Use this guide only to request an existing traffic collision report that LAPD investigated in the City of Los Angeles. Start with LAPD’s official traffic collision report request page. LAPD says authorized people may request a report online or by U.S. mail. For the online route, wait at least 45 days from the collision date before trying the portal. This is the minimum wait before trying the online portal; it is not a deadline and does not guarantee that a report will be available on day 45. Reports involving an arrest, fatality, or juvenile, and reports issued before February 1, 2016, must be requested by mail.1
The current LAPD mail form lists a $19 traffic crash report fee. Mail the completed application with a check or money order payable to LAPD—not cash—to the Records and Identification Division Document Processing Unit, P.O. Box 30158, Los Angeles, CA 90030.1
Use this guide only when LAPD made the report. LAPD’s Chief of Police has jurisdiction within the City of Los Angeles.3 If the report was made by the California Highway Patrol (CHP) or another law-enforcement agency, request it from that agency instead. CHP provides a separate CHP 190 request route for CHP-investigated collisions.5
Quick checklist
- Confirm the investigating agency on any exchange-of-information sheet, temporary report, or correspondence. A Los Angeles mailing address alone does not show that LAPD made the report.
- Have the collision date, time, location, names of people involved, vehicle plate information, and the LAPD DR or incident number if you know it.1
- If you are eligible for the online LAPD route and 45 days have passed, use the official LAPD-linked English request portal.
- Otherwise, download the current LAPD application for release of a crime or traffic crash report, select Traffic Crash Report, and mail it with the required payment.2
- Keep a copy of what you send and the payment record.
- Treat this request as a request for an existing police record. It is not an insurance claim, a DMV report, a government claim, or a lawsuit filing.
Choose the correct agency before you request
If the report was made by…: LAPD for an incident within the City of Los Angeles
- Use this route: Follow the LAPD online or mail procedure below.1
If the report was made by…: CHP
- Use this route: Use the official CHP 190 collision report request process. CHP says it can provide copies only of CHP-investigated reports.5
If the report was made by…: Another police or sheriff’s agency
- Use this route: Contact that investigating agency directly. This guide does not verify another agency’s report procedure.
If the report was made by…: No report was taken
- Use this route: A records request cannot produce a report that was never created. See “If the normal route does not work” below.
Official LAPD procedure
Option 1: Request online when LAPD permits it
LAPD links to an online traffic collision-report portal from its official request page.1 Wait a minimum of 45 days after the collision before attempting the online request. Do not use the online route for a report involving an arrest, fatality, or juvenile, or for a report issued before February 1, 2016; LAPD directs those requests to mail.1
LAPD says reports may be released to authorized people, including victims and their representatives, and as provided in California Vehicle Code section 20012.1 Whether a particular requester has the required interest can depend on the facts. The current LAPD form identifies examples such as an involved driver or passenger, a parent or guardian of an involved juvenile, an attorney, an insurance company, a property owner, or an authorized person with signed authorization.2
Option 2: Request by U.S. mail
- Download and complete LAPD Form 08.42.01 (07/26), the Application for Release of Crime or Traffic Crash Report.2
- Mark Traffic Crash Report and provide the requested identifying information. The form asks for your name, date of birth, address and phone number; your role; incident date and time; report number if known; location or cross streets; vehicle plates; and names of other involved people.2
- If you are an attorney, include the client release form. If you are a parent or guardian of an involved juvenile, include proof of relationship or guardianship. An authorized person needs signed authorization.2
- Include a $19 check or money order payable to LAPD. Do not send cash. The form says to use a separate application and payment for each requested report.2
- Mail the application and payment to:
text
Los Angeles Police Department
Records and Identification Division
Document Processing Unit
P.O. Box 30158
Los Angeles, CA 90030
The mailing address and current fee are stated on both the LAPD request page and the July 2026 form.1
If you cannot print or view the form, LAPD says a written request must state that the request is for a traffic report; give your name, address, telephone number, date of birth, report or incident number if known, parties, date/time/location, plate and registration-state information, and your interest in the report. It must include the declaration that the statement is true and correct, and be signed and dated.1
Documents and details to gather
Gather only what applies to your request:
- LAPD DR number or incident number, if known;
- collision date, approximate time, exact location or cross streets;
- names of the involved people and vehicle plate numbers;
- your identity and contact details;
- proof of your role or authorization, when applicable; and
- a check or money order for the current form’s stated report fee.1
The California statute says the law-enforcement agency to which an accident was reported must disclose the report’s contents to a person with a proper interest, and that any copy fee may not exceed the actual cost of providing the copy.7 This guide cannot decide whether your circumstances meet that standard.
If the normal route does not work
The online option is unavailable. Use the mail route if the report involves an arrest, fatality, or juvenile, if it predates February 1, 2016, or if you prefer not to use the portal.1
You need help with an existing LAPD request. LAPD’s request page lists its recorded line, 213-486-8130, for additional information or a status update. LAPD’s Records and Identification Division says traffic-report requests are accepted by mail and that its public counter does not provide traffic reports.1
You cannot locate a report. First verify which agency investigated the collision. CHP says it cannot provide a report investigated by another police department.5 If you were told no LAPD report was made, understand that LAPD says it will not complete a report where there are no injuries and all parties have driver’s licenses and exchange information.6 The request process does not create a report after the fact. For a current reporting question, use LAPD’s official traffic collision guidance or its online police-report eligibility page; do not assume online reporting is available for your facts.9
The report was made by CHP. Complete CHP Form 190 and follow CHP’s instructions for a party of interest. CHP asks for identity verification and directs the request to an appropriate CHP office; its fees are separate from LAPD’s fee.5
Keep separate: police record, DMV, insurance, and legal claims
An LAPD record request is not a California DMV SR-1 filing. California DMV says an SR-1 is required within 10 days when a collision causes injury or death, or more than $1,000 in property damage, and that it is required in addition to reports to police, CHP, or an insurance company.10 The applicable facts matter; use the official DMV SR-1 page for that separate process.
This guide also does not report the collision to an insurer, make an insurance claim, submit a claim against a government entity, or start a lawsuit. Those are different processes with different rules and possible deadlines.
More AccidentFiling.ai resources
Browse Accident Guides and Official Accident Resources. These are general starting points; use the cited agency or regulator for an official process.
Official sources
- Los Angeles Police Department, “Obtain A Traffic Collision Report” (verified September 11, 2026).
- Los Angeles Police Department, Form 08.42.01 (07/26), “Application for Release of Crime or Traffic Crash Report” (verified September 11, 2026).
- Los Angeles Police Department, “Office of the Chief of Police” (verified September 11, 2026).
- Los Angeles Police Department, “Records and Identification Division” (verified September 11, 2026).
- California Highway Patrol, “Collision Report – CHP 190” (verified September 11, 2026).
- Los Angeles Police Department, “What should I do if I get in a traffic collision?” (verified September 11, 2026).
- California Legislative Information, Vehicle Code § 20012 (verified September 11, 2026).
- BuyCrash, LAPD report search portal (LAPD-linked; verified September 11, 2026).
- Los Angeles Police Department, “File A Police Report” (verified September 11, 2026).
- California Department of Motor Vehicles, “Report of Traffic Accident Occurring in California (SR-1)” (verified September 11, 2026).