How to Get a State-Level Crash Report in Abbeville, Louisiana

Short answer

For a crash investigated by Louisiana State Police (LSP), use the official LSP Crash Reports portal or request the report in person at an LSP Troop. This is not a statewide repository for every police report: LSP says its portal contains only crashes worked by Louisiana State Police, not crashes worked by city police or a local sheriff’s office.1

Louisiana crash reports are confidential. Under La. R.S. 32:398, they are available to specified people, including parties to the crash, a minor party’s parent or guardian, an involved party’s insurer or qualifying insurance-support organization, certain health-care providers or agents, succession representatives and their attorneys, and qualifying news-gathering organizations requesting a specific crash record.2 If you were not involved and do not fit one of those categories, do not assume that an online search result gives you a right to receive the report.

For those listed requesters, the statute says the report must be made available upon request within seven working days following completion of the crash investigation.2 That statutory period is measured from completion of the investigation, while LSP’s online-processing guidance uses an approximate 10–15-business-day window after the crash.1

Immediate checklist

1. Identify the investigating agency. Look at any exchange-of-information sheet, incident number, officer’s name, or correspondence you received. The agency that investigated the crash is the starting point for a copy.
2. If LSP investigated, wait for processing. LSP’s request form says to allow approximately 10–15 business days after the crash before requesting a report. Its Traffic Records Unit separately asks requesters to allow 15 working days after the crash before submitting a request.3
3. Gather your search details. Keep the crash report number if you have it. Otherwise, have the involved driver’s correctly spelled first and last name, the crash date, and the parish where it occurred ready.1
4. Use the right route. For an LSP-investigated crash, try the official portal on a desktop or laptop, or go to an LSP Troop. For a city police or sheriff investigation, contact that agency directly rather than continuing to search the LSP portal.1
5. Save the copy and transaction record. Keep the downloaded PDF or agency-issued copy with the receipt and the report number.

For a broader checklist of records to retain, see AccidentFiling.ai’s car-accident evidence checklist.

Who reports what in Louisiana

Louisiana’s crash-report statute separates the driver’s duty to notify police from the investigating agency’s duty to prepare and transmit a report.

Calling or notifying law enforcement

When a crash results in injury or death, or apparent property damage over $500, the driver must immediately give notice to the local police department if the crash happened in an incorporated city or town. Outside an incorporated city or town, the driver must notify the nearest sheriff’s office or state police station.2 The statute has a specific exception for a crash in an area under an evacuation order or declared state of emergency: the listed notice and information-exchange duties must be met within 72 hours.2

The investigating officer’s report

For crashes required to be reported under that statute, state police or the sheriff’s office investigate outside city or town limits, while the municipal police department investigates within those limits.2 The investigating agency must forward a copy of the report or report data to the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (DOTD) within 48 hours after completing its investigation; city investigations have an additional local-police forwarding provision.2

That DOTD data-transmission rule does not turn DOTD into the reader’s verified copy-request route. The same statute says the law-enforcement agency that created the report owns the report, and the LSP portal expressly excludes city-police and sheriff-investigated crashes.1

Separate driver, DMV, insurer, or public-entity reports

The official statute reviewed for this page describes the driver’s immediate notice duty and the law-enforcement investigation and reporting process. It does not describe a separate driver form to file with the Office of Motor Vehicles or DOTD for the crashes covered by this provision.2 It also requires an investigating officer to instruct each involved driver to provide ownership, vehicle-license, and liability-insurance information to people suffering apparent injury or property damage.2

This page does not state a statewide insurer-notice deadline, public-entity notice deadline, or lawsuit deadline because the official crash-report sources cited here do not establish one. Check your insurance policy or the relevant agency’s own instructions for any separate notice process.

How to find and request an LSP report

Request online

Use the official LSP Crash Reports portal. The portal says it accepts report-number requests for crashes on non-toll roads that occurred on or after August 31, 2018.1 It also says reports are generally available 10–15 business days after the crash, or once approved; fulfillment can range from same day to up to a week depending on processing.1

The portal’s FAQ says you need either an 8- or 11-digit crash report number, or the involved driver’s first and last name, parish, and crash date.1 LSP’s services page also describes searches using a case number, driver’s license number, license plate number, or an involved party’s last name.4 The portal says a desktop or laptop is required to purchase reports; it does not support purchases by cell phone.1 LSP lists the report price as $11.50 online. The Traffic Records Unit says online purchases also carry a $2.50 charge plus 2.5%, and lists Visa, Mastercard, American Express, and Discover as accepted cards.3

Request in person at an LSP Troop

LSP says crash reports may be purchased in person at each local Troop Office. Bring or complete the official Crash Report Request Form, which asks for the crash date, location or highway, parish, troop, driver name, and crash report number.5 The form explains that additional vehicle, driver, and insurance fields are optional and are not required to obtain a report.5

For an in-person purchase, LSP’s form states that a certified check, company check, or money order for $16.50 must accompany the request, or payment by credit card is $16.50 plus $2.50 and 2.5%. It says cash and personal checks are not accepted at Troop locations.5 LSP’s Traffic Records page says fatal-crash reports can only be purchased in person at a local Troop.3

Louisiana law permits State Police, local police departments, and sheriffs to charge for copies, with statutory maximums of $5 for a report of no more than two pages and $20 inclusive of service fees and other charges for a report exceeding two pages.2 ## If the report is unavailable or held elsewhere

First, confirm that you are using the agency that investigated the crash. LSP’s portal says that city-police and local-sheriff crashes will not be found there.1 Request the report directly from the city police department or sheriff’s office named on your incident paperwork. Louisiana law says local police departments and sheriffs, as well as State Police, provide copies of crash reports, subject to the statute’s access rules.2

If you cannot locate an LSP report after allowing time for processing and carefully checking the information, the official portal directs users to email LSP.TrafficRecords@la.gov. Questions about report content should go to the responding LSP Troop.1

For a crash handled by a campus, tribal, or another specialized law-enforcement agency, ask that investigating agency for its record-request procedure and whether it maintains the report. ## Documents and identifiers to gather

Before starting an LSP request, collect:

• The crash report or case number, if available;
• The involved driver’s correctly spelled first and last name;
• Crash date and parish;
• Crash location or highway, troop, and driver name for the Troop request form;
• A payment card for an online request, or the payment method LSP identifies for an in-person request; and
• Documentation of your relationship to the crash if the agency asks you to establish that you are among the people allowed to receive the confidential report.15

Preserve your own photos, contact information, repair records, and correspondence. See the what to do after a car accident guide and resources for additional practical information.

Official resources

• Louisiana State Police Crash Reports portal — online LSP report search, timing, identifiers, and support directions.
• Louisiana State Police Traffic Records Unit — LSP processing, purchase, Troop, and fatal-report instructions.
• Louisiana State Police Crash Report Request Form — fields and payment instructions for a Troop request.
• Louisiana Revised Statutes § 32:398 — notice duty, investigation, confidentiality, eligibility, and copies.

Sources