Can You File a Car Insurance Claim Without a Police Report?

Yes, you can file a car insurance claim without a police report. However, when possible, we recommend filing a police report to include in your claim.

Why Police Reports Help Claims

Police reports help claims because they provide more evidence of whose fault the accident was, which will ultimately determine who pays for damages and bodily injuries.

“A police report will typically contain the accident’s date, time and place in addition to any identifying details that may help determine its specifics and facts,” explains independent adjuster Alex Adekola. “This will greatly simplify and speed up the process of figuring out who is responsible for damages and injuries sustained.”

If the car accident wasn’t your fault and you need to make a third-party claim, a police report can substantiate the damages and/or injuries. This can help prevent your premiums from rising after an accident that wasn’t your fault.

“Filing a report helps you to support your claim by serving as evidence to establish the at-fault party’s legal responsibility for your crash, to prove your injuries in the accident and to locate witnesses that can attest to the facts of the crash,” says attorney Andrew J. Rader. “Without a police report, it can make it tough to determine liability. Without a police report, the insurance company might assess a percentage of liability on both sides as they cannot fully determine who was at fault.”

What Happens if You Don’t Report a Car Accident?

If a car accident is your fault, you might feel hesitant to call the police. Still, it’s important to make a report.

“Unfortunately, some folks might not file a police report if they think they are at fault and don’t want a record of the accident,” says attorney Ari Gurian. She recommends filing a report regardless and emphasizes the importance of seeking immediate medical attention.

Drivers may want to avoid points on their license or insurance rate increases. Other reasons are more benign, like not wanting to wait for the police.

“No matter the reason, it is always better to call the police and attempt to have them document the event,” advises attorney Scott Distasio. “Otherwise, you could find out afterward that the other person stops cooperating and the insurance company makes it difficult to get a claim resolved.”

If your accident falls under required reporting laws (which we’ll detail below), you could face legal penalties for not reporting it. But even if it’s not required, without a police report, your insurance provider may deny that the collision happened or otherwise deny coverage. This could leave you liable to pay out of pocket for any damages that result from the accident.

Will I Receive Compensation Without a Police Report?

While including a police report with your claim increases your chances of receiving compensation, you can still file a claim without one. The more information and evidence you can provide, the stronger your claim will be. For example:

• Location, date and time of the crash
• Contact, driver’s license and insurance information of all parties
• Extent of the vehicle damage
• Eyewitness statements
• Medical records
• Photos and/or videos from the scene of the accident
• Traffic or surveillance footage
• Make, model and license plates of vehicles involved

“Depending on how much uncertainty is created by the fact that there is no police report for a given crash, the amount offered by insurance to settle a claim may be less than what you could otherwise get if you had more details in a police report,” explains attorney David W. Holub. If a police report wasn’t obtained, Holub advises taking detailed notes and photos as the next-best option.

“If all the parties agree on what happened, it is certainly possible to resolve a claim or obtain a settlement without one,” says Distasio. “Not having a police report can be a problem, however, when the parties to the accident disagree about what happened or dispute what damage was caused by the accident.

You only need to file a police report after an accident under certain circumstances.

When You Need to File a Police Report

Each state has different reporting requirements and deadlines to file reports.

