What to do after a car accident in Denver, Colorado
The local steps are quoted from Denver agency pages and the Colorado rules from state law, each with a link. Checked September 17, 2026.
At fault state
The short answer
The Denver Police Department works crashes inside Denver city limits. Call 911 for an emergency, or the non emergency line at (720) 913-2000.
Denver tells every driver to stop and call the police or 911 after a crash. The only exception is an Accident Alert, when officers are too busy to come to minor crashes.
Denver crash reports are sold online through the CRASHDOCS portal that the Police Records page links. Search with the report number, the last name of someone involved and the date of the crash.
Who comes to a crash in Denver
The agency that responds
The Denver Police Department works crashes inside Denver city limits. Call 911 for an emergency, or the non emergency line at (720) 913-2000.
“Non-Emergency Line: (720) 913-2000”
When officers actually come out
Denver tells every driver to stop and call the police or 911 after a crash. The only exception is an Accident Alert, when officers are too busy to come to minor crashes.
“In all cases, except when an Accident Alert has been declared, you must stop and report the crash by calling your local police station or 911.”
If no officer comes
If no officer came to your crash, you file your own report online with the Colorado Department of Revenue. It is called a counter report and no police agency investigates it.
“If a crash report is filed online by an individual, the report does not get investigated by a law enforcement agency and is referred to as a "counter report."”
On the interstates and state highways
Crashes on the interstates and state highways around Denver are worked by the Colorado State Patrol. Ask for that report through the State Patrol records portal, not from Denver police. The fee schedule prices the first 10 pages at $5.00.
“All requests for records must be submitted on the appropriate Colorado State Patrol Records Request Portal.”
What Colorado law requires you to report
A driver in a crash with injury, death, or any amount of property damage must immediately report it to the nearest police department.
“give immediate notice of the location of such accident and such other information as is specified in section 42-4-1603 (2) to the nearest office of the duly authorized police authority”
Getting your Denver crash report
Where to get it
Denver crash reports are sold online through the CRASHDOCS portal that the Police Records page links. Search with the report number, the last name of someone involved and the date of the crash.
“The Records Unit provides a six-page crash report that is typically needed for insurance purposes.”
How long it takes
A Denver crash report is usually ready 5 to 7 days after the case is closed.
“Crash reports typically take 5-7 days to become available after they are closed.”
What it costs
A Denver crash report costs $10 when you order it by mail from the Police Records Unit.
“Print and mail this form, along with a $10.00 check or money order made payable to Manager of Revenue, to the address below:”
If your car was towed
Where it goes and how to get it back
A car impounded in Denver goes to the city Vehicle Impound Facility at 5160 York Street, phone (720) 865-0470. Expect $120 towing plus $20 a day storage for a vehicle under 6,000 pounds, and you get 30 days to claim it.
“Once all holds on a vehicle have been dropped, the owner has 30 days to recover the vehicle.”
Storage is charged by the day in most cities, so the bill grows while a claim is still open. Tell your insurer where the car is as soon as you know.
Colorado deadlines that apply in Denver
- 3 years
- to sue for injuriesC.R.S. 13-80-101(1) intro and (1)(n)(I)
- 3 years
- to sue for car or property damageC.R.S. 13-80-101(1)(n)(I)
- 2 years
- for a family to sue after a deathC.R.S. 13-80-102(1) intro and (1)(d); see also 13-21-204
- 182 days
- to notify the government if a public vehicle or road was involvedC.R.S. 24-10-109(1) (Colorado Governmental Immunity Act)
All Colorado rules: fault, insurance minimums and the full deadline list
The Colorado rules behind your claim
Who pays for the damage
Colorado is an at-fault state. Drivers must carry liability insurance that pays for the other person's injuries and property damage when they cause a crash.
“property damage to another’s property that are the result of an accident in which you are found to be at fault”
If you were partly at fault
Colorado uses modified comparative negligence. You can only recover damages if your share of fault is less than the other party's. If your fault is equal to or greater than theirs, you recover nothing.
“if such negligence was not as great as the negligence of the person against whom recovery is sought”
What insurance every driver must carry
Colorado drivers must carry at least $25,000 of liability coverage per person, $50,000 per accident for injuries, and $15,000 for property damage.
“twenty-five thousand dollars to any one person in any one accident and fifty thousand dollars to all persons in any one accident”
Sources on this page
Each one was opened and checked on September 17, 2026.
- Denver Police Department, Contact Us
- Denver Police Department, Traffic Enforcement and Safety
- Colorado Department of Revenue, Division of Motor Vehicles, Report a Crash and Obtain a Crash Record
- Denver Police Department, Police Records
- Denver Police Department, Report Request form DPD 241B
- Denver Sheriff Department, Vehicle Impound
- Denver County Court, Civil
- Colorado State Patrol, Crash Information
The state law behind these steps
Each one was opened and checked on September 17, 2026.
Know My Claim is not a law firm or a government agency, and this page is not legal advice. Laws change, so check the linked source before you rely on a deadline.