Guide
How long do you have to report an accident? Every deadline we have read
It depends on who you are telling. Police: immediately, in all 10 state rules we have read. The state, in writing: from 24 hours in Hawaii (HRS 287-4) to 30 days in Missouri (RSMo 303.040), and 10 days is the most common. Your insurer: your policy sets the time.
| To police | Immediately, by the quickest means of communication (10 state rules read) |
|---|---|
| Shortest written deadline | 24 hours, Hawaii (HRS 287-4) |
| Most common | 10 days: Alaska, California, Florida, Kentucky, Nevada and New York |
| Longest | 30 days, Missouri (RSMo 303.040) |
| States with no written driver report | 8 |
| To your insurer | Set by your policy |
Why are there three answers to this question?
Because three different people may be waiting to hear from you, and each keeps its own clock.
- Police. When a crash is serious enough that police must be told, the rule uses the same word in every state we have read: immediately.
- The state. Where a driver files a written report, the deadline is counted in hours or days from the crash.
- Your insurer. The time to tell your own insurance company is written in your policy. No state table can answer it.
Most confusion comes from mixing the three. Ten days to mail a form to the DMV does not mean ten days to call the police about an injury.
How long do you have to file a written report with the state?
From one day to one month, depending on the state. Ten days is the most common: Alaska, California, Florida, Kentucky, Nevada and New York all use it.
| State | Deadline | Goes to | Rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hawaii | 24 hours | County chief of police | HRS 287-4 |
| Oregon | 72 hours | DMV | Oregon DMV collision reporting page |
| Washington | 4 days | State Patrol | RCW 46.52.030 and the Washington State Patrol |
| Massachusetts | 5 days | Registry of Motor Vehicles | M.G.L. c. 90 s. 26 |
| Alaska | 10 days | DMV | AS 28.35.080(b), as quoted by the Alaska Department of Transportation |
| California | 10 days | DMV | California DMV accident reporting page and form SR 1 |
| Florida | 10 days | FLHSMV | Section 316.066(1)(e), Florida Statutes, and the FLHSMV crash reports page |
| Kentucky | 10 days | State Police | KRS 189.635(5)(a) and the Kentucky State Police page |
| Nevada | 10 days | DMV | NRS 484E.070 and the Nevada DMV |
| New York | 10 days | DMV | Vehicle and Traffic Law 605 |
| New Hampshire | 15 days | DMV | RSA 264:25 |
| South Carolina | 15 days | DMV | S.C. Code 56-5-1270, as printed on form FR-309 |
| Rhode Island | 21 days | DMV | R.I. Gen. Laws 31-26-6 |
| Missouri | 30 days in the statute. The Department of Revenue takes the form for up to one year | Department of Revenue | RSMo 303.040 and Form 1140 |
| Ohio | Six months, for the optional report | Bureau of Motor Vehicles | R.C. 4509.06(A) |
| Utah | 10 days after the request | Department of Public Safety | Utah Code 41-6a-402 |
Read on the statute or agency page named in each row, 13 November 2026. Missouri shows two figures because its statute says 30 days and its Department of Revenue takes the form for up to one year. Utah's clock starts only when the department asks. Ohio's report is optional.
When does the clock start?
On the day of the crash, in every rule we have read but one. The wording is plain.
- Florida: "within 10 days after the crash" (section 316.066).
- Hawaii: "at the earliest practical time, and in any event within twenty-four hours after the accident" (HRS 287-4).
- Washington: "within four days after such accident" (RCW 46.52.030).
- Kentucky: "within ten (10) days of occurrence of the accident" (KRS 189.635).
- Oregon: "Within 72 hours of a motor vehicle collision" (Oregon DMV).
The exception is Utah, where a driver reports only if the Department of Public Safety asks, and the 10 days run from the request (Utah Code 41-6a-402).
None of the sections we read says what happens when the last day is a Sunday or a holiday. The builder on this site counts calendar days and stamps the date on your paper. Treat that date as the latest, not the target.
How fast must police be told?
Immediately. Ten of the state rules we have read use nearly the same phrase: the driver must give notice "immediately by the quickest means of communication". What differs is which crashes count.
| State | The crash involves | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| Arizona | Anyone hurt or killed | A.R.S. 28-666 |
| Delaware | Anyone hurt or killed, apparent damage of $2,000 or more on a public highway, or a driver who appears impaired | 21 Del. C. 4203 |
| Florida | Anyone hurt or killed, or apparent damage of at least $2,000 | Section 316.065, Florida Statutes |
| Hawaii | Anyone hurt or killed, or total damage of $3,000 or more | HRS 291C-16 |
| Idaho | Anyone hurt or killed, or damage over $1,500 to one person's property | Idaho Code 49-1305 |
| North Carolina | Any reportable accident | G.S. 20-166.1 |
| South Carolina | Anyone hurt or killed | S.C. Code 56-5-1260 |
| Texas | Anyone hurt or killed, or a vehicle that cannot be normally and safely driven | Transportation Code 550.026 |
| West Virginia | Anyone hurt or killed, or total damage of $1,000 or more | W. Va. Code 17C-4-6 |
| Wyoming | Anyone hurt or killed, or a vehicle too disabled to be driven normally and safely | W.S. 31-5-1105 |
Who you call depends on the place. Arizona, Florida and South Carolina name the local police inside a city, and the sheriff or the nearest highway patrol office outside it. Texas names the sheriff or the nearest office of the Department of Public Safety.
What if you miss the deadline?
Oregon's DMV answers in so many words: "If you are not able to file within the 72 hours, submit it as soon as possible." The other pages we read do not say what to do when you are late. What they do say is what can follow from not reporting at all.
