How to Get Your Police Report in Houston After an Accident

The first step is figuring out which law enforcement agency investigated your accident. This determines where you request your report and the process for obtaining it. Check any paperwork you received at the scene — it will list the investigating agency and a report or case number.

Houston Police Department (HPD) handles crashes within the City of Houston limits. The Harris County Sheriff's Office (HCSO) responds to crashes in unincorporated Harris County areas. Harris County Constable Precincts may respond in certain areas. Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) Highway Patrol typically handles crashes on state highways, farm-to-market roads, and interstate highways outside of city limits.

If you are unsure which agency responded, call HPD's non-emergency line at (713) 884-3131 and ask if they have a report on file for the date and location of your crash. You can also search the LexisNexis BuyCrash portal, which covers HPD and many other agencies across Texas.

HPD partners with LexisNexis to provide crash reports through the BuyCrash portal at buycrash.lexisnexisrisk.com. Select Texas as the state and Houston Police Department as the jurisdiction. You can search by the crash date, location, and your name. The cost is $6 per report plus a small online processing fee. After payment, the report is delivered to your email.

One important limitation: online HPD reports obtained through LexisNexis are often redacted. Key information — including the names and contact information of other drivers involved — may be blacked out. If you need the full, unredacted report (and you almost certainly do for a personal injury claim), you must request it in person.

For in-person requests, visit the HPD Records Division Public Service Counter at 1200 Travis Street, 1st Floor, Houston, TX 77002 (the Edward A. Thomas Building). Phone: (713) 308-8500, Option 3. Bring a valid photo ID, the crash date, and your report or case number if you have it. The cost is $6, payable by check or money order made out to the City of Houston.

You can also request by mail. Send a check or money order for $6 payable to the City of Houston, along with a self-addressed stamped envelope and a written request including the crash date, location, and names of drivers, to: HPD Records Division, 1200 Travis Street, Houston, TX 77002.

If your accident was on a state highway, interstate, or farm-to-market road and was investigated by a Texas Department of Public Safety trooper, your report is filed through TxDOT's Crash Records Information System (CRIS). Request your report online at cris.dot.state.tx.us. The cost is $6 per report.

TxDOT crash reports cover accidents investigated by DPS troopers across the state. Processing typically takes 10 business days after the crash. You will need the crash date, location, and driver names to search for your report. These reports include the full officer's narrative and crash diagram.

For assistance with TxDOT crash report requests, contact the TxDOT Crash Records office at (512) 486-5780 or email CrashRecords@txdot.gov.

If the Harris County Sheriff's Office (HCSO) investigated your crash, you can request your report through the HCSO Records Division. Contact the HCSO Records Division at (713) 274-9220. Reports may also be available through the LexisNexis BuyCrash portal if the agency participates.

Harris County Constable offices handle some crash investigations in their respective precincts. Contact the constable's office for the precinct where your accident occurred. Each precinct maintains its own records. You can find precinct contact information at harriscountytx.gov.

For crashes investigated by smaller municipal police departments within Harris County (such as Pasadena, Baytown, or Sugar Land), contact that department's records division directly. Many participate in the LexisNexis BuyCrash system.

A Texas crash report (Form CR-3, completed by the investigating officer) contains critical information for your personal injury claim. It includes the date, time, and exact location of the crash, names and contact information of all drivers and passengers, insurance information for all parties, the officer's narrative describing what happened, a diagram of the accident scene, weather and road conditions, contributing factors identified by the officer, and any citations issued.

The officer's determination of contributing factors is especially important. While not a final legal determination of fault, it heavily influences insurance adjusters and is admissible evidence in court. If the officer cited the other driver for running a red light, speeding, or failing to yield, that supports your claim.

Your crash report also documents injuries observed at the scene and whether anyone was transported to the hospital. This creates an immediate link between the accident and your injuries — one of the first pieces of evidence establishing causation for your personal injury claim.

Crash reports sometimes contain errors — a wrong street name, incorrect insurance information, or a factual mistake in the narrative. If you find an error, contact the investigating agency to request a correction. For HPD reports, call the Records Division at (713) 308-8500, Option 3, and explain the specific error. The officer who wrote the report may need to review and approve the correction.

Some errors can be corrected through a supplemental report. Others, especially those involving the officer's narrative or fault determination, may not be changed unless the officer agrees the report is factually incorrect. If the officer's narrative does not match your account of the accident, your attorney can challenge the report's conclusions using other evidence — witness statements, traffic camera footage, vehicle damage patterns, and accident reconstruction analysis.

Do not delay your personal injury claim because of a report error. The 2-year statute of limitations (Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code 16.003) continues to run regardless of the report's status. Request corrections promptly, but move forward with your claim.

If you were injured in a Houston car accident and have your crash report, take our free 2-minute assessment. You will answer a few quick questions about your accident and injuries, and we will give you a personalized report that includes Texas's filing deadline for your specific claim, whether the crash report supports your case, and whether connecting with a personal injury attorney makes sense for your situation.

Your crash report is a starting point — not the final word on your case. Our assessment is free, confidential, and gives you the information you need to decide what comes next.