How can I get a police report after an accident in San Antonio?

Beverly Law. Updated November 2026.

Who wrote the report: SAPD, the county or DPS

Start with where the crash happened. Transportation Code 550.026 makes a driver in a crash with an injury, a death or a disabled car give immediate notice. Inside a city, the notice goes to the city police. Within 100 feet of the city limits, the driver may call the city police or the sheriff. Beyond that, the notice goes to the sheriff or the nearest state office. Within San Antonio, that is usually SAPD. Out in unincorporated Bexar County, it may be the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office, and DPS Highway Patrol troopers investigate rural traffic crashes.

A crash a few blocks past the San Antonio city line can belong to a different agency. If you are unsure, TxDOT’s system lets you filter a search by agency.

Getting the CR-3 from SAPD or TxDOT

SAPD’s open records page describes three ways to get the Texas Peace Officer’s Crash Report (CR-3):

1. Online through TxDOT. SAPD sends online buyers to TxDOT’s Crash Report Online Purchase System and says a report can take up to 14 days to appear there.
2. By mail. Fill out SAPD’s crash report request form and mail it to the San Antonio Police Department Records Office, 315 S. Santa Rosa, San Antonio, TX 78207. Mail requests are paid by check or money order.
3. In person. Go to SAPD headquarters at 315 S. Santa Rosa, Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The counter takes cash, credit cards, money orders and checks.

Give the SAPD case number if you have it. If not, SAPD asks for at least two of these: the date, the location, the names of the people involved (with dates of birth when a name is common), and a short description of what happened. SAPD lists accident reports at $6.

On the TxDOT side, its crash reports page prices a certified copy at $8. SAPD notes that the city itself is not required to certify documents and that redacted records cannot be certified, so order the certified version through TxDOT if you will need it in court.

Why SAPD has a copy for you to buy

Every officer who investigates a crash with injury, death or apparent property damage of $1,000 or more must make a written report and file it electronically with TxDOT no later than the 10th day after the crash (section 550.062). The duty applies whether the officer investigates at the scene or afterward.

The full report is limited by section 550.065 to people with a direct concern or proper interest, such as the people involved, their authorized representatives, owners of damaged property and insurers. Others get a copy with names, addresses, plates, insurance details and the place an injured person was taken removed. The statute’s fee is $6, plus $2 for certification. TxDOT’s purchase guide adds that a buyer must certify eligibility before getting a non-redacted report online.

When police did not come, or got it wrong

If no officer investigated, there may be no CR-3 at all. TxDOT says it no longer keeps CR-2 driver reports and destroys any sent to it, so mailing one will not create a state record. Fill one out anyway for your own file and your insurer. Section 550.067 lets a city require a local report by ordinance, so ask SAPD whether one applies. Our page on what to do with no police report covers the rest of the evidence.

When the report has a mistake, the officer who wrote it is the only person who can change a material fact (section 550.068). Anyone else can only add a written supplement that shows who made the change. Send the Records Office your case number and a short letter that points to the error, with a photo or document that proves the right fact.

Offense reports, 911 calls and video from SAPD

SAPD’s open records page lists 911 calls, body camera footage and dash camera footage among the police records the public can request. Requests go through the city’s Open Government Portal, which requires an account, and you can choose delivery by email, U.S. mail or pickup at headquarters.

Incident and offense reports cost $0.10 a page for the first 50 pages when copied on site, and SAPD says single non-crash reports under 50 pages are free as electronic PDFs. Reports from before 2011 are stored off site and may take longer. For TransGuide and VIA video, see how to get traffic camera footage in San Antonio.

Will the report be evidence at trial?

It may be. The only part Texas law flatly keeps from a civil jury is a person’s answer to the form’s question about being contacted by people seeking professional work (section 550.066). The judge decides the rest under Texas Rule of Evidence 803(8), which admits factual findings from a legally authorized public investigation in a civil case unless the opponent shows they are untrustworthy. So a San Antonio report that blames you is worth challenging with your own proof, and one that supports you still needs witnesses behind it.

Who keeps the report, and what drivers must file, changes across the firm’s three states:

Texas cases are handled by the firm’s Texas-licensed attorneys, Joyce Ondich and John Efstathiou.

What this means for your case

Pick up the report as soon as it is available and compare it with your photos, your medical records and what you remember. Request 911 audio and SAPD video through the portal early, since the open records process takes time. If your crash was in Houston instead, read how to get a police report in Houston. Our Texas injury attorneys can handle the requests for you.

Common questions

Related pages

Injury law FAQs

Important: This page is general information, not legal or medical advice, and reading it does not create an attorney-client relationship. Every case is different; talk to a lawyer about yours. Texas cases are handled by the firm’s Texas-licensed attorneys, Joyce Ondich and John Efstathiou. Last reviewed: November 7, 2026.