How to Get a State-Level Motorcycle Accident Report in Barnstable County, Massachusetts

Short answer

For a police motorcycle accident report in Massachusetts, start with the Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles (RMV). The RMV accepts requests for a standard or certified copy of a police motorcycle accident report that was filed by a Massachusetts state or local police agency and processed by the RMV. This is a statewide access route for those processed records—not a promise that every agency’s record is already available there. The RMV says to wait at least four weeks after the motorcycle accident before requesting it, charges a $20 non-refundable search fee for each report, and says processing takes about four weeks. Request a Copy of a Police Motorcycle accident Report — RMV

If the RMV cannot locate the report, or if a local department was the investigating agency, ask the Records Access Officer (RAO) of the city, town, or agency that created or received the record. That is the Commonwealth’s stated route for records held by another government agency. Massachusetts Public Records Division

Immediate checklist

1. Confirm which law-enforcement agency investigated the motorcycle accident and save any incident or case number you were given.
2. Wait at least four weeks after the motorcycle accident before sending an RMV motorcycle accident-report request.
3. Gather the motorcycle accident date, city or town, involved person’s name, driver’s license number and state, and plate number and state. The RMV’s mail form asks for these motorcycle accident identifiers.
4. Use the RMV online route if you are an individual with a Massachusetts-issued credential. Use the appropriate mail route if you do not have one, are an authorized recipient, or are a DPPA permitted user without Motorcycle accident Program access.
5. Pay the RMV’s $20 non-refundable search fee for each requested report.
6. If the RMV report is not found, request the record from the investigating agency’s RAO; use the Massachusetts State Police public-records channel only for records the State Police created or received.

Keep the police report and the operator report separate

The police motorcycle accident report requested from the RMV is an agency-filed record: the RMV describes it as a report filed by a Massachusetts state or local police agency and processed by the RMV. It is different from the written report that an involved driver may have to file. The RMV’s Motorcycle accident Program likewise says its reports are limited to motorcycle accident reports filed by Massachusetts state law enforcement or local Massachusetts police agencies. RMV Motorcycle accident Program

Massachusetts General Laws chapter 90, section 26 requires a person operating a motor vehicle involved in a motorcycle accident to submit a written report to the Registrar within five days when someone was killed or injured, or when damage exceeds $1,000 to any one vehicle or other property. The same statute requires a copy to the police department with jurisdiction over the way where the motorcycle accident occurred. The incapacity and owner provisions in the statute also apply. M.G.L. c. 90, § 26

The RMV’s reporting instructions direct the completed Motorcycle accident Operator Report to three places: the local police department or State Police in the city or town where the motorcycle accident occurred, the insurance company, and the RMV. The RMV says there is no fee to submit that form. That operator-report process does not replace a request for an agency police motorcycle accident report, and a request for a copy does not complete the operator report. Report a motorcycle accident — RMV

Who may request an RMV police motorcycle accident report

For a processed report, the RMV says the following requesters may use its process:

• An individual involved in the motorcycle accident: an operator, vehicle owner, vehicle occupant, vulnerable user, or witness. The individual must have a current or expired credential.
• A Massachusetts registered business whose vehicle was involved in the motorcycle accident.
• An authorized recipient, with the identification materials the RMV requires.
• A permitted user under the federal Driver Privacy Protection Act (DPPA).

The RMV’s mail form also includes a requestor type for a property owner who suffered property damage. It is important to use the request path and form section that match the requestor type rather than assuming every route is available to every requester. Request for Copy of Police Motorcycle accident Report form

The Motorcycle accident Program is for DPPA-permitted business users, not the normal route for an individual. It may provide reports with highly restricted information and fields redacted. RMV Motorcycle accident Program

How to request the record from the RMV

Online. An individual involved in the motorcycle accident with a Massachusetts-issued credential should select “Request Motorcycle accident Report” in the Reports section of myRMV. The RMV lists these required online details for an individual: driver’s license or learner’s permit number, first and last name, date of birth, the driver’s Social Security number, email address, and the applicable fee. A Massachusetts registered business uses its federal identification number, plate type, last four VIN digits, and registration number. DPPA permitted users with a Motorcycle accident Account ID use the Motorcycle accident Portal route. RMV request instructions

By mail. The RMV limits mailed police-motorcycle accident-report requests to people without a Massachusetts-issued credential, authorized recipients, and DPPA permitted users without access to the Motorcycle accident Program. Mail the completed official request form, the applicable identification copy, and a $20 check or money order payable to MassDOT to:

Registry of Motor Vehicles
Motorcycle accident Records
P.O. Box 55889
Boston, MA 02205

A mailed request needs a photocopy of the requestor’s license or state-issued ID. For an authorized recipient, the RMV requires copies of both the person authorizing release’s identification and the recipient’s identification. The form asks for the motorcycle accident date and city or town, a person’s name and license information, and plate information; give as much of that information as you have so the RMV can search.

Timing, fee, and copy type

The RMV states a $20 non-refundable search fee per report. Its form offers both a standard and a certified police motorcycle accident report at that amount. A certified copy bears the Registrar of Motor Vehicles’ official stamp; the standard copy does not. RMV request form

Wait at least four weeks after the motorcycle accident before submitting the request, then allow about four weeks for RMV processing. If the report is not found, the RMV says it will continue searching its database for the requested report for 90 days from the motorcycle accident date. These are RMV search and processing statements, not a guarantee that a particular investigating agency’s report has reached the RMV. RMV request instructions

If the report is unavailable or held by another agency

First, check the agency named on any motorcycle accident paperwork or incident information. If the motorcycle accident was investigated by a local police department or another government agency and the RMV does not have a processed report, request the record from the RAO for the agency that created or received it. The Secretary of the Commonwealth says the Public Records Division is not a warehouse for other agencies’ records and directs requesters to the RAO of the city, town, or state agency that created or received the records. Massachusetts Public Records Division

A useful written request identifies the report as precisely as possible: motorcycle accident date and location, people or vehicles involved, the investigating agency, and any report number. The Commonwealth’s public-records guide says a request must reasonably describe the sought record and may be made in person or in writing; written requests may be delivered by hand, mail, email, or electronically to the RAO or custodian. A Guide to the Massachusetts Public Records Law

For a motorcycle accident investigated by the Massachusetts State Police, its Public Records Unit accepts requests online, by email, by mail, and sometimes by telephone at the RAO’s discretion. The State Police asks for a reasonable description and preferred electronic format, warns that personally identifiable information may require redaction, and states that after the first four hours of work it may charge up to $25 per hour. Submit a public records request to the Massachusetts State Police

Official resources

• Request a Copy of a Police Motorcycle accident Report — Massachusetts RMV
• Request for Copy of Police Motorcycle accident Report form — Massachusetts RMV
• Report a motorcycle accident — Massachusetts RMV
• Massachusetts State Police public-records requests
• Massachusetts Public Records Division

For general next steps after a motorcycle accident, see What to Do After a Motorcycle accident and the Motorcycle accident Evidence Checklist.

Sources

1. Massachusetts RMV — Request a Copy of a Police Crash Report
2. Massachusetts RMV — Request for Copy of Police Crash Report form
3. Massachusetts RMV — Report a motor vehicle crash
4. Massachusetts General Laws, chapter 90, section 26
5. Massachusetts RMV — Crash Program
6. Secretary of the Commonwealth — Public Records Division
7. Massachusetts State Police — Submit a public records request