Guide
Report an accident to the DMV: which states ask, on which form, by when
It depends on the state. Of the 24 states we have read at the source, 11 send a driver's written report to the agency that licenses drivers, such as California (form SR 1, within 10 days) and Oregon (within 72 hours). 3 send it to police, 8 take no driver report, Utah asks only on request and Ohio makes it optional.
| States read at the source | 24 of 51 |
|---|---|
| Report goes to the motor vehicle agency | 11 states |
| Report goes to police | 3 states: Hawaii, Kentucky and Washington |
| No driver report | 8 states |
| Shortest deadline at a DMV | 72 hours, Oregon |
| Longest | 30 days, Missouri |
| Required on top of a police report | California and Oregon |
Do you have to report an accident to the DMV?
In some states, yes. In others the report goes to the state police, and in some no driver files anything.
We have read the rule for 24 states on the state's own statute or agency page. In 11 of them a driver's written report goes to the agency that licenses drivers, whatever that state calls it. In 3 it goes to police: Hawaii, Kentucky and Washington. 8 take no report from drivers. Utah asks only if its Department of Public Safety requests one, and Ohio's report to its Bureau of Motor Vehicles is optional.
The report is never automatic. Each state sets a trigger: someone hurt or killed, or damage above a set amount. Several add a third test, that no officer investigated. Below the line, the DMV wants nothing from you.
Which agency takes the driver's report in each state?
The name on the door changes from state to state. Florida's is the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, Massachusetts has a Registry, and in Missouri the job sits inside the Department of Revenue. The table gives each agency its own name.
| State | Who takes the driver's report | Is that the DMV? | Form | Deadline |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alaska | Division of Motor Vehicles | Yes | DPS Form 12-209, Accident Self-Report | 10 days |
| California | Department of Motor Vehicles | Yes | SR 1, Report of Traffic Accident Occurring in California (REV. 6/2025) | 10 days |
| Florida | Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles | Yes, under a longer name | HSMV 90011S, Driver Report of Traffic Crash (Self Report), rev 11/2019 | 10 days |
| Hawaii | The county chief of police | No. Police | Set by each county chief of police. Not yet checked by us | 24 hours |
| Kentucky | Kentucky State Police | No. State police | Civilian Collision Report | 10 days |
| Massachusetts | Registry of Motor Vehicles, with a copy to the police and to your insurer | Yes. Massachusetts calls it the Registry | Motor Vehicle Crash Operator Report | 5 days |
| Missouri | Department of Revenue, Driver License Bureau | Yes in effect. That bureau handles driver licenses | Form 1140, Motor Vehicle Accident Report (REV. 6-2006) | 30 days in the statute. The Department of Revenue takes the form for up to one year |
| Nevada | Department of Motor Vehicles | Yes | SR-1 | 10 days |
| New Hampshire | Division of Motor Vehicles | Yes | In the form the director prescribes. Not yet checked by us | 15 days |
| New York | Department of Motor Vehicles, Crash Records Center | Yes | MV-104, Report of Motor Vehicle Crash (5/25) | 10 days |
| Oregon | Oregon DMV, Crash Reporting Unit | Yes | Form 735-32, Oregon Traffic Collision and Insurance Report | 72 hours |
| Rhode Island | Division of Motor Vehicles | Yes | Motorist accident report form. Not yet checked by us | 21 days |
| South Carolina | Department of Motor Vehicles, Financial Responsibility | Yes | FR-309, Traffic Collision Report (Est. 7/05) | 15 days |
| Washington | Washington State Patrol | No. State patrol | Motor Vehicle Collision Report | 4 days |
Each row was read on the statute or agency page named in the rules table, on 13 November 2026. The crashes that trigger each report are in that table.
Why does the DMV want a crash report at all?
Mostly to check insurance. An officer's report records the crash. A driver's report to the DMV, in the states that have one, is tied to the laws on proof of insurance, and the forms and statutes say so.
- Oregon puts it in the name of the form: the Oregon Traffic Collision and Insurance Report.
- South Carolina sends form FR-309 to the Financial Responsibility office of its DMV. Section 56-5-1270 treats a report that is not sent with verified liability insurance as prima facie evidence that the vehicle was uninsured.
