How to get a police report for a car accident in Las Vegas

On this page

1. Which agency has your police report?
2. How to get an LVMPD crash report
3. How to get a Nevada Highway Patrol crash report
4. Henderson and North Las Vegas crash reports
5. What the police report is, and who can see it
6. The SR-1: the report you file yourself
7. Do you have to report a car accident in Nevada?
8. If you have already left Las Vegas
9. Terms you will hear
10. The four-question check
11. Sources

Which agency has your police report?

The report sits with the agency whose officer came. LVMPD takes reports only for crashes inside its jurisdiction. Crashes in Henderson, North Las Vegas and Boulder City go to those cities' police. Freeway crashes go to the Nevada State Police, which runs the Highway Patrol (LVMPD, Filing a Report).

Fees and links change, so the check date is in the table caption.

How to get an LVMPD crash report

Have these ready (LVMPD):

• the LVMPD event number;
• your full name, date of birth, phone number and email;
• the names of the people involved;
• the date, time and location of the crash;
• the vehicle's license plate state and number.

LVMPD asks for valid photo ID. Most traffic collision reports can be delivered by email through a secure link. If the report will come by U.S. mail, LVMPD asks for a notarized letter and a copy of a valid photo ID.

In person, copies can be requested at an area command or at the Records and Fingerprint Bureau, 400 S. Martin Luther King Blvd., Building C. Reports on fatal crashes need extra documents before release (LVMPD).

How to get a Nevada Highway Patrol crash report

CRASHDOCS.org needs the crash number, the last name of someone involved and the crash date. The crash number starts with "NHP", for example NHP123456789.

Reports on fatal crashes and crash photos come from the regional offices. The Southern Command is at 6830 Bermuda Road, Las Vegas (NHP).

Henderson and North Las Vegas crash reports

Henderson. The city's Request Records page links an online request for closed traffic accident reports, run by LexisNexis. It lists traffic reports at $10 each. Accidents still under investigation are not available until the investigation is complete and the case is closed. The city takes credit cards other than American Express, personal checks, cash and money orders (City of Henderson).

The Records Section is at the East Police Station, 223 Lead St., Henderson. Its hours are Monday to Wednesday from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; Thursday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Most transactions need a valid U.S. government photo ID (City of Henderson).

North Las Vegas. The city's police records page links LexisNexis BuyCrash for accident reports. It lists other police reports at $5 each (City of North Las Vegas).

For a request by mail, North Las Vegas asks for a copy of your ID and a notarized letter with the case number. Include a stamped return envelope. Fees go in with the request, and personal checks are not accepted.

What the police report is, and who can see it

An officer who investigates a crash with an injury, a death, or apparent damage of $750 or more must write a report. Officers file crash reports with the Nevada Department of Public Safety within 10 days, and a copy goes to the DMV (NRS 484E.110).

Those police reports are not privileged or confidential under the same statute. The people in the crash, and their insurers, request copies from the agency that wrote them. The report number is what each request starts from.

The SR-1: the report you file yourself

NRS 484E.070 covers crashes on a highway or on premises open to the public. The driver must send a report to the DMV within 10 days if the crash hurt or killed anyone. The same applies when damage to any one vehicle or piece of property appears to be $750 or more.

The report is not required when a police officer investigated and the officer's report lists each driver's insurance company, policy number and coverage dates. LVMPD's version: a Nevada crash that was not investigated at the scene needs an SR-1 within 10 days (LVMPD).

The form says it is void without those attachments, and that the DMV keeps only complete reports (SR-1 form). A driver who willfully fails to make a required report can lose their driving privilege for up to a year (NRS 484E.080).

The SR-1 is not used as evidence in a trial about the crash (NRS 484E.070(7)). The DMV may give a person in the crash, or their insurer, the name of another person involved when it is not otherwise known. It may also give that person's insurer and policy number (NRS 484E.070(6)).

Do you have to report a car accident in Nevada?

Two different duties apply. At the scene, with no officer present, a driver must report the crash right away to the nearest police office or the Highway Patrol. That covers any crash that hurt or killed someone, and any crash on a highway (NRS 484E.030).

In Nevada law, "highway" means any road open to the public for driving, not just a freeway (NRS 484A.095). A driver who hits an unattended car on a road must also notify the police right away (NRS 484E.050).

Within 10 days, the SR-1 rule above applies when police did not investigate. LVMPD's non-emergency number is (702) 828-3111, and LVMPD charges no fee to file a report (LVMPD).

If you have already left Las Vegas

LVMPD takes online and mail requests, and NHP reports are online, so you can get the report from home. Our guide on a car accident while visiting Las Vegas covers the rest.

If you were hurt, our guide on what to do after a car accident in Las Vegas covers the first week.

Terms you will hear

Event number

The number LVMPD gives an incident. It is how the report is found.

Traffic collision report

LVMPD's name for the police crash report.

CRASHDOCS

The website where Nevada Highway Patrol crash reports are requested online.

BuyCrash

The LexisNexis site North Las Vegas links for buying accident reports.

SR-1

The Nevada DMV's Report of Traffic Crash, filed by a driver.

Area command

An LVMPD station that serves part of the valley.