Accident reports
Reporting an accident
The driver involved in an accident occurring anywhere within the State of Iowa causing death, personal injury, or total property damage of $1,500 or more should contact the nearest law enforcement agency to have the accident investigated. If a law enforcement agency does not investigate the accident, it must be reported on an Iowa Accident Report form. Failure to return an accident report form within 72 hours from the time of the accident may result in suspension of your driving privileges. Note: You must attempt to completely fill out this report.
Also, the insurance information on page four of the report must be completed. Failure to complete insurance coverage information may result in the suspension of your driving and registration privileges.
The driver's accident report form consists of the following four pages.
- Page 1: Instructions for completing the form
- Page 2: Accident codes used in the form
- Page 3: Accident report form (steps 1 through 7)
- Page 4: Accident report form (steps 8 through 10)
After signing the completed accident report form, mail pages 3 and 4 (you do not need to mail the instruction sheet nor accident code sheet) to:
Iowa Department of Transportation
Systems & Administration Bureau
P.O. Box 9204
Des Moines, Iowa 50306-9204
Obtaining a copy of an accident report
Officer's report: A copy of the officer's report of an accident costs $4. State law allows these reports to be given only to persons involved in the accident, their attorney, insurance companies or insurance agents. To obtain a copy of the report, send a written request with the date of the accident, time, location, and names and driver license numbers of the drivers involved.
Driver's report: To obtain a copy of an accident report that you completed within the last 10 years, send a written request with your driver's license number, a complete mailing address and the date of the accident. Include 50 cents for each accident report.
Mail your request to:
Iowa Department of Transportation
Systems & Administration Bureau
P.O. Box 9204
Des Moines, Iowa 50306-9204
Obtaining limited information of an accident
A $4 fee is required to obtain a limited information accident report.
For limited information regarding an accident, such as date, time, specific location, and immediate facts and circumstances, contact:
Iowa Department of Transportation
Systems & Administration Bureau
P.O. Box 9204
Des Moines, Iowa 50306-9204
E-mail: Accident.Support@iowadot.us
THE FOLLOWING MANUAL and code sheets are FOR POLICE OFFICERS’ REPORTS
If you are a police officer and you have questions about filling out an officer’s accident report, please contact Dennis Kleen at dennis.kleen@iowadot.us
If you are needing to obtain a copy of any other document that is not a crash report, visit Records .