Allegany County, New York 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 Allegany County, 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
For most New York truck accident-report copies, start with the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) truck accident-report service. DMV is the state-level repository to use after a police or motorist report has been filed and processed. You can search and buy an available certified report online, ask DMV to search through its Records Request Navigator, or mail form MV-198C.
That route is not a guarantee that every local agency’s report will appear immediately. If a city, county, sheriff, campus, tribal, or other agency investigated, identify that agency and ask it directly for the report or its local procedure. New York State Police specifically says reports from agencies other than State Police may not be submitted electronically and directs motorists to contact the investigating police agency when needed. 1
There is one important state-agency exception: for a truck accident investigated by State Police Troop T on the New York State Thruway system, request the report from the New York State Thruway Authority, not DMV. 2
Immediate checklist
- Write down the truck accident date, county, road or landmark, and the investigating agency or precinct. Keep any exchange-of-information sheet or report number.
- Try DMV’s online truck accident-report portal once the report should be available. DMV lets an authorized requester search using items such as a DMV case number, local police code, date and county, VIN, plate number, or driver-license number. 3
- If the online search does not fit the report, use DMV’s Records Request Navigator or mail MV-198C. Low-damage, no-injury reports and reports involving e-bikes or e-scooters are not available through the instant online sale transaction, but DMV says they can be requested through the Navigator or by mail. 4
- If another police agency investigated, call or visit that agency rather than assuming the state portal is the only location. DMV gives that as a direct way to ask whether the report is available and what the agency charges. 5
- For Troop T truck accidents on the Thruway system, use the Thruway Authority request form and process. 2
For other evidence to preserve while records are being processed, see the car-accident evidence checklist.
Who reports what in New York
A request for a copy is different from filing a required truck accident report. The following distinctions are limited to the police and DMV procedures stated in the official sources.
| Item | What the official New York sources say | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Notify police | If a person is injured or killed, a driver must immediately notify police. For damage to a parked vehicle or other property, or injury to a domestic animal, DMV says to locate the owner or contact police. 6 | This is a scene-reporting duty, not a method for ordering a copy later. |
| Investigating officer’s report | The police accident report is commonly called MV-104A. State Police says police reports are submitted to DMV, but reports from agencies other than State Police may or may not be submitted electronically. 1 | Ask the investigating agency about its own copy process if DMV cannot locate or sell the report. Do not file MV-104A yourself. |
| Driver/motorist report to DMV | Under Vehicle and Traffic Law § 605, a motor-vehicle operator must make a written report to the DMV commissioner within 10 days when a person is killed or injured, or when damage to the property of any one person exceeds $1,000. DMV uses form MV-104 for this motorist report. 7 8 | File the driver report online through DMV’s motorist portal or mail MV-104 as DMV directs. An officer’s report does not replace a driver’s own duty where the DMV says filing is required. 6 |
The DMV and State Police sources used here do not set an insurer-notice deadline, a public-entity notice procedure, or a lawsuit deadline. Those topics are not part of the state truck accident-report copy request, so this page does not supply a deadline or calculate one.
