California Records Guide
Police reports in California are public records requested under the The California Public Records Act; Government Code section 6250-6276.48. Statewide traffic crash reports are handled by the California Highway Patrol (CHP). Local incident reports come from the city or county agency that responded. We cover 64 California cities and 69 law enforcement agencies below.
| State agency | California Highway Patrol (CHP) |
|---|---|
| Official request page | crashes.chp.ca.gov/Identity/Account/Register?returnUrl= |
| State crash report fee | $10 |
| Availability | available within eight (8) business days from the date of the crash |
| Public records law | The California Public Records Act; Government Code section 6250-6276.48 |
General police incident/offense reports are not described on the statewide CHP pages; CHP collision reports are requested through CHP offices or the online crash portal, while other incident reports would be requested from the local police department that handled the case.
City-level guides with agency staffing data and request steps.