How to Get a State-Level Crash Report in Oregon

Short answer

For a police traffic crash report that was filed with the state, start with Oregon DMV Records Services. Oregon DMV lists a “Police Traffic Crash Report” as a copy of the police report on the accident and charges $8.50, including when no record is found. The DMV’s mail order form describes it as a photocopy of a police traffic crash report filed with DMV. Oregon DMV: Available DMV Records & Fees | DMV Form 735-7266, Order Your Own Record

This is not the same as the Oregon Traffic Collision and Insurance Report a driver submits to DMV. DMV says it cannot give a filer a copy of that driver-filed report under ORS 802.220(5), so keep the copy you download or make before filing. Oregon DMV: Collision Reporting and Responsibilities

Immediate checklist

Identify the investigating agency. Look for the agency name, incident number, officer name, and crash date on any paperwork you received.
Try DMV Records Services for the state-filed police traffic crash report. Use the DMV’s mail form, select PA — Police Traffic Crash Report, give the crash date, and include the required payment. The form gives the mailing address: DMV Records Services, 1905 Lana Ave NE, Salem, OR 97314. DMV Form 735-7266
Keep a copy of your own DMV collision filing. A driver who files online should download or print it; a paper filer should make a copy before submitting it. DMV says it cannot later provide the filer’s copy. DMV collision-report instructions
If the state record is not found, ask the agency that investigated the crash for its record. That may be a city police department, county sheriff, campus police department, tribal agency, or another law-enforcement agency. Request the record directly from that agency’s records or public-records process.

Who reports what after an Oregon crash

Several separate reports and notices can apply. One does not automatically replace another.

Calling or notifying police

Oregon DMV says a driver involved in a collision that meets DMV’s reporting requirements must immediately notify police and should use a non-emergency police phone number. Its listed reporting triggers are an injury or death; more than $2,500 damage to the driver’s vehicle; more than $2,500 damage to any vehicle and a vehicle is towed from the scene; or more than $2,500 damage to property other than an involved vehicle. DMV collision-report instructions

Calling or notifying police does not mean an officer will prepare a report. Oregon’s insurance regulator also notes that, depending on the circumstances, an officer may not come to the scene. Oregon Division of Financial Regulation: What to do if you are in an accident

The investigating officer’s report

When an officer investigates a vehicle accident that is required to be reported, or prepares a crash report from the scene or field interviews, the officer must submit the report to the Oregon Department of Transportation within 10 days of the investigation or preparation. ORS 810.460

That is an officer-submission rule, not an official promise that a copy will be available to a requester within 10 days. Oregon DMV does not state a public waiting period for obtaining a police traffic crash report.

The driver’s Oregon DMV collision report

A driver must submit an Oregon Traffic Collision and Insurance Report to DMV within 72 hours when any of DMV’s listed injury, death, damage, or tow thresholds applies. DMV expressly says the driver still must file even if law enforcement filed a report. If filing within 72 hours is not possible, DMV says to submit it as soon as possible. DMV collision-report instructions

The report can be submitted online through DMV2U by an involved driver who has an Oregon license, permit, or ID. Otherwise, DMV describes paper submission by mail, fax, or at a DMV office. This is a driver/self-report, not a request for a police report. DMV collision-report instructions

Notice to an insurer

Oregon’s Division of Financial Regulation advises contacting the insurance company as soon as possible because most policies require prompt claim notification. That notice is separate from notifying police and from the DMV collision report. Oregon Division of Financial Regulation guidance

How to request the state-held police report

Use DMV Form 735-7266, titled Order Your Own Record, to order by mail from DMV Headquarters. In the “Type of Record Requested” section, select PA — Police Traffic Crash Report and enter the crash date. The form says to include a check or money order payable to “Oregon DMV.” It lists the price as $8.50 and says the fee covers the record search whether or not the record is found.

The form says records ordered this way are mailed to the address on DMV’s record unless another mailing address is provided. It also has a field for a fax number if you want the record returned by fax, and states that records cannot be emailed. DMV Records Services lists questions at 503-945-5475 and DMVRequestforInfo@odot.oregon.gov. DMV Form 735-7266

Who may request it

Oregon DMV says that anyone ordering DMV records must qualify to receive the information under ORS 802.175 through 802.191; DMV will deny a request that does not qualify and return the payment. The DMV pages reviewed do not give a separate, plain-language eligibility list specifically for the police traffic crash report, so do not assume every requester will receive every field or record. Available DMV Records & Fees | ORS chapter 802

There is a narrower option for information from a driver-filed collision report. Oregon law says DMV must disclose the owner, driver, occupant, vehicle-registration, insurer, and witness information to a party involved, that party’s personal representative, or a family member; DMV lists a $12.50 certified letter for that information. It is not a copy of the driver’s collision report. ORS 802.220 | Available DMV Records & Fees

Information and documents to gather

Before completing DMV’s request form, gather the fields it asks for: your name, mailing address, telephone number, email address, Oregon driver license/ID/customer number, date of birth, mother’s maiden name, and place of birth. The form also has plate-number and VIN fields. For the police traffic crash report, it specifically asks for the crash date. Include enough correct identifying information to help DMV verify your identity and search its records. DMV Form 735-7266

Keep any agency report number, the investigating agency’s name, the location, and vehicle details with your records. These details can be useful if you must request the report from the agency that created it, even though DMV’s listed mail form specifically calls for the crash date.

If DMV does not have the report or another agency holds it

A DMV police traffic crash report is only a photocopy of a report filed with DMV. It should not be treated as a guarantee that DMV holds every narrative, supplemental document, or local agency record. If the agency that investigated the crash was local, campus-based, tribal, or otherwise different from the state source, contact that agency’s records unit and ask for its crash or incident report through its own procedure.

Oregon Department of Justice guidance says the public-records law applies to state and local public bodies, including counties and cities, and that a request must be made to the agency or official that has or controls the record. That is the correct general route when the record is held outside DMV. Oregon DOJ: Public Records and Meetings Law

Do not use the Oregon State Police public-records request as a substitute for a DMV crash-report request. Oregon State Police directs people seeking police traffic crash reports or insurance information to DMV. OSP’s request form is appropriate for an OSP-investigated incident record and asks for details such as the case number, incident date, location, involved people, and vehicles; its page says requests can take up to 30 days and may be redacted or withheld under governing law. Oregon State Police public-records instructions | OSP online records request form

Official resources

For related preparation steps, see the AccidentFiling.ai guides and the car-accident evidence checklist.