Florida Crash Report: When You Must Call Police, the 10-Day Self-Report and How to Get a Copy
$2,000. Since October 1, 2026, that's the apparent damage that makes a Florida driver call the police after a crash with no injuries. It used to be $500 (s. 316.065(1), as amended by ch. 2026-39). Any injury or death still means you call right away, whatever the damage.
That change matters for your crash report, because the report is what your insurer, the other driver's insurer and, if it comes to that, a lawyer will build the claim on. Below: which crashes get a police report and which get your own self-report, the deadlines, the 60-day privacy window, how to buy a copy for $10, what's on it, and how it ties into PIP, fault and uninsured motorist claims.
Source: s. 316.065; ch. 2026-39; s. 316.066; FLHSMV Florida Crash Portal.
When you have to call the police
Under s. 316.065(1), the driver of a vehicle in a crash that causes injury to or death of anyone, or apparent damage to any vehicle or other property of at least $2,000, has to "immediately by the quickest means of communication" notify:
- the local police department if the crash happened inside a city or town, or
- the county sheriff or the nearest Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) station if it happened outside one.
In practice that means calling 911 from the scene. Skipping the call is a noncriminal traffic infraction, a nonmoving violation. The $2,000 figure took effect October 1, 2026, through Section 7 of ch. 2026-39 (SB 488); the 2025 version of the statute said $500.
One heads-up: as of this writing, FLHSMV's own crash report page and its "Involved in a Crash?" page still list $500. The statute controls; until those pages are updated, go by the $2,000 in the law.
My read: don't try to judge $2,000 of damage at the curb. A cracked bumper cover on a newer car can hide sensors, brackets and paint blending that push the bill well past that, and the statute penalizes skipping a required call, not making an extra one. If you're unsure, call.
The duty to call sits on top of the duties every driver has at the scene:
| Situation | What Florida law requires | Statute |
|---|---|---|
| Anyone hurt or killed | Stop, stay at the scene, exchange information, give reasonable aid; call police immediately. Willfully leaving is a felony. | 316.027, 316.065 |
| Damage of $2,000 or more (apparent) | Call the local police, sheriff or FHP immediately | 316.065(1) |
| Property damage only, other car or property attended | Stop and stay until you've exchanged name, address and registration, and show your license if asked. Leaving is a second-degree misdemeanor. | 316.061(1), 316.062 |
| Damaged car blocking traffic | Make every reasonable effort to move it out of the travel lanes | 316.061(2) |
| You hit a parked, unattended car or other property | Stop; find the owner or leave a written note with your name, address and registration; notify police without unnecessary delay | 316.063(1) |
| Officer on scene | Show proof of insurance; officer tells each driver to share owner/driver name and address, plate number and liability carrier | 316.066(1)(d), 316.070 |
| Driver too hurt to report | Another capable occupant reports; if the driver can't file a written report, the owner does within 10 days | 316.064 |
Source: s. 316.065; 316.027; 316.061; 316.062; 316.063; 316.064; 316.066; 316.070; Florida Statutes (2026).
On proof of insurance: if you can't show it at the scene, you can be cited. If you bring the agency proof that was valid at the time of the crash within 24 hours, the agency may void the citation (s. 316.066(1)(d)). Keep your card in the car and on your phone.
When the officer writes a long-form report
Calling the police and getting a full report aren't the same thing. The officer who investigates must complete a Florida Traffic Crash Report, Long Form and submit it to FLHSMV within 10 days after finishing the investigation when the crash (s. 316.066(1)(a)):
- caused a death, an injury, or "any indication of complaints of pain or discomfort" by any driver or passenger;
- involved leaving the scene of a property-damage crash (s. 316.061(1)) or DUI (s. 316.193);
- left a vehicle inoperable to the point that a wrecker had to tow it from the scene; or
- involved a commercial motor vehicle.
Notice how low the bar in item 1 is. "Complaints of pain or discomfort" is enough. If your neck hurts, say so to the officer. That single statement is what moves a crash from a short form to a long form with a narrative and a diagram, and the long form is the version that's useful in an injury claim.