- Missouri asks for a report only when someone in the crash had no insurance (RSMo 303.040 and the Department of Revenue's page).
- Ohio's optional form is called the Uninsured Accident Report, BMV 3303 (R.C. 4509.06).
- Nevada's SR-1 says that not sending the report after the DMV asks for it "may result in the suspension of your driving privilege for up to one year".
States with no driver report still check insurance, by another road. Arizona's Department of Transportation can send the owner an insurance notice. If the owner does not answer within 30 days, a suspension notice follows, and the license and registration are suspended 15 days after that notice is mailed (A.R.S. 28-4144). In Texas the Department of Public Safety runs its own process under Transportation Code 601.152.
What happens if you do not report to the DMV?
It depends on the state, and the range is wide: from a traffic infraction to a suspended license. These are the consequences we have read at the source.
| State | What the source says | Read on |
|---|---|---|
| California | "Untimely reporting could result in DMV suspending a driver license." | Form SR 1 (REV. 6/2025) |
| Nevada | Not sending the report after the DMV asks for it "may result in the suspension of your driving privilege for up to one year" | Form SR-1 |
| New York | Failing to report is a misdemeanor and a ground to suspend or revoke the license or the registration. The DMV may suspend either until the report is filed | Vehicle and Traffic Law 605 |
| Oregon | "If you do not file a report, Oregon law requires DMV to issue a suspension notice." | Oregon DMV collision reporting page |
| Massachusetts | "The registrar may revoke or suspend the license of any person violating any provision of this section." | M.G.L. c. 90 s. 26 |
| Washington | The director of the Department of Licensing may suspend the license until the report is filed | RCW 46.52.035 |
| Florida | A noncriminal traffic infraction, punished as a nonmoving violation | Section 316.066(3)(a), Florida Statutes |
| Utah | "A violation of this section is an infraction." | Utah Code 41-6a-402(9) |
| Missouri | The form warns that not giving the insurance details "may result in suspension action" | Form 1140 |
We have not read a penalty for the other states, so we state none.
Is a DMV report the same as a police report?
No. A police report is written by an officer. A DMV report is written by you. Both can exist for one crash, and two states say so plainly.
- California: "An SR-1 report is required in addition to any other report made to the police, CHP, or your insurance company."
- Oregon: "You still need to file a report with the DMV even if a report is filed by law enforcement."
Other states let the officer's report stand in for yours. Alaska, Kentucky, Nevada, New Hampshire, South Carolina and Washington ask for the driver's report only when no officer investigated or reported the crash.
If what you need is a copy of the report an officer wrote, that is a different errand. Our sister site getaccidentreport.org shows where each state releases them.
Can you report an accident to the DMV online?
In some states. Alaska goes furthest: its Division of Motor Vehicles says reports must be submitted electronically. California, New York and Oregon take the report online or on paper. Massachusetts, Nevada and South Carolina want paper in the post.
| State | How | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Alaska | Online | Alaska Division of Motor Vehicles, through its online crash report |
| California | Online or mail | California DMV online, or by mail to P.O. Box 942884, Sacramento, CA 94284-0884 |
| Florida | Email or mail | Email SelfReportCrashes@flhsmv.gov, or mail to 2900 Apalachee Pkwy, MS 28, Tallahassee, FL 32399 |
| Kentucky | Online or email | Kentucky State Police, through its online portal or by email to kspciviliancollision@ky.gov |
| Massachusetts | Crash Records, Registry of Motor Vehicles, P.O. Box 55889, Boston, MA 02205-5889, with a copy to the police and to your insurer | |
| Missouri | Mail or fax | Driver License Bureau, P.O. Box 200, Jefferson City, MO 65105-0200, or fax (573) 526-7365 |
| Nevada | Nevada DMV, 555 Wright Way, Carson City, NV 89711 | |
| New York | Online or mail | Crash Records Center, 6 Empire State Plaza, PO Box 2925, Albany, NY 12220-0925, or the DMV online crash report |
| Oregon | Online, mail or fax | Oregon DMV online, or DMV Crash Reporting Unit, 1905 Lana Ave NE, Salem, OR 97314, or fax 503-945-5267 |
| South Carolina | SC Department of Motor Vehicles, Financial Responsibility, P.O. Box 1498, Blythewood, SC 29016-0040 | |
| Washington | Online, mail or email | Washington State Patrol online, or Collision Records Section, P.O. Box 42628, Olympia, WA 98504-2628, or collisionrecords@wsp.wa.gov |
Online or on paper, the facts asked for are the same. Have them written down before you start.
