Updated for July 2026
After a car accident in Louisiana, you may need a copy of the official crash report for an insurance claim, an attorney’s investigation, or your own records.
Getting the report is usually straightforward once you know which law enforcement agency investigated the crash. The report may come from the Louisiana State Police, a municipal police department, or a parish sheriff’s office.
This guide explains how to identify the correct agency, request your Louisiana accident report, review it for errors, and understand what to do next.
Quick Summary: How Do You Get a Louisiana Accident Report?
To get your accident report in Louisiana:
- Identify the law enforcement agency that investigated the crash.
- Find the report number or item number provided at the scene.
- Wait until the investigating agency has completed and processed the report.
- Request the report through the agency’s official online portal, records division, or mail-in process.
- Review the report carefully after receiving it.
Louisiana State Police reports may be requested through the official statewide crash-report portal. If a city police department or parish sheriff’s office investigated the crash, you will generally need to request the report directly from that agency.
Who Prepares a Louisiana Accident Report?
The agency responsible for the report generally depends on where the crash occurred and which officers responded.
| Crash location | Agency that may investigate |
|---|---|
| Inside Baton Rouge city limits | Baton Rouge Police Department |
| Inside another city or town | Local municipal police department |
| Outside city or town limits | Parish sheriff’s office or Louisiana State Police |
| Interstate or state highway | Often Louisiana State Police, depending on jurisdiction |
Louisiana law requires drivers to notify the local police department when a qualifying crash occurs inside an incorporated city or town. If it occurs outside municipal limits, notice generally must be given to the nearest sheriff’s office or Louisiana State Police station.
The road where the accident happened does not always tell you which agency prepared the report. A state highway may pass through a city, and several agencies may respond to the same crash.
How to identify the responding agency
Check the paperwork or information the officer gave you at the scene. It may include:
- The agency’s name
- The officer’s name
- A report, incident, or item number
- The officer’s badge number
- Instructions for requesting the report
You can also look at photographs from the accident scene for patrol-car markings or agency names.
If you still cannot identify the agency, call the non-emergency number for the police department or sheriff’s office serving the crash location.
What Information Do You Need to Request the Report?
The exact requirements vary by agency, but it helps to have as much of the following information as possible:
- Report, file, incident, or item number
- Date of the crash
- Approximate time of the crash
- Location of the crash
- Name of at least one driver
- Driver’s license number
- Vehicle license plate number
- Vehicle make and model
- Name of the investigating agency
You may also be asked to verify that you are legally authorized to receive the report.
How to Get a Louisiana State Police Crash Report Online
Louisiana State Police provides access to statewide crash reports and photographs through its official website.
Step 1: Visit the Louisiana State Police website
Go to the official Louisiana State Police website and select the service for Statewide Crash Reports and Photos.
Use the official state website rather than relying on an unfamiliar third-party website found through a search engine.
Step 2: Enter the crash information
Enter the requested identifying information. Depending on the portal, this may include:
- Report number
- Crash date
- Driver’s name
- Crash location
- Vehicle information
Using the report number is generally the fastest way to locate the correct record.
Step 3: Confirm that you found the correct report
Before purchasing or downloading a report, confirm that the available details match your accident.
Check:
- Date
- Location
- Agency
- Driver information
- Number of vehicles
Step 4: Pay the required fee
Fees may depend on the issuing agency, report length, photographs, service charges, and how the report is delivered.
Confirm the current price through the official portal before completing the purchase. Avoid relying on an older article or saved screenshot because agency fees can change.
Step 5: Download and save the report
After downloading the report:
- Save the original PDF
- Create a backup copy
- Avoid editing the original file
- Use a separate copy for notes or highlights
A clear, unaltered copy may be useful if the report later needs to be provided to an insurer or attorney.
How to Get a Baton Rouge Police Accident Report
If the Baton Rouge Police Department investigated the crash, its Traffic Records Division handles requests for traffic crash reports.
BRPD states that reports are generally available 10 working days after the accident.
Reports may be picked up during normal business hours at:
Baton Rouge Police Headquarters
9000 Airline Highway
Baton Rouge, LA 70815
Reports may also be requested by mail. A mail request should include the file or report number.