- A suspended license. California's form SR 1, Oregon's DMV page, Nevada's form SR-1, Massachusetts (M.G.L. c. 90 s. 26), Washington (RCW 46.52.035) and New York (Vehicle and Traffic Law 605) all name it. In Washington the suspension lasts until the report is filed.
- A traffic offense. Florida calls it a noncriminal traffic infraction (section 316.066), Utah an infraction (Utah Code 41-6a-402), New York a misdemeanor.
- A presumption about insurance. In South Carolina a report not sent with verified insurance is prima facie evidence that the vehicle was uninsured (S.C. Code 56-5-1270).
The words of each source are in our guide on reporting an accident to the DMV.
What if the driver cannot make the report?
Florida's statute answers this, and it is the only one where we have read the rule so far. Section 316.064 says a report "is not required under this chapter from any person who is physically incapable of making a report during the period of such incapacity." Another occupant who is able must make it. And when the driver cannot make a written report, "the owner of the vehicle involved in the crash shall, within 10 days after the crash, make such report".
How long do you have to tell your insurance company?
Your policy answers this, not the state. The time is written in the policy itself, in the part about what you must do after a crash. We do not read insurance policies, so we give no number of days.
One state rule does put a number on one kind of claim. In New York, a claim against a driver who cannot be identified depends on the crash being "reported within twenty-four hours after the occurrence to a police, peace or judicial officer in the vicinity or to the commissioner" (Insurance Law 5208). The same section adds that a late report does not hurt the claim "if it is shown that it was not reasonably possible to make such a report or that it was made as soon as was reasonably possible."
California's DMV makes the wider point from the other side. Its SR 1 "is required in addition to any other report made to the police, CHP, or your insurance company." Telling one does not tell the others.
Which states set no written deadline?
8 of the states we have read take no written report from drivers, so they set no written deadline: Arizona, Connecticut, Delaware, Idaho, North Carolina, Texas, West Virginia and Wyoming. The immediate notice to police still applies there.
North Carolina keeps one written clock of its own. A driver who hits a parked or unattended vehicle must report it to the owner, and the report "must be made within 48 hours of the accident" (G.S. 20-166.1).
What if something goes wrong?
- You noticed the damage days later. Each rule counts from the crash, not from the day you noticed.
- You were in hospital. Florida's section 316.064, quoted above, excuses a person who is physically incapable for as long as that lasts. We have not read the same rule in another state yet.
- The other driver promised to pay and went quiet. None of the rules we read stops the state's clock for a private deal. Write your record now and check your state's row.
- The crash was in another state. Look up the state where it happened, not the state on your license. Hawaii's section speaks of an accident "within this State", and Missouri's page of accidents that happen in Missouri.
- Your state is not read yet. 27 rows still say Not checked yet, and we state no deadline for them. Ask the state's motor vehicle agency.
How the builder keeps the date in front of you
Pick the state and the day of the crash, and the builder stamps the due date on the paper while you fill it in: DUE and the date, in yellow, on the top corner. It does this for every state whose deadline we have read, and it leaves the stamp off where the state sets none.
Questions about reporting deadlines
How long do you have to report an accident?
It depends on who you are telling. Police must be told immediately in every state rule we have read. A written report to the state is due from 24 hours in Hawaii to 30 days in Missouri, with 10 days the most common. Your insurer's deadline is in your policy.
How long do you have to report a car accident to the police?
Immediately, when the crash is one police must be told about. Ten of the state rules we have read say the driver must give notice immediately by the quickest means of communication. The usual triggers are an injury, a death, or damage above a set amount.
How long do you have to report an accident to the DMV?
Among the states we have read, from 72 hours in Oregon to 30 days in Missouri. Alaska, California, Florida, Nevada and New York give 10 days, Massachusetts 5 days, New Hampshire and South Carolina 15 days, and Rhode Island 21 days.
How long do I have to report an accident to my insurance?
Your policy sets it, not the state. We do not read insurance policies, so we give no number. In New York, a claim against a driver who cannot be identified depends on a report made within 24 hours to police or to the commissioner, under Insurance Law 5208.
Which state has the shortest deadline to report an accident?
Of the states we have read, Hawaii. HRS 287-4 says the driver must report at the earliest practical time, and in any event within twenty-four hours after the accident. Oregon is next at 72 hours.
What happens if I report an accident late?
Oregon's DMV says that if you cannot file within the 72 hours, you should submit the report as soon as possible. Not reporting at all can lead to a suspended license in California, Oregon, Massachusetts, Washington and New York, and to a traffic infraction in Florida and Utah.
Is there a deadline to report a car accident in Texas?
Not a written one. Texas has taken no driver's crash report since September 1, 2017. The duty that remains is immediate: tell police at once when anyone is hurt or killed, or a vehicle cannot be normally and safely driven (Transportation Code 550.026).
Do weekends and holidays count toward the deadline?
None of the sections we read says what happens when the last day falls on a weekend or a holiday. The builder on this site counts calendar days from the crash date. Send the report early.
Related pages
- Driver crash report rules by stateThe full row for each state: the trigger, the deadline, the form, the address and the source.
- Free car accident report formThe builder, which stamps the due date on your paper.
- Report an accident to the DMVWhich agency takes the report in each state, and each source's words on not reporting.
- Report a hit and runThe one crash where the first call is always to police.
- Florida: the self report form10 days, form HSMV 90011S, and who files when the driver cannot.
- Texas: the blue form is goneNo written deadline since 2017, and what is still immediate.
Facts on this page were last checked on . This page is not legal advice. Not a government website.