How to get a car accident report in Chicago, Illinois
The local steps are quoted from Chicago agency pages and the Illinois rules from state law, each with a link. Checked September 17, 2026.
The short answer
Chicago police sell the crash report from their own portal at crash.chicagopolice.org, where you search by the RD number from your crash, a driver name, or the crash date.
Crash information takes about a day to appear. The department says it can take up to 24 hours for the state to assign the report a control number and for the information to be available.
A Chicago crash report costs $6.00, and an amended report costs $1.50.
Online
The portal Chicago uses
Chicago police sell the crash report from their own portal at crash.chicagopolice.org, where you search by the RD number from your crash, a driver name, or the crash date.
“Original Traffic Crash Report: $6.00 per report ($1.50 per amended)”
What it costs
A Chicago crash report costs $6.00, and an amended report costs $1.50.
“The fee is $6.00 per report ($1.50 per amended report)”
When it is ready
Crash information takes about a day to appear. The department says it can take up to 24 hours for the state to assign the report a control number and for the information to be available.
“It may take up to 24 hours for the State of Illinois to assign a control number to the traffic crash report and for the information to be available.”
In person or by mail
The records office
If you cannot use the portal, go to the Chicago Police Records Customer Service Section at 3510 South Michigan Avenue, Chicago, IL 60653, or call 312 745 5130 on a weekday.
“Monday through Friday (excluding public holidays) from 8:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. or you may call (312) 745-5130 during normal business hours.”
If no officer came to your crash
Filing it yourself
Every driver in a Chicago crash has to complete an Illinois Motorist Report within 10 days, and a minor crash that no officer wrote up is reported by the driver at a police district station.
“as soon as possible but not later than 10 days after the accident, complete an Illinois Motorist Report.”
What Illinois requires you to file
Illinois drivers do not file their own written crash report with the state in most cases. When police investigate a crash, the officer must send a written report to the state within 10 days. If police were not called for a minor crash, a driver can file a citizen crash report online with the Illinois State Police.
“Every law enforcement officer who investigates a motor vehicle crash for which a report is required by this Article ... shall forward a written report of such motor vehicle crash to the Administrator ... within 10 days after investigation of the motor vehicle crash”
If the crash was on a highway
A different agency has that report
Crashes on the Chicago expressways are worked by the Illinois State Police, not by Chicago police. For a freeway crash you can file a desk report with a trooper in person within 10 days, including at five Chicago police district stations.
“If you were involved in a traffic crash occurring on a freeway in the Chicagoland area you can file a Desk Report in person within 10 days of the crash.”
Requesting a Illinois state police report
Illinois State Police crash reports can be ordered online through the E-Pay system for a 5 dollar statutory fee plus a service fee, and requests can take 10 or more business days to process.
“A service fee will be added to the statutorily set fee of $5.00 for crash reports obtained through this service ... your request may take 10 or more business days to process.”
Sources on this page
Each one was opened and checked on September 17, 2026.
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.