Hit-and-runs land on the long form two ways: leaving the scene of a property-damage crash is item 2, and a hit-and-run that injures someone qualifies under item 1. FLHSMV also lists hit-and-run among the crashes where you should stay and call 911 (FLHSMV).
For every other crash on a public road, the officer completes a short-form report or hands out a driver exchange-of-information form for everyone to fill in (s. 316.066(1)(c)). FLHSMV's crash manual says the short form doesn't need a narrative or diagram (FLHSMV Crash Manual).
Both forms list the vehicles, every driver and passenger, witnesses, the officer, and each party's insurance company (s. 316.066(1)(b)-(c)).
No police report? The 10-day self-report
Here's the part most Florida drivers have never heard of. When a crash damages a vehicle or other property but doesn't require a law enforcement report, each driver involved must submit a written report to FLHSMV within 10 days after the crash on a department-approved form (s. 316.066(1)(e)). Not filing it is a noncriminal traffic infraction (s. 316.066(3)(a)).
With the police-call threshold now at $2,000, more minor crashes fall into this lane: a parking-lot scrape, a low-speed tap at a light in Orlando or Tampa, nobody hurt, both cars drivable.
The form is HSMV 90011S, "Driver Report of Traffic Crash (Self Report) / Driver Exchange of Information" (FLHSMV form, rev. 11/2019). It asks for:
- date, time, county, city and street of the crash;
- for each vehicle: year, make, body type, plate, VIN, insurance company and policy number, owner, driver, driver license number and passengers;
- witnesses' names and addresses;
- your signature and the date.
You can email the signed form to SelfReportCrashes@flhsmv.gov or mail it to FLHSMV Crash Records, 2900 Apalachee Parkway, MS 28, Tallahassee, FL 32399. FLHSMV says to keep a copy "for your records and insurance purposes" (FLHSMV).
Fill it out at the scene with the other driver if you can. You need their insurer and policy number anyway, and the form makes you ask for both. Photograph their license, registration and insurance card too.
The clocks that start on crash day
Several deadlines run at once after a Florida crash, and they come from different laws. The one that costs people the most money is the 14-day PIP rule, because it has nothing to do with the report.
| When | What happens | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| Crash day | Stop, exchange information, help the injured; call police if anyone is hurt or damage looks like $2,000+ | 316.065, 316.062 |
| Within 24 hours | Show the agency proof of insurance valid at the time of the crash; it may void a no-proof citation | 316.066(1)(d) |
| Within 10 days | Self-report to FLHSMV if no law enforcement report is required | 316.066(1)(e) |
| Within 10 days of finishing the investigation | Officer submits the long or short form to FLHSMV; reports may not show on the portal for up to 10 days | FLHSMV Crash Manual, 316.066(1)(a), Crash Portal |
| Within 14 days | Get initial medical care, or PIP medical benefits aren't payable | 627.736(1)(a) |
| 60 days after the report is filed | Confidentiality period ends; wider access under federal driver-privacy rules | 316.066(2)(a), (f) |
Source: s. 316.066; 316.065; 627.736; FLHSMV Crash Manual; FLHSMV Florida Crash Portal.
The PIP clock counts from the crash, not from when the report is filed or when you feel worse. Under s. 627.736(1)(a), PIP pays 80% of reasonable medical expenses only if you get initial services and care within 14 days after the accident. I covered the details, including the $2,500 cap when a provider finds no emergency medical condition, in the Florida PIP 14-day rule post.
The 60-day rule: who can get a crash report
Florida crash reports that show the identity, home or work address or phone number, or other personal information of the people involved are confidential and exempt from public records law for 60 days after the report is filed (s. 316.066(2)(a)). The point is to keep solicitors away from crash victims while they're most vulnerable.
