the system contains every separate police or investigative record connected with a crash.

To purchase a UD-10 through TCPS, create or sign in with MiLogin. The state says the fee is $15, a credit card is required, and the purchased report is available for immediate download rather than by mail or email. The search requires all of the following:

the date of the crash;
the date of birth of a person involved; and
either a driver license number or the case/incident number.

MSP says reports typically take 3–30 days to process, and they may be purchased through the Traffic Crash Reporting Unit for up to 10 years after the crash. If you lack the required TCPS search information, TCPS directs you to request the report through FOIA. The MSP FOIA FAQ likewise says a person may use the MSP Public Records Request Portal or submit a request by email, fax, or mail instead of TCPS. A written request needs to describe the requested record sufficiently; fees for a FOIA request vary with record type and retrieval/review labor.

Documents and identifiers to gather

Before contacting the reporting agency or TCPS, gather the crash date, the agency name, case/incident number if known, a driver license number for one involved driver, and the involved driver’s date of birth. Keep the location and names of the people involved with your own records as well. Do not expect the Traffic Crash Reporting Unit to give you a case number, insurance information, or personal details by phone, mail, email, or fax; MSP directs people to the reporting agency for the case/incident number.

If the report is unavailable or is held by another office

Start with the agency that responded or is listed as the Department Name on the UD-10. MSP says that agency is the contact for a case/incident number and for proposed changes to the report. Michigan law also requires the local police department, sheriff’s department, or local MSP post that made the report to retain a copy of a report under § 257.622 for at least three years.

If you need a record from MSP that is not available through TCPS—or you do not have the identifiers TCPS requires—use the official MSP Records Request Portal and FOIA instructions. MSP accepts an online portal request and lists email, fax, and mail alternatives; submit only once. The MSP FOIA FAQ says an initial response is issued within five business days, though it may be a notice extending time to gather and review responsive records. For a local agency’s separate records, contact that agency’s records office and follow its own public-records procedure.

Official resources

Michigan State Police: Traffic Crash Reporting Unit — statewide crash-reporting program and report processing information.
Traffic Crash Purchasing System (TCPS) — official online purchase portal for submitted Michigan law-enforcement crash reports.
Michigan State Police: Traffic Crash Reporting Unit FAQs — filing, timing, corrections, and report-access information.
Michigan State Police: FOIA requests — records-request portal, alternatives, and contact details.
Michigan crash-report resources and guides.