How to request the record from DMV
1. Instant online purchase
DMV’s Truck accident Report Sales Portal can be used to search, purchase, and immediately download a certified PDF when the report is available. DMV says you must certify that you are legally authorized to obtain the report. The stated charge is $7 for the search plus $15 for the report, for each report. Purchased reports remain accessible in the portal for seven calendar days. 3
For a search, start with at least one of DMV’s listed identifiers: an eight-digit DMV case number, local police code, truck accident date, truck accident county, a vehicle VIN or plate number, or a driver-license number. DMV notes that some fields require another piece of information to continue the search. 3
2. DMV Records Request Navigator
If you prefer DMV to perform the search, or the instant portal does not cover the report type, the Records Request Navigator is another online option. DMV requires the truck accident date and county, plus a plate number, involved person’s driver-license number, or that person’s name and date of birth. The stated cost is a $10 search fee plus a $15 report fee per report. If DMV cannot find the truck accident from the information supplied, it says it will notify the requester by certified letter. 9
3. Mail form MV-198C
For a mail request, complete Request for Copy of Truck accident Report (MV-198C), provide as much truck accident information as possible, attach a copy of valid government-issued identification, select the applicable Driver’s Privacy Protection Act permissible use, and sign the form. The form states a $15 fee for each report plus one $10 non-refundable search fee. Mail the form, ID, and payment to NYSDMV, MV-198C Processing, 6 Empire State Plaza, Albany, NY 12228. 10
The form permits electronic delivery from a secure portal or USPS mail. It also states that the two online methods are available and directs requesters to allow up to five business days for processing. 10
When the report may not be ready
DMV lists availability timelines based on the filing method: at least 14 days after an electronically filed police report in New York City’s five boroughs, at least 30 days after a paper police report, and at least 60 days after a motorist report filed anywhere in New York State. These are report-entry timelines, not a promise that every report will be available on a particular day. 11
For State Police reports on roads other than the Thruway, State Police says reports are generally available within 30 days but may take from three to six weeks because of processing variables. 12
DMV says it keeps truck accident reports for four years from the truck accident date, except for rare circumstances described in Vehicle and Traffic Law § 201(i). If the truck accident is older, ask DMV what record route, if any, remains available rather than assuming an online purchase will work. 13
If the report is held elsewhere or cannot be found
Start with the agency named on your truck accident paperwork. For a local police department, sheriff, campus police department, tribal police agency, or another agency, contact the actual investigating agency and ask whether it has the report, its report number, its fee, and its release method. DMV expressly directs people to call or visit the local police agency or precinct, and State Police gives the same fallback for another agency’s MV-104A. 5 1
For a Troop T investigation on the Thruway system, the Thruway Authority form TA-W4310 requires the requestor to state a listed purpose, such as being named in the report or being a party or potential party to related civil action. It requests truck accident details including date, location, county, police report or complaint number, and driver names. The Authority states a $15 non-refundable search fee, accepts mail or email submission as described on the form, and asks requesters to allow four weeks for processing. 14
Official resources
- New York DMV: order and access truck accident reports
- New York DMV: file a motorist truck accident report
- MV-198C request for copy of truck accident report
- New York State Police: get a copy of an accident report
- New York State Thruway Authority request form TA-W4310
- New York Vehicle and Traffic Law § 605
For broader next-step information, visit the AccidentFiling.ai guides and resources.
What changes when a truck is involved
Use this version when the involved vehicle is a truck. Record whether it was privately used or operated by a business or motor carrier; a pickup used personally is not automatically subject to federal motor-carrier requirements.
If a commercial motor carrier was involved, preserve the carrier name, USDOT or operating-authority number if available, truck and trailer identifiers, cargo information, employer or dispatch contact, and the driver’s insurance information. Commercial coverage and federal filing requirements vary by carrier, authority, cargo, and vehicle type.
- Photograph carrier names, USDOT numbers, unit numbers, plates, trailers, and cargo placards when safe.
- Use the crash-state agency procedure below for the police or state report.
- Use FMCSA carrier and insurance resources only when a covered motor carrier is involved.
Browse the Truck Accident Guides collection for related pages.
Accident-type official sources
- Insurance Filing Requirements — Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration
- Company Safety Records — Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration
Sources
- New York State Police, “Get a Copy of an Accident Report.”
- New York State Department of Motor Vehicles, “Order and Access Motor Vehicle Crash (Accident) Reports.”
- New York State Department of Motor Vehicles, “File a Motorist Crash (Accident) Report.”
- New York State Department of Motor Vehicles, MV-198C, “Request for Copy of Crash Report.”
- New York State Department of Motor Vehicles, MV-104, “Report of Motor Vehicle Crash.”
- New York State Senate, Vehicle and Traffic Law § 605, “Report Required Upon Accident.”
- New York State Thruway Authority, TA-W4310, “Request for Copy of Police Accident Report.”
- New York State Department of Motor Vehicles, “Records.”