How to request and review a California CHP collision report
If CHP investigated your California crash, a proper party of interest can request the report through the official CHP Crash Portal or CHP 190 process. Identify the investigating agency first, keep your request confirmation, and review the report alongside your own photographs and notes.
This California guide focuses on obtaining and organizing a collision report after an injury. It is not the DMV SR-1 filing process, a determination of fault or a guide to Florida records. For a Florida collision, see our Florida crash-report guide.
First, confirm which agency investigated
Look at the officer's card or incident receipt for the agency name and report number. CHP says it can obtain reports it investigated, not reports prepared by another police department. If you cannot identify the agency, a local police department or CHP office can help you identify the right one. CHP report-request FAQ.
Do not assume that a freeway location, a familiar form design or an online search result identifies the records custodian. Start with the information you received at the scene and verify the official agency website before providing identification.
Choose an official request route
CHP's current instructions offer an online Crash Portal for proper parties of interest. Examples include involved drivers, bicyclists, pedestrians and passengers, as well as certain owners and representatives. The same instructions allow an in-person or mailed CHP 190 request to a nearby CHP Area office. If your eligibility is unclear, ask the office before applying. Current CHP instructions.
For a paper request, confirm the applicable fee with the office receiving it. Avoid relying on an old fee schedule or an unofficial website's promised delivery time. Save the address used, submission date, receipt and any reference number.
Prepare the CHP 190 carefully
The official CHP 190 form asks for the incident date and location, driver or owner, applicant contact details and the basis for requesting the record. Select only one party-of-interest category. The signature declares under penalty of perjury that the selected status is accurate. A request made as an authorized person calls for signed authorization.
CHP's mailed-request guidance calls for a copy of a driver's license or picture identification; if neither is available, it directs applicants to have the form certified by a notary. Confirm the current requirements with the receiving office. CHP identification instructions.
Keep identification documents out of public comments and general website inquiry forms. Use the official submission method, and keep a private copy of what you sent.
Review the report without changing the original
Keep the downloaded file or paper copy intact. Make a separate review sheet with three columns: page number, information to check, and the document or observation that supports your question. Useful items to compare include:
- Names, vehicles, collision date and location
- The diagram's directions and vehicle labels
- Statements attributed to you
- Witness information and references to photographs or other records
- Any missing pages or attachments mentioned in the report
Separate a concrete discrepancy, such as a transposed plate number, from a disagreement about how the collision happened. If something appears wrong or incomplete, ask the investigating agency how to submit supporting information and whether another report or supplement is available. Keep your correspondence. Do not assume the agency will change its conclusions, or edit the original report yourself.
Bring both the report and your review sheet to a consultation. Label what you personally remember, what a photograph shows and what someone told you later. That makes questions easier to evaluate without turning uncertainty into a claimed fact.
A CHP report request does not replace the DMV SR-1
DMV requires an SR-1 within 10 days when someone is injured, however slightly, or killed, or when property damage exceeds $1,000. DMV expressly says this is additional to a report to police, CHP or an insurer. DMV's current SR-1 instructions.
Do not wait for a collision-report copy to address that separate requirement. Our California SR-1 guide explains that filing. Ask counsel promptly about other deadlines rather than treating a pending records request as a reason to delay.
Common questions
Can I request a CHP report online?
Yes, CHP's current request page directs eligible parties to its Crash Portal. Use the official link above rather than a paid search advertisement.
What if I cannot find the report?
Contact the investigating office with the date, location and any incident number. Ask whether the report is available and what information is needed to locate it. Keep the response with your request log; this guide does not promise a completion date.
Does the report tell me what my injury claim is worth?
Use it as part of the consultation file, not as a valuation. Bring treatment records, photographs and relevant correspondence too. Our medical-records checklist can help organize the treatment documents.
Bring the report and your questions
You can request a consultation with FK Law Group, LLP. Identify the investigating agency and any urgent dates, and ask for a secure way to provide records.
General legal information, not legal advice. Sources checked October 24, 2026. Agency procedures may change. This article does not decide liability, coverage, damages or the deadline for a particular claim. An inquiry does not create an attorney-client relationship.