Adams, New York: Motorcycle Accident Reporting Requirements: Police, Driver, and Motor Vehicle Reports

Adams, New York local guide: This city page applies the state and national guidance and official resources below to people looking for accident information in Adams, New York. 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 New York, a driver involved in a motorcycle accident causing a death, an injury, or more than $1,000 in property damage to any one person generally must file a Report of Motorcycle accident (MV-104) with the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) within 10 days. If someone is injured or killed, police must be notified immediately. A police report does not replace the driver’s DMV report: police and motorists have separate roles. Vehicle and Traffic Law § 605 and the DMV filing page provide the core rule.

A motorcycle accident may therefore create a police accident report, one or more driver MV-104 reports, and separate insurance notices. They are different records for different purposes.

Immediate checklist

Stop and exchange information. For property damage, give the person sustaining damage your identifying, license, and insurance information. If that person is absent, report the incident to the nearest police station or judicial officer as soon as physically able. Vehicle and Traffic Law § 600
Notify police immediately if someone was injured or killed. If a parked vehicle or other property was damaged, try to locate the owner or contact police. DMV instructions
Keep key details: motorcycle accident date, time, location and county; names; plate, license and insurance information; investigating agency; and any police report or DMV case number.
Submit MV-104 if the motorcycle accident is reportable. It must be signed; the form says an unsigned report is not complete and filed. MV-104
Notify your insurer under your policy. That is separate from the DMV report. DFS guidance

Who reports what?

Record or step	Who handles it	What it means
Police notification	Driver/operator in the circumstances above	Injury or death calls for immediate police notification.
Police Accident Report (commonly MV-104A)	Investigating police or judicial officer when statutory conditions apply	The agency’s investigation and report to DMV; not a motorist’s filing.
Motorist Report of Motorcycle accident (MV-104)	Vehicle operator; Section 605 provides contingencies when the operator cannot report	The driver’s report to DMV for a reportable motorcycle accident.
State-vehicle paperwork	New York State vehicle operator	Operator completes MV-104 and gives a copy to the agency fleet or accident coordinator; OGS says it does not file it for the driver.
Insurance or No-Fault notice	Depends on policy and claim	Starts an insurance process; it is not a police or DMV report.

Driver MV-104 versus a police report

Section 605 is the driver-report rule: in the stated death, injury, or more-than-$1,000 property-damage circumstances, the operator reports in writing to DMV within 10 days. DMV offers the Online Motorist Motorcycle accident Report portal with an NY.gov ID or mailing the original signed MV-104 to the Motorcycle accident Records Center address on page 2. The form is only for motorcycle accidents in New York.

A police report documents an agency investigation. Under Section 603, a police or judicial officer receiving a report of an injury motorcycle accident must investigate or cause an investigation and report it to DMV, provided the motorcycle accident was reported to that officer within five days. Section 603 also has a separate rule for certain commercial-vehicle motorcycle accidents. Police involvement therefore does not automatically remove the driver’s separate MV-104 duty. Keep the exchange sheet or report number provided at the scene and confirm whether MV-104 is also required.

For a New York State vehicle, the Office of General Services says the operator must complete and sign MV-104, provide a copy to the agency coordinator, and submit the DMV report within 10 days when the general death, injury, or over-$1,000 condition applies. OGS does not file the report for the driver.

How to find or request a report

Begin with the investigating agency. DMV tells requesters to call or visit the local police agency or precinct where the motorcycle accident occurred to ask if its report is available and what it charges. The statewide DMV process covers police and motorist reports filed and processed by DMV; it is not a promise that every agency record is immediately searchable. DMV copy guidance

For a record in DMV’s system, the Motorcycle accident Report Sales Portal allows a legally authorized requester to search, purchase, and download a certified report. DMV lists these potential search identifiers: DMV case number, local police code, motorcycle accident date, county, VIN, plate number, and driver-license number; some searches require more than one detail. The stated online cost is $7 search fee plus $15 per report. DMV ordering instructions

DMV lists minimum system-entry times of at least 14 days for electronically filed police reports in New York City’s five boroughs, 30 days for paper police reports, and 60 days for motorist reports. Those are processing milestones, not a promise that a particular report will be available on a particular day.

Use the Records Request Navigator or mail MV-198C when the instant portal is not appropriate. The alternative route requires the motorcycle accident date, county, and one additional listed identifier; the stated cost is $10 search fee plus $15 per report. A mailed MV-198C requires valid government-issued ID and a permissible-use certification under the Driver’s Privacy Protection Act. Reports without an injury or over-$1,000 property damage, and e-bike/e-scooter reports, are excluded from the instant sales search; DMV directs requesters to the Navigator or MV-198C.

Documents and identifiers to gather

For filing or a record request, gather the motorcycle accident date and county, location, involved names, license and plate numbers, VINs if available, insurance and registration information, the investigating-agency name, and any report or case number. For a mailed copy request, use the MV-198C instructions for the required ID, payment, and certification. For an MV-104, use the official form instructions for motorcycle accident, vehicle, occupant, injury, and signature fields.

If the report is unavailable or held elsewhere

Check the agency named on an exchange sheet, citation, or scene document. For a local police department, sheriff, campus police, tribal law-enforcement agency, or another non-State-Police agency, the official fallback is to contact the investigating agency directly. State Police says reports from other police departments may or may not be electronically submitted to DMV. State Police report-copy guidance

There is an important exception for some State Police reports: for a Troop T motorcycle accident on the listed New York State Thruway segments and subsidiary arterials, State Police directs requests to the Thruway Authority, rather than DMV. For other State Police roads, it directs requesters to DMV. DMV also says it retains motorcycle accident reports for only four years from the motorcycle accident date, subject to rare statutory instances. DMV records overview

If DMV cannot find a requested report through the Navigator, it says it will notify the requester by certified letter. That does not establish that the investigating agency has no record; follow up directly with that agency.

Insurance, public-entity notices, and lawsuits are different steps

Reporting to an insurer does not complete MV-104. DFS says an injured person seeking New York No-Fault benefits should give the applicable insurer written notice as soon as reasonably practicable and generally within 30 calendar days after the motorcycle accident, unless there is written proof of a clear and reasonable justification for late filing. This is an insurance notice, not a police or DMV report. DFS No-Fault FAQ

A motorcycle accident report is also not a public-entity notice of claim or a lawsuit filing. For claims involving the State of New York or certain State-related entities, the Court of Claims describes a separate process. Its FAQ states a 90-day serve-and-file rule for specified negligence personal-injury or property-damage claims and describes a Notice of Intention procedure. The court has no jurisdiction over city, county, or town governments. These are court procedures, not motorcycle accident-report rules; the entity and claim facts matter. Court of Claims FAQ

Official resources

For practical next steps, see AccidentFiling.ai’s what-to-do guide and car-accident evidence checklist.

What changes when a motorcycle is involved

Use this version when a motorcycle is involved. The police or state report procedure below remains controlled by jurisdiction and crash facts, but the evidence and insurance file should identify the motorcycle, riding equipment, rider and passenger roles, and motorcycle-specific damage.

Motorcycle insurance is written for motorcycle risks. Required and optional coverage, claim handling, and proof-of-insurance rules vary by state and policy.

Preserve motorcycle VIN, plate, tow or storage location, and photographs from multiple angles.
Keep damaged helmet and protective-gear information with the event records when relevant.
Use the state insurance department for current coverage questions or complaints.

Browse the Motorcycle Accident Guides collection for related pages.

Accident-type official sources

Motorcycles — National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
State Insurance Departments — National Association of Insurance Commissioners