Which states take no report from drivers?
8 of the states we have read: Arizona, Connecticut, Delaware, Idaho, North Carolina, Texas, West Virginia and Wyoming. In these states the written report belongs to the officer. Your duty is to tell police at once when the state's rule says so, and our guide on how long you have to report an accident lists those rules.
Texas is the best known of them. Its driver form, the CR-2, ended in 2017, and the Texas page explains what a driver does now.
What if something goes wrong?
- You missed the deadline. Oregon's DMV says it 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 late. Ask the agency named in your state's row.
- You sent it to the wrong office. Washington's statute covers that case for its own report: the police chief or sheriff who receives a driver's report must forward the original to the chief of the Washington State Patrol (RCW 46.52.030). Elsewhere, send it again to the right address and keep proof of both.
- The DMV wrote to you first. In Utah that letter is the trigger: a driver reports only if the department asks, within 10 days of the request (Utah Code 41-6a-402). Answer it.
- Your state is not in the table. 27 states are not read yet, and we state no rule for them. Your state's motor vehicle agency is the place to ask.
How the builder helps with a DMV report
For Florida it fills in the state's own form, HSMV 90011S. For every other state it makes a Crash Record: the same facts the state forms ask for, on one page, with a diagram. Copy them onto your state's form, which is linked in the rules table where we have read it, then sign and send the state's form. The Crash Record itself is not a DMV form.
Questions about reporting to the DMV
Do I have to report an accident to the DMV?
It depends on the state. Of the 24 states we have read at the source, 11 send a driver's written report to the agency that licenses drivers, 3 send it to police, and 8 take no driver report at all. Utah asks only on request and Ohio makes it optional. Each state also sets a trigger, such as an injury or damage above a set amount.
How long do I have to report an accident to the DMV?
Among the motor vehicle agencies 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.
Which form do I use to report an accident to the DMV?
Each state names its own. California uses the SR 1, New York the MV-104, Nevada the SR-1, Oregon form 735-32, South Carolina the FR-309, Missouri Form 1140, Massachusetts the Motor Vehicle Crash Operator Report and Florida form HSMV 90011S.
Do I report to the DMV if police already made a report?
In California and Oregon, yes: both say the driver's report is required even when police made one. Alaska, Kentucky, Nevada, New Hampshire, South Carolina and Washington ask for the driver's report only when no officer investigated or reported the crash.
What happens if I do not report an accident to the DMV?
The sources differ by state. California's form says untimely reporting could result in DMV suspending a driver license. Oregon's DMV says the law requires it to issue a suspension notice. New York makes failing to report a misdemeanor under Vehicle and Traffic Law 605.
Can I report an accident to the DMV online?
In some states. Alaska's Division of Motor Vehicles takes the report electronically, and California, New York and Oregon take it online or on paper. Massachusetts, Nevada and South Carolina take it by mail.
Does Texas require a DMV accident report?
No. Texas has taken no driver's crash report since September 1, 2017, when the sections that required one were repealed. A driver must still tell police at once when anyone is hurt or killed or a vehicle cannot be safely driven.
Is a DMV accident report the same as a police report?
No. A police report is written by an officer who investigated. A DMV report is the driver's own written report to the state. California says its SR 1 is required in addition to any report made to the police.
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, with what it makes for each state.
- How long do you have to report an accident?The deadlines side by side, and how fast police must be told.
- Report a hit and runA crash that goes to police first, whatever the DMV asks later.
- Florida: the self report formOne state in full: form HSMV 90011S, 10 days, Tallahassee.
- Texas: the blue form is goneA state that stopped taking driver reports in 2017.
Facts on this page were last checked on . This page is not legal advice. Not a government website.