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

Beverly Law. Updated November 2026.

Which agency investigated your Austin crash

Most crashes on Austin city streets are reported to the Austin Police Department. Texas law sets that order in Transportation Code 550.026: when a crash injures or kills someone, or leaves a car that cannot be driven safely, the driver must give notice right away to the local police if it happened in a city. If it happened no more than 100 feet past the city line, the police or the sheriff can take it. Farther out in Travis County, notice goes to the sheriff’s office or the nearest state office.

On rural highways, DPS Highway Patrol troopers investigate crashes. Whoever wrote your report, section 550.062 requires the officer to file it with TxDOT electronically by the 10th day after any crash with injury, death or apparent damage of $1,000 or more to one person’s property.

Three places to get an Austin crash report

1. APD’s website. The APD home page links to “Crash Reports via LexisNexis,” with a separate Spanish version of the same service.
2. TxDOT’s Crash Report Online Purchase System. TxDOT’s crash reports page lists $6 for a regular copy and $8 for a certified copy for official uses such as legal proceedings, with the report emailed after purchase. Its user guide says a report can take up to 14 days from the crash date to show up in search results.
3. APD’s Report Sales Unit. The city’s APD datasets and reports page says copies of the public portion of a police report are purchased through this unit, by phone or at 812 Springdale Road, phone 512-974-5408. Call first to ask whether it can sell your crash report and what it needs from you.

The same page points to APD’s incident report database, with the public portion of many police reports, useful when the crash also led to an offense report.

Full copy or redacted copy

TxDOT says anyone may buy a redacted crash report. The full version goes only to the people section 550.065 treats as directly concerned or having a proper interest. That group includes the people involved and their authorized representatives, a driver’s employer, parent or guardian, owners of damaged vehicles or property, insurers and a person who may bring a wrongful death claim. On TxDOT’s site, a buyer certifies eligibility under section 550.065 before purchase. The guide says a full report bought by card is available right away, while a redacted report bought by card can take up to 10 business days.

By statute, the fee is $6 per copy and $2 more to certify it. The redacted version removes names, license numbers, plates and insurance details, which are the facts you need to open a claim.

What is on the CR-3, and how to fix an error

The form is built around section 550.064. It must ask for enough detail to show the cause and conditions of the crash and the people and vehicles involved. It must show whether a trailer was involved and, if so, whether anyone died. It must also identify any officer, firefighter or EMS worker in the crash while driving a police, fire or EMS vehicle on duty, and require that person’s statement on the nature of the crash. It also asks each person whether they want to be contacted by someone seeking work as a professional.

When you spot a mistake, section 550.068 sets the limits. A material fact can be changed only by the officer who prepared the report, and any change by someone else has to be a written supplement naming the person behind it. Send APD the report number, the line that is wrong and your proof, such as a photo of the other car’s plate. Keep a dated copy.

Video, 911 audio and other Austin records

Everything outside the crash report goes through the city’s public information process. The city’s request page takes requests online, by email to public.information@austintexas.gov, by mail to P.O. Box 689001, Austin, TX 78768, or by hand delivery at City Hall. The city says it has designated 10 business days to release available information, sends a status update on the 8th business day, and gives you a written date if it needs longer. There is no fee to submit. Copies can cost $0.10 a page and personnel time $15 an hour, with no personnel charge when fewer than 50 paper pages are requested, and an estimate letter comes first when costs top $40. APD’s public information staff answer questions at 512-974-5212 or 512-974-5499.

Ask for body camera and dash camera video, the 911 call, dispatch records and scene photos in one request, with the date, time, location and report number. If police never came, APD’s online reporting page lists hit and run among the offenses you can report online. For an injury crash, call 911.

Can the Austin report be used in court?

Texas bars only a sliver of it. Section 550.066 says a person’s answer to the contact question described above is not admissible in a civil trial. For the rest, the judge applies the Texas Rules of Evidence. Rule 803(8) allows a public office’s factual findings from a legally authorized investigation in a civil case unless the other side shows the source or circumstances are untrustworthy, and Rule 702 requires an expert opinion witness to be qualified. An officer who arrived after the crash and drew conclusions from what drivers said can be questioned on both points.

Where you buy the report also differs by state:

California’s steps are on how to get a police report in California.

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

What this means for your case

Get the full CR-3, not the redacted one, and compare it with your photos and notes while the crash is fresh. Send one public information request for video and 911 audio early. If the officer’s narrative blames you, Texas still lets you recover if your share is 50% or less, reduced by that share (Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code 33.001). Our Austin car accident lawyers can request the records 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.