What to do after a car accident in San Antonio, Texas
The local steps are quoted from San Antonio agency pages and the Texas rules from state law, each with a link. Checked September 17, 2026.
At fault state
The short answer
The San Antonio Police Department works crashes inside the San Antonio city limits. Call 9-1-1 if anyone is hurt or a crime is in progress. If it is not an emergency, call 210-207-7273, the number the city also writes as 210-207-SAPD.
An officer comes out, but San Antonio police do not write a state crash report for every crash. Policy says a crash report is required when someone is hurt or killed, when a car cannot be driven away safely, when a government vehicle or property is involved, when hazardous materials or a commercial vehicle are involved, in a hit and run, when a driver is arrested, cited or has warrants, or when alcohol or drugs may be involved. If none of that is true, the officer hands both drivers a Crash Information Sheet, SAPD Form 12-DAR, has them trade information, and files a call for service report instead.
San Antonio crash reports are sold online through the TxDOT Crash Report Online Purchase System, not through a city portal. The police department links it from its own open records page, and you search for your crash there.
Who comes to a crash in San Antonio
The agency that responds
The San Antonio Police Department works crashes inside the San Antonio city limits. Call 9-1-1 if anyone is hurt or a crime is in progress. If it is not an emergency, call 210-207-7273, the number the city also writes as 210-207-SAPD.
“Please contact the police non-emergency number at 210-207-SAPD (210-207-7273) or your local police substation to report an incident that involves any of the following:”
When officers actually come out
An officer comes out, but San Antonio police do not write a state crash report for every crash. Policy says a crash report is required when someone is hurt or killed, when a car cannot be driven away safely, when a government vehicle or property is involved, when hazardous materials or a commercial vehicle are involved, in a hit and run, when a driver is arrested, cited or has warrants, or when alcohol or drugs may be involved. If none of that is true, the officer hands both drivers a Crash Information Sheet, SAPD Form 12-DAR, has them trade information, and files a call for service report instead.
“Crashes occurring on any street, highway, or private property do not require a police investigation if all of the following criteria are met.”
If no officer comes
If the officer decides your crash does not need a state crash report, you and the other driver fill out SAPD Form 12-DAR, the Crash Information Sheet, and trade your information at the scene. When you want paper proof afterward, the police Records Office can print the call for service report the officer filed.
“Should the driver(s) desire documentation of the crash, a computer-generated report may be obtained via the Records Office.”
On the interstates and state highways
If a Texas Department of Public Safety trooper worked your crash on a highway instead of San Antonio police, do not go to the city records office. DPS sends you to the TxDOT Crash Report Online Purchase System for the same CR-3 report.
“You may obtain a Texas Peace Officer’s Crash Report (CR-3) (regular or certified) from the Texas Department of Transportation’s Crash Report Online Purchase System.”
What Texas law requires you to report
If the crash hurt or killed someone, or damaged a vehicle badly enough that it cannot be driven safely, the driver must immediately notify local police, the sheriff, or the nearest Department of Public Safety office.
“The operator of a vehicle involved in a collision resulting in injury to or death of a person or damage to a vehicle to the extent that it cannot be normally and safely driven shall immediately by the quickest means of communication give notice of the collision to the: (1) local police department if the collision occurred in a municipality; (2) local police department or the sheriff's office if the collision occurred not more than 100 feet outside the limits of a municipality; or (3) sheriff's office or the nearest office of the department if the collision is not required to be reported under Subdivision (1) or (2).”
Getting your San Antonio crash report
Where to get it
San Antonio crash reports are sold online through the TxDOT Crash Report Online Purchase System, not through a city portal. The police department links it from its own open records page, and you search for your crash there.
“The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) provides an easy online system for finding and ordering vehicle accident reports.”
How long it takes
A San Antonio crash report can take up to 14 days after the crash to show up in the TxDOT system where you buy it.
“Reports can take up to 14 days to appear in the system.”
What it costs
A San Antonio crash report costs $6 from the police department. Through the TxDOT online system it is $6 for a regular copy or $8 for a copy certified with the state seal, plus a small surcharge for using the system.
“Accident Reports $6”
If your car was towed
Where it goes and how to get it back
A car that cannot be driven away from a San Antonio crash is towed to the San Antonio Impound Facility at 3625 Growdon Rd., open 24 hours a day. The tow contractor is Alanis Wrecker Service, LLC, at 210-881-8440. Look your car up on the Autura site the city links, and claim it quickly, because a car left unclaimed for 30 days after notice can be sold at auction.
“Vehicles that remain unclaimed after 30 days, after the owner has been appropriately notified, are eligible to be sold at public auction.”
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.
Texas deadlines that apply in San Antonio
- 2 years
- to sue for injuriesTex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code 16.003(a)
- 2 years
- to sue for car or property damageTex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code 16.003(a)
- 2 years
- for a family to sue after a deathTex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code 16.003(b)
- 6 months
- to notify the government if a public vehicle or road was involvedTex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 101.101(a)
All Texas rules: fault, insurance minimums and the full deadline list
The Texas rules behind your claim
Who pays for the damage
Texas is an at-fault state. The driver who causes a crash is responsible for the other person's injuries and damage.
“Liability insurance pays to repair or replace the other driver's car, or other damaged property, and pays other people's medical expenses when you're at fault in an accident.”
If you were partly at fault
Texas uses modified comparative fault, called proportionate responsibility. You cannot recover any money if your own share of fault is greater than 50 percent.
“a claimant may not recover damages if his percentage of responsibility is greater than 50 percent”
What insurance every driver must carry
Texas drivers must carry at least $30,000 in bodily injury coverage per person, $60,000 per accident, and $25,000 in property damage coverage.
“Texas law requires you to have at least $30,000 of coverage for injuries per person, up to a total of $60,000 per accident, and $25,000 of coverage for property damage. This is called 30/60/25 coverage.”
Sources on this page
Each one was opened and checked on September 17, 2026.
- San Antonio Police Department, File a Police Report
- San Antonio Police Department, General Manual Procedure 707 Crash Investigation
- San Antonio Police Department, General Manual Procedure 402 Differential Police Response
- San Antonio Police Department, Police Open Records Requests
- San Antonio Police Department, Impounded Vehicles
- Bexar County Justice of the Peace Courts, Civil Cases
- Texas Department of Public Safety, Public Information Requests
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.