Who can get the report
Anyone. Ohio crash reports are public.
Where to request it
Every electronic Ohio crash report (form OH-1) goes to the Ohio Department of Public Safety (ODPS), which offers them free through its online Crash Retrieval tool. The Columbus Police Department, for example, sends requesters to the ODPS tool rather than selling copies itself.
For photos and other records from a State Highway Patrol crash, use the Highway Patrol public records request. Central Records is at 614-466-3536 and oshpcrashreports@dps.ohio.gov.
What you need
Any one of:
- The crash number, which starts with the 2-digit year
- A date range and the agency that took the report
- The name of a person involved and the county
Fees and timing
Electronic copies from ODPS are free. Local agencies charge $0.05 to $4 per page for paper copies. A report appears once the agency submits it and the state accepts it. Agencies say that takes 5 days to 4 weeks, and the State Highway Patrol says to wait 7 business days.
If the report is not filed yet
If the report is not in the retrieval tool yet, search again in a few days. For a State Highway Patrol crash, call Central Records after 7 business days. For other crashes, ask the agency that responded.