State	Accident reporting requirements	Deadline to file a police report	Penalties for not reporting
Alabama	Injury, death or property damage worth over $250 by an uninsured motorist	30 days	Class A misdemeanor (up to $1,000 fine) for accidents resulting in property damages, Class C felony ($2,500 to $6,000 fine) for accidents resulting in death or injury
Alaska	Injury, death or property damage worth over $2,000	10 days	License suspension for not more than 30 days; a fine of not more than $200, imprisonment for not more than 90 days or both
Arizona	No state law requiring the driver involved in an accident to file a police report	None	None
Arkansas	Injury, death or property damage worth over $1,000	Immediate (death or injury) or 30 days (property damage)	License suspension and/or a $100 fine
California	Injury, death or property damage worth over $1,000	10 days	License suspension
Colorado	Death, injury or any property damage over $1,000	10 days	Class 2 misdemeanor (up to 90 days in jail and up to $300 fine)
Connecticut	Injury, death or property damage worth over $1,000	5 days	$75 to $600 fine, imprisonment for up to five years or both for first offense; fine of up to $20,000, imprisonment for up to 20 years if accident caused death or serious injury
Delaware	Injury, death or property damage worth over $500	Immediately	$230 to $1,150 fine, imprisonment for 60 days to six months
District of Columbia	Property damage more than $250	5 days	$100 to $2,500 fine, imprisonment up to 180 days for first offense
Florida	Death or injury, property damage worth over $500	As soon as possible	$30 fine
Georgia	Injury, death or property damage over $500	Immediately	Up to $1,000 fine, imprisonment for up to one year
Hawaii	Injury, death or property damage worth over $3,000	Immediately	At least $100 fine
Idaho	Injury, death or property damage worth over $1,500	Immediately	Up to $1,000 fine, imprisonment for up to six months and license suspension for up to one year
Illinois	Injury, death or property damage worth over $1,500 or $500 if any vehicle is uninsured	10 days	Class A misdemeanor (up to $2,500 fine, imprisonment for up to one year)
Indiana	Injury, death or property damage worth over $1,000	Immediately	Class B misdemeanor (up to $500 fine, imprisonment for up to 60 days, license suspension or revocation)
Iowa	Report not required for an accident with death, injury or damage of $1,500 or more if the accident was investigated by the police	3 days if a report is required	Up to $1,500 fine, imprisonment for up to one year
Kansas	Injury, death or property damage worth over $1,000	Immediately	License suspension, imprisonment for up to one month
Kentucky	Injury, death or property damage worth over $500	10 days	Fine of $20 to $100
Louisiana	Injury, death or property damage over $500	Immediately	Up to $100 fine, imprisonment for up to 60 days
Maine	Injury, death or property damage worth over $1,000	Immediately	Imprisonment for 6 months and a $1,000 fine
Maryland	Death or injury	15 days	Imprisonment for up to 60 days, $500 fine, 8 points on driving record
Massachusetts	Injury, death or property damage worth over $1,000	5 days	License suspension
Michigan	Injury, death or property damage worth over $1,000	Immediately	Imprisonment for not more than 90 days, a fine of not more than $100 or both
Minnesota	Injury, death or property damage worth over $1,000	10 days	License suspension
Mississippi	Injury, death or property damage worth over $500	10 days	License suspension
Missouri	Injury, death or property damage worth over $500	5 days	License suspension, fine or possible misdemeanor charge
Montana	Injury, death or property damage worth over $1,000	Immediately	Misdemeanor ($200 to $300 fine or imprisonment for 20 days)
Nebraska	Injury, death or property damage worth over $1,500	10 days	Class V misdemeanor (maximum fine of $100)
Nevada	Injury, death or property damage worth over $750	10 days	Driving privileges suspension for maximum of 1 year
New Hampshire	Injury, death or property damage worth over $1,000; driver report not required if police file report	15 days	Felony if the accident caused death or injury, misdemeanor if there was only property damage
New Jersey	Injury, death or property damage worth over $500	10 days	License suspension, $30 to $100 fine
New Mexico	Injury, death or property damage worth over $500	5 days	Up to $1,000 in fines, imprisonment up to six months if only property damage involved
New York	Injury, death or property damage worth over $1,000	10 days	Fine up to $250, 15 days imprisonment or both
North Carolina	Injury, death or property damage worth over $1,000	Immediately	Misdemeanor charge, license suspension for up to 30 days
North Dakota	Injury, death or property damage worth over $4,000; report not required for property damage only with an undomesticated animal	Immediately	$50 fine, license suspension
Ohio	Injury, death or property damage worth over $1,000	5 days	Misdemeanor charge
Oklahoma	Injury, death or property damage worth over $500	Immediately (death or injury) or 6 months (property damage)	License suspension
Oregon	Injury or death, more than $2,500 in damage to driver’s vehicle, more than $2,500 in damage to any vehicle, any vehicle towed from the scene, more than $2,500 of any property damage (not including a vehicle); 911 call required if there’s an injury or fatality	72 hours	License suspension
Pennsylvania	Death, injury or disabled vehicle	5 days	$2,500 fine, imprisonment for up to one year
Rhode Island	Injury, death or property damage worth over $1,000	21 days	License suspension
South Carolina	Injury, death or property damage worth over $1,000	15 days	Misdemeanor and license suspension
South Dakota	Death, injury, property damage worth over $1,000 to 1 person’s property or $2,000 of total property damage	Immediately	Class 1 misdemeanor ($2,000 fine, one year of imprisonment or both)
Tennessee	Injury, death or property damage worth over $50	Immediately (death, injury or property damage of $50 to $400) or 20 days (death, injury or property damage worth over $400)	License and registration suspension
Texas	Injury, death or property damage worth over $1,000	Immediately (death or injury) or 10 days (property damage)	License suspension
Utah	Injury, death or property damage worth over $1,500	10 days	Third-degree felony, up to $750 fine
Vermont	Injury, death or property damage worth over $3,000	3 days	Up to $1,000 fine
Virginia	Property damage, death or injury	Immediately	Class 4 misdemeanor (up to $250 fine)
Washington	Injury, death or property damage worth over $1,000	4 days	Fine of $550 or more
West Virginia	Injury, death or property damage worth over $1,000	Immediately	Up to $150 fine
Wisconsin	Injury, death or property damage worth over $1,000 or government property damage of $200 or more	Immediately to law enforcement by quickest means of communication	$300 to $1,000 fine, imprisonment for up to 6 months
Wyoming	Injury, death or property damage worth over $1,000	Immediately	Up to $5,000 fine, imprisonment for up to 1 year1