That doesn't lock you out of your own report. The statute lets these people get it right away (s. 316.066(2)(b)):
| Who | During the first 60 days? |
|---|---|
| Drivers, passengers and other parties involved | Yes |
| Their legal representatives (attorneys) | Yes |
| Their licensed insurance agents | Yes |
| Their insurers, or insurers they've applied to for coverage | Yes |
| Companies under contract with those insurers for claims or underwriting information | Yes |
| Law enforcement, victim services programs, government agencies | Yes |
| Licensed radio/TV stations and qualifying newspapers | Yes, with addresses, license numbers, birth dates and phone numbers removed |
| Anyone else | No. After 60 days, access follows the federal Driver's Privacy Protection Act permissible uses (18 U.S.C. 2721(b)) |
Source: s. 316.066(2); HSMV Form 94010.
To get a report in the 60-day window you show a driver license or other photo ID and sign a sworn statement, for each report, that you won't use it to solicit crash victims (s. 316.066(2)(d)). By mail or at an FHP station that's HSMV Form 94010, signed under penalty of perjury and notarized; it notes that anyone eligible during the 60 days stays eligible afterward (HSMV 94010).
The penalties are real. Knowingly getting, or trying to get, a confidential crash report you aren't entitled to is a third-degree felony (s. 316.066(3)(c)). That's why the portal makes you pick an eligibility category before it lets you search.
One more date to watch: this confidentiality subsection is under Florida's Open Government Sunset Review Act and is repealed on October 2, 2027 unless the Legislature reenacts it (s. 316.066(2)(h)). The Legislature would have to act before then to keep it.
How to get a copy and what it costs
FLHSMV calls itself "the state's official repository for crash records" (FLHSMV). Officers file long- and short-form reports with the department, and their own agency may keep a copy too (s. 316.066(1)(f)). So you have two places to ask: FLHSMV, or the police department, sheriff's office or FHP troop that worked the crash.
| Where | Cost | Speed and limits |
|---|---|---|
| Florida Crash Portal (online) | $10 per report + $2 per transaction | Up to 10 reports per transaction; link emailed, download within 48 hours; crashes from the last 10 days may not show yet |
| FHP troop station nearest the crash (in person) | $10 per report (s. 321.23) | 10 or fewer records; signed statement required |
| FLHSMV Crash Records by mail, Tallahassee | $10 per report; check or money order to "FLHSMV" | Request letter + signed statement for each report; 4 to 6 weeks |
| The local agency that investigated | Set by the agency | Contact the police department, sheriff's office or FHP troop that investigated |
| Other driver's policy number (form HSMV 83392) | No fee listed | Attach the full crash report or your self-report; allow 10 working days |
Source: s. 321.23(2)(a); Florida Crash Portal; FLHSMV Traffic Crash Reports; FLHSMV: Involved in a Crash?; s. 324.242(2).
The $10 comes from s. 321.23(2)(a). The $2 portal fee is per payment, not per report, and it's non-refundable. Example: buy three reports in one checkout and you pay $32 (3 x $10 + $2). Reports arrive as a Zip file of PDFs (Florida Crash Portal).
FLHSMV warns that reports can take up to 10 days to show up, because agencies have 10 days to submit them. If it isn't there on day three, that's normal.
Need the other driver's insurance? Under s. 324.242(2), FLHSMV will release the policy number for a vehicle in the crash to anyone involved, their attorney, or a representative of an involved person's insurer, once it has a request and proof of a crash report. FLHSMV's process is form HSMV 83392 plus the complete crash report, front and back, or your self-report, mailed or faxed to its Customer Service Correspondence Center (FLHSMV). That's another reason the self-report is worth filing even for a small crash: it's proof of a crash report.
How the report feeds your insurance claim
Your policy, not the crash report statute, sets when you must tell your own insurer about a crash; look for the duties-after-an-accident section. Don't wait for the report to arrive. Call in the claim, give them the agency name and report number, and let the adjuster pull the report themselves. Insurers can get it during the 60-day window.
Here's where the report does work:
- Who the other driver is and who insures them. The report lists every party's insurance company (s. 316.066(1)(b)). Without it you're relying on whatever the other driver told you at the curb.