BRPD currently lists the following fees:
- Initial traffic accident report: $7.50
- Driver or witness statement: $1 per statement
For traffic-report questions, contact the BRPD Traffic Records Division at 225-389-3878. Because fees, office hours, and procedures can change, confirm the current requirements before visiting or mailing a request.
How to Get a Report From Another Police Department
If another municipal police department investigated the accident, contact that department’s records division.
Ask:
- Whether the report is ready
- Whether online ordering is available
- What identification is required
- What information is needed to locate the report
- How much the report costs
- Whether photographs or supplemental reports are available
- Whether the report can be emailed or must be collected in person
Do not assume that every local report will appear in the Louisiana State Police portal.
How to Get a Report From a Parish Sheriff’s Office
If the crash happened outside municipal limits, a parish sheriff’s office may have investigated it.
Contact the sheriff’s office for the parish where the crash occurred and ask for its records division.
Procedures vary by parish. Some offices provide online access, while others require a written request, mail-in request, or in-person pickup.
Be prepared to provide:
- Crash date and location
- Names of the drivers
- Report or item number
- Your identification
- Your relationship to the accident
How Long Does It Take to Get an Accident Report?
There is no single processing time for every Louisiana accident report.
Availability may depend on:
- Which agency investigated the crash
- Whether the investigation is complete
- Whether serious injuries or a death occurred
- Whether additional statements or evidence must be collected
- Whether a supplemental investigation is underway
- The agency’s records-processing schedule
Louisiana law addresses when reports must be made available to legally authorized recipients after an investigation is completed. This does not mean that every report must be available within a set number of days after the crash itself.
For example, BRPD advises that its traffic crash reports are generally available 10 working days after the accident. Other agencies may follow different timelines.
If the report is not available, contact the investigating agency and ask:
- Whether the investigation is complete
- Whether the report has been approved
- Whether you are searching under the correct agency
- Whether you entered the correct report number
- Whether additional documentation is required
How Much Does a Louisiana Accident Report Cost?
The price varies by agency, report length, request method, photographs, and electronic service fees.
Louisiana law permits investigating agencies to charge fees for copies of crash reports and related materials. Electronic service fees may also apply.
Before paying, confirm:
- The cost of the basic report
- Whether driver or witness statements cost extra
- Whether photographs are included
- Whether supplemental reports are included
- Whether an online service fee applies
If an insurance company or attorney has already requested the report, ask whether you still need to purchase a separate copy.
Who Can Request a Louisiana Accident Report?
Louisiana crash reports are not simply open to everyone as ordinary public records.
State law allows reports to be provided to specified people and organizations, which may include:
- Drivers or other parties involved in the crash
- A parent or guardian of a minor involved
- An insurance company
- An attorney representing an involved party
- Certain healthcare providers
- A representative of an involved person’s succession
- Other recipients authorized by law
The requesting agency may require identification or information showing that you are eligible to receive the report.
What Information Is in a Louisiana Accident Report?
The contents vary depending on the accident and investigating agency, but a crash report may include:
- Date, time, and location
- Driver and passenger information
- Vehicle descriptions
- Insurance information
- Witness information
- Reported injuries
- Vehicle damage
- Road and weather conditions
- Traffic-control information
- Citations issued
- Suspected contributing factors
- A crash diagram
- Statements from drivers or witnesses
- The officer’s narrative
The report records information gathered during the investigation. It does not necessarily contain every available piece of evidence.
Does the Police Report Decide Who Was at Fault?
Not necessarily.
The report may document:
- What the officer observed
- What the drivers and witnesses said
- Whether citations were issued
- Suspected contributing factors
- The officer’s preliminary understanding of the crash
However, the report does not always make a formal fault determination. Even when it contains an opinion about what caused the accident, that opinion may not be the final legal decision about liability.
Insurance companies, attorneys, judges, and juries may also consider:
- Photographs and video
- Vehicle damage
- Medical records
- Electronic vehicle data
- Witness testimony
- Expert analysis
- Applicable traffic laws
Do not assume that a report automatically wins or ends an insurance claim.
What Should You Do After Getting the Report?
1. Save the original
Keep an unedited copy in a secure location. Make a second copy if you want to add notes or highlights.