When You Don’t Need to File a Police Report

If your accident doesn’t fall into the above circumstances in your state, then you’re not required legally to file a police report. However, to ensure you’re covered under a claim, it’s a good idea to file a police report as it can serve as valuable evidence to support your claim.

“You usually won’t need a police report if the car accident is minor, meaning there are no individuals hurt or injured and there’s only minor damage to the cars involved,” says Adekola. “But having one can make the claims process proceed much faster as it helps prove the validity of your claim or your account of the accident.”

“The bigger the accident and the more significant the damages, then the more important it becomes to get a police report to include when filing an insurance claim,” says Holub.

You have a set amount of time when you can file a police report and receive personal injury or damage claims. Check your state’s statute of limitations below.

If you get into an accident, it’s best to report it to the police before filing a claim with your insurance provider. Here’s how.

Reporting an Accident

1. Call the police or highway patrol so they can make a police report.
2. Ask each officer for their names and badge numbers. Write them down.
3. If the police are unable to come to the scene, go to the local police station and fill out an accident report.
4. Get a copy of the report, or ask your car accident lawyers to get a copy for you.

Filing a Claim

1. File an insurance claim, including your police report.
2. Your insurance provider will file a claim with the other party’s insurance provider, and the insurance companies will communicate about the car accident claim.
3. You’ll work with an insurance adjuster to determine fault. Give them a copy of the police report and any other information they request.
4. If the accident is your fault, your insurance provider will pay the other party’s damage and bodily injury costs up to your limit. If the accident isn’t your fault, you’ll be compensated.

If you are involved in a car accident, your instinct may be to exchange information with the other driver and get home as quickly as possible, but it’s important to call a police officer and make a report. It could be the difference between getting a claim covered and paying out of pocket.

If you need help, you may want to call a car accident attorney; they can help you get compensated for everyone involved in the accident. You may even be able to get a free case evaluation at some firms.

The best auto insurance companies have fair and transparent claims practices and will do their best to help you get the claim filed with the information you have.