How to Get a State-Level Lyft Accident Report in Massachusetts

Short answer

For a police Lyft 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 Lyft 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 Lyft 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 Lyft 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 Lyft accident and save any incident or case number you were given.
2. Wait at least four weeks after the Lyft accident before sending an RMV Lyft accident-report request.
3. Gather the Lyft 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 Lyft 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 Lyft 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 Lyft 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 Lyft accident Program likewise says its reports are limited to Lyft accident reports filed by Massachusetts state law enforcement or local Massachusetts police agencies. RMV Lyft accident Program

Massachusetts General Laws chapter 90, section 26 requires a person operating a motor vehicle involved in a Lyft 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 Lyft 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 Lyft accident Operator Report to three places: the local police department or State Police in the city or town where the Lyft 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 Lyft accident report, and a request for a copy does not complete the operator report. Report a Lyft accident — RMV

Who may request an RMV police Lyft accident report

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

• An individual involved in the Lyft 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 Lyft 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 Lyft accident Report form

The Lyft 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 Lyft accident Program

How to request the record from the RMV

Online. An individual involved in the Lyft accident with a Massachusetts-issued credential should select “Request Lyft 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 Lyft accident Account ID use the Lyft accident Portal route. RMV request instructions

By mail. The RMV limits mailed police-Lyft accident-report requests to people without a Massachusetts-issued credential, authorized recipients, and DPPA permitted users without access to the Lyft 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
Lyft 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 Lyft 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 Lyft 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 Lyft 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 Lyft 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 Lyft accident paperwork or incident information. If the Lyft 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: Lyft 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 Lyft 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 Lyft accident Report — Massachusetts RMV
• Request for Copy of Police Lyft accident Report form — Massachusetts RMV
• Report a Lyft accident — Massachusetts RMV
• Massachusetts State Police public-records requests
• Massachusetts Public Records Division

For general next steps after a Lyft accident, see What to Do After a Lyft accident and the Lyft 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