2. Read the report carefully
Review:
- Names
- Contact information
- Insurance information
- Vehicle details
- Crash date and location
- Driver and passenger assignments
- Direction of travel
- Diagram
- Narrative
- Witnesses
- Listed injuries
- Contributing-factor codes
- Citations
For a detailed explanation of the sections and codes, read our guide on how to read a car accident report.
3. Compare it with your own records
Compare the report against:
- Photographs
- Videos
- Insurance documents
- Medical records
- Witness information
- Notes you made after the accident
The police report may not include injuries or symptoms that appeared after officers left the scene.
4. Ask whether your insurer or attorney needs a copy
Do not assume that you must submit the report immediately or interpret it yourself. Ask the person handling your claim whether a copy is needed and how it should be provided.
5. Address factual errors
Police reports can contain mistakes. Examples include:
- Misspelled names
- Incorrect insurance information
- Wrong vehicle information
- An incorrect crash location
- Drivers assigned to the wrong vehicles
- Missing witnesses
- An inaccurate diagram
Contact the investigating agency’s records division or the investigating officer to ask about its correction or supplemental-report procedure.
An agency may correct an objective error, but it may not change an officer’s observation or conclusion merely because one person disagrees with it.
What If No Police Report Was Filed?
There may be no official police report if:
- No one contacted law enforcement
- Officers did not respond
- The crash occurred on private property
- The incident did not meet the agency’s reporting criteria
- The parties exchanged information and left
Louisiana law requires immediate notice to the appropriate law enforcement agency when a crash results in injury, death, or property damage above the statutory threshold.
If no officer prepared a report, preserve other evidence, including:
- Photographs and video
- Driver and passenger information
- Insurance information
- Witness contact information
- Medical records
- Repair estimates
- Towing records
- Nearby surveillance footage
- Written notes about the time, location, and circumstances
An attorney can help determine whether another report or record may be available and what evidence should be preserved.
Get Help After a Louisiana Car Accident
Obtaining the crash report is an important step, but the report may be only one part of the evidence needed to evaluate an accident claim.
At Chris Corzo Injury Attorneys, our Louisiana car accident lawyers can help identify the responding agency, obtain the report, review it for errors, preserve other evidence, and communicate with the insurance companies.
We serve accident victims in Baton Rouge, Gonzales, Ascension Parish, Livingston Parish, Iberville Parish, and communities throughout Louisiana.
Call 225-535-4831 or complete our online contact form for a free consultation. We are available 24/7. You pay no attorney’s fee unless we recover compensation for you.
This article is provided for general informational purposes and is not legal advice. Procedures, fees, and report availability may vary by agency. Confirm current requirements with the law enforcement agency that investigated your crash.
Common Questions About Louisiana Accident Reports
Can I get a Louisiana accident report online?
Louisiana State Police provides online access to statewide crash reports and photographs. Local police departments and sheriff’s offices may have separate request systems.
Why can’t I find my report online?
The investigation may not be complete, the report may still be under review, or a different agency may have investigated the crash. Confirm the report number and responding agency before searching again.
Can anyone get a copy?
No. Louisiana law limits access to designated people and organizations. You may need to show that you were involved in the crash or are otherwise authorized to receive the record.
Does an accident report prove fault?
No. It may be important evidence, but it does not necessarily decide legal responsibility.
Can I correct an accident report?
You can ask the investigating agency to correct objective factual errors or add supplemental information. Whether the agency changes the report depends on its procedures and the nature of the requested correction.
Will the report list all my injuries?
Not always. It may only document injuries reported or observed at the scene. Some symptoms may become noticeable later.
Can an attorney obtain the report for me?
Yes. An attorney representing a person involved in the crash may generally request the report and other available records on that person’s behalf.
About Chris Corzo Injury Attorneys
This guide was written with help from the legal team at Chris Corzo Injury Attorneys, a personal injury law firm serving Baton Rouge and all of Louisiana.
Chris Corzo has represented hundreds of accident victims across East Baton Rouge, Ascension, Livingston, Iberville, and surrounding parishes. Our team knows how the insurance system works — and how to protect you in it.
We offer free consultations with no pressure and no cost. If we take your case, you pay nothing unless we win.
This article is for general information only and is not legal advice. For help with your specific situation, speak with a licensed Louisiana attorney.