- Fault. Florida bars you from recovering anything in a negligence lawsuit if you're found more than 50% at fault for your own harm (s. 768.81(6)). Your own statements in the report can't be used as evidence at trial, but the witnesses, photos and diagram the officer recorded point everyone to the evidence that can. The Florida comparative negligence post explains how the percentages work.
- Injury claims. A long form that notes complaints of pain documents that someone said they were hurt at the scene. Pair that with care inside 14 days for PIP.
- Hit-and-run and uninsured drivers. Uninsured motorist coverage, if you carry it, is generally what responds when the other driver disappears or has no bodily injury liability. A police report made at the time is the cleanest record that another vehicle was involved. See the Florida uninsured motorist post.
- License consequences for the uninsured driver. FLHSMV says that if the at-fault driver was charged with a moving violation and injuries were noted on the report, the at-fault owner or driver had to have liability coverage in effect; if not, the department requires an SR-22 filing for three years, plus releases or a security deposit (FLHSMV). The SR-22 Florida post covers that process.
What the crash report doesn't do is decide coverage. Whether your collision coverage pays, what your deductible is, and whether you carry uninsured motorist coverage at all are on your declarations page. Check those now, not after the crash. The Florida car insurance requirements post lists what the state makes you carry (PIP and property damage liability) and what it doesn't.
If the report is wrong
Wrong plate, misspelled name, the wrong insurer, or a narrative that has you in the wrong lane: it happens. Florida's statutes don't set out a form for drivers to amend an officer's report. FLHSMV's crash manual describes an "update" used "to update or upgrade information previously recorded on a Florida Traffic Crash Report," tied to the original report numbers and carrying the reporting officer's name, signature and badge number (FLHSMV Crash Manual). In other words, changes come from the investigating agency, not from you.
What to do:
- Buy the report as soon as it's on the portal and read every field, including the insurance company and policy number for each vehicle.
- For factual errors (names, plates, VIN, insurer), call the agency on the report, give the agency case number and the HSMV report number, and ask how they handle corrections or supplemental information. Have documents ready: your registration, insurance card, license.
- If you disagree with the officer's account of what happened, rather than a fact like a plate number, a correction may not be possible. Write down your account, collect witness contact information and photos, and give them to your adjuster.
- If your self-report had an error, contact FLHSMV Crash Records at the address on the form and ask how to correct it; keep copies.
Florida crash numbers, statewide and by county
FLHSMV's latest annual Florida Traffic Crash Facts report covers 2024 (data closed out January 22, 2026). It counts only "codable" crashes, the ones that meet the long-form criteria above, so minor fender benders and drivers' self-reports aren't in it (FLHSMV 2024 Crash Facts).
Source: FLHSMV, Florida Traffic Crash Facts Annual Report 2024, statistics summary.
Roughly one in four 2024 crashes was a hit-and-run: 97,999 crashes, with 242 hit-and-run deaths. Another 217,587 crashes, 57%, were property damage only. That hit-and-run number is the practical case for knowing whether you carry uninsured motorist coverage.
By county, the crash counts follow population and traffic. Miami-Dade alone had 60,000 crashes, 15.7% of the state total, and the ten counties below account for 66% of Florida's crashes.
Source: FLHSMV, Florida Traffic Crash Facts Annual Report 2024, Traffic Crash and Injury History by County
Show the numbers
| County | Crashes |
|---|---|
| Miami-Dade | 60,000 |
| Broward | 38,338 |
| Palm Beach | 26,550 |
| Hillsborough | 26,269 |
| Orange | 25,415 |
| Duval | 23,013 |
| Lee | 14,737 |
| Pinellas | 14,391 |
| Polk | 12,755 |
| Volusia | 9,014 |
| County | Crashes | Deaths | Injuries |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miami-Dade | 60,000 | 272 | 29,359 |
| Broward | 38,338 | 235 | 23,115 |
| Palm Beach | 26,550 | 207 | 16,564 |
| Hillsborough | 26,269 | 180 | 17,359 |
| Orange | 25,415 | 153 | 19,495 |
| Duval | 23,013 | 153 | 15,480 |
| Lee | 14,737 | 123 | 9,035 |
| Pinellas | 14,391 | 108 | 8,804 |
| Polk | 12,755 | 114 | 10,104 |
| Volusia | 9,014 | 108 | 5,630 |
| Florida (all 67 counties) | 381,423 | 3,098 | 246,426 |
Source: FLHSMV, Florida Traffic Crash Facts Annual Report 2024; figures subject to change as late reports arrive.
