Are police reports public record? What each state says

The general rule is § 36-12-40(a): "Every resident has a right to inspect and take a copy of any public record of this state, except as otherwise expressly provided by applicable law." [1]

Section 32-10-7(b) is the crash-report rule. Apart from news-gathering organizations, it says "Except as provided above and in subsection (c), disclosure of accident reports shall be made only under the following circumstances," and lists three: when a person's identity is unknown or they deny being at the accident; when directed by a subpoena or court order; and when requested by a listed person (involved parties, a parent or guardian, an estate representative or heir, an insurer, an attorney with written signed consent, a responsible government entity, an owner or lienholder) [2].

News-gathering organizations may get reports "solely for the purpose of publishing or broadcasting the news," and "For 30 days following the accident, the Alabama State Law Enforcement Agency shall limit any personal identifying information contained in any accident report released pursuant to this subsection to the name and age of the person involved." [2]

Section 55-10-108(f)(1): a report "is open to public inspection as a public record under the public records laws compiled in title 10, chapter 7, with the exception of personally identifying information." [3] Section 10-7-504(a)(31)(A) makes "personally identifying information of any person named in any motor vehicle accident report ... confidential and not open for public inspection," and (B) lets a report with that information be given, on written request, to a person named in it, to an agent, legal representative or attorney with certification of permission, and to an owner of real property listed [4].

Using a report for solicitation prohibited by a professional standard of conduct is a Class B misdemeanor, punishable only by a fine of $2,500 per occurrence [3]. The protection for personal details in subdivision (a)(31) was due to expire on June 30, 2026, but Public Chapter 672 of 2026 deleted the paragraph containing that repeal date and took effect April 7, 2026 [12] [13]. The protection remains in force.

The Open Records Act, 51 O.S. § 24A.5: "All records of public bodies and public officials shall be open to any person for inspection, copying, or mechanical reproduction during regular business hours," with listed exceptions [5]. For law enforcement, § 24A.8(B)(1) says that apart from the records listed in subsection A, agencies "may deny access to law enforcement records except where a court finds that the public interest or the interest of an individual outweighs the reason for denial." [6]

Service Oklahoma's Collision Request for Records says: "By law, you are only allowed to obtain your own Collision Report." [7] The form lets requesters tick a permitted reason (government agency, litigation, research, insurer, and others) or supply the driver's written consent [7]. Service Oklahoma's procedure says that if the requester was not involved, or is not authorized to receive reports with personal information, "the information on the report may need to be redacted." [11] The Department of Public Safety says all documents it releases "are redacted to comply with the Driver's Privacy Protection Act, 18 U.S.C. Sections 2721- 2725 and the Oklahoma Open Records Act." [8] The Open Records Act and the "own report" rule are shown side by side; a licensed Oklahoma attorney can explain how they fit together for a particular report.

The FOIA, § 30-4-30(A)(1): "A person has a right to inspect, copy, or receive an electronic transmission of any public record of a public body, except as otherwise provided by Section 30-4-40, or other state and federal laws, in accordance with reasonable rules concerning time and place of access." [9]

Crash reports have a specific rule, § 56-5-1275: no law enforcement employee may allow a person to examine or obtain an accident report when the employee "knows or should reasonably know that the request for access to the report is for commercial solicitation purposes," and persons other than law enforcement and persons named in the report "shall be required to submit a separate written request to the law enforcement agency for each report," stating name, address and intended use [10]. The FOIA separately says "No information contained in a police incident report ... may be utilized for commercial solicitation." [9]

• Alabama crash reports
• Tennessee crash reports
• Oklahoma Highway Patrol accident reports
• South Carolina accident reports
• Crash report finder