Small counties look very different: Washington County in the Panhandle had 368 crashes in 2024. The reporting rules are the same everywhere.
FAQ
Do I have to report a car accident in Florida?
Yes, if anyone is injured or killed, or apparent damage is at least $2,000 (the threshold since October 1, 2026; it was $500). Call the local police, sheriff or Florida Highway Patrol right away. For smaller property-damage crashes that don't require a law enforcement report, each driver must send FLHSMV a written self-report within 10 days.
How do I get a crash report in Florida?
Buy it on FLHSMV's Florida Crash Portal for $10 per report plus a $2 fee per transaction, or ask at the FHP troop station nearest the crash, by mail from FLHSMV Crash Records, or from the agency that investigated. Reports can take up to 10 days to appear.
Why can't I get a Florida crash report right away?
Officers have 10 days after finishing the investigation to submit reports, and for 60 days after filing a report is confidential. Parties involved, their attorneys, licensed insurance agents and insurers can still get it during those 60 days after showing ID and signing a sworn statement.
What is the Florida self-report crash form?
Form HSMV 90011S, the Driver Report of Traffic Crash (Self Report). It is used when a crash damages a vehicle or property but doesn't require a law enforcement report, and it must be submitted to FLHSMV within 10 days after the crash, by email to SelfReportCrashes@flhsmv.gov or by mail.
For how PIP, property damage liability, uninsured motorist and collision coverage fit together in Florida, see our Florida auto insurance page; for liability limits above your auto policy, the Florida umbrella insurance page.
Your own policy wording and Florida law control how any claim is handled. Confirm your situation with a licensed agent, the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation or Department of Financial Services, or, for legal questions, an attorney.
Sources
- Florida Statutes s. 316.065 (2026): Crashes; reports; penalties
- Florida Statutes s. 316.065 (2025): prior $500 threshold
- Laws of Florida ch. 2026-39 (SB 488), Section 7 and effective date
- Florida Statutes s. 316.066 (2026): Written reports of crashes
- Florida Statutes s. 316.027: Crash involving death or personal injuries
- Florida Statutes s. 316.061 (2026): Crashes involving damage to vehicle or property
- Florida Statutes s. 316.062 (2026): Duty to give information and render aid
- Florida Statutes s. 316.063 (2026): Duty upon damaging unattended vehicle or other property
- Florida Statutes s. 316.064 (2026): When driver unable to report
- Florida Statutes s. 316.070 (2026): Exchange of information at scene of crash
- Florida Statutes s. 321.23 (2026): Fees for copies of crash reports
- Florida Statutes s. 324.242: Release of policy numbers after a crash
- Florida Statutes s. 627.736: PIP benefits, 14-day initial care rule
- Florida Statutes s. 768.81: Comparative fault
- FLHSMV: Traffic Crash Reports (self-report, mail and in-person requests)
- FLHSMV: Florida Crash Portal (fees, eligibility, availability)
- FLHSMV: Driver Report of Traffic Crash (Self Report), form HSMV 90011S
- FLHSMV: Sworn Statement for Obtaining Crash Report within 60 Days, form HSMV 94010
- FLHSMV: Involved in a Crash? (insurance information, Financial Responsibility)
- FLHSMV: Florida Traffic Crash Report Manual
- FLHSMV: Florida Traffic Crash Facts Annual Report 2024
- FLHSMV: Crash and Citation Reports & Statistics
This article is for general educational purposes only and is not legal, tax or insurance advice. Coverage depends on the actual policy, its terms, conditions and exclusions, and state law. Maru Insurance · WA License (WAOIC) #1365574 · FL License #G363233 · NPN 22261820.