How do I get the crash report in Sonoma County, from CHP or a city police department?

The crash report is one of the first documents to gather for an auto accident claim. It records who was involved, what the drivers and witnesses said and how the officer diagrammed the scene. Here is where to get it in Sonoma County.

How do I get the report, step by step?

1. Find the agency and the report number. Check the card or paperwork the officer gave you. If you have nothing, think about where the crash happened: a city street, a highway or an unincorporated road.
2. Confirm you are entitled to it. Drivers, injured people, vehicle owners and their lawyers can get the full report under Vehicle Code 20012.
3. Make the request the way that agency asks. The CHP takes requests in person at any CHP office, by mail or online. City departments use their own forms, online or at a records counter.
4. Bring or send photo ID. Cotati and Santa Rosa, for example, ask for photo ID at pickup.
5. Wait for processing. Expect about one to two weeks once the report is complete; crashes with serious injuries or deaths can take longer.
6. Read it carefully when it arrives, and correct anything wrong through the agency's own process.

Who is allowed to get a copy?

Crash reports are confidential, with an important exception. Under Vehicle Code section 20012, the CHP or the police agency that took the report must give the entire report to anyone with a proper interest, including:

• the drivers involved, or a driver's guardian or conservator, and the parent of a minor driver;
• any person named in the report as injured;
• the owners of vehicles or property damaged in the crash;
• anyone who may be held liable for the crash;
• a driver's authorized representative, and an attorney who declares under penalty of perjury that they represent any of these people.

The full report includes the names and addresses of the people involved, injured or who witnessed the crash, the vehicles' registration numbers and descriptions, the date, time and place, all diagrams, and the statements of the drivers, injured passengers and witnesses. The agency may charge a fee, but no more than the actual cost of the copy.

Which agency has my report?

Start with the agency whose officer came to the scene or took your call. If you are not sure, check any card or paperwork the officer gave you for the agency name and a report number.

Our city pages add local detail. The Rohnert Park page covers its records office and Highway 101 crashes. The Healdsburg page covers its police records request. For the county seat, our Santa Rosa page explains the Records Bureau's counter, forms and Spanish request form. The Petaluma page covers who is entitled to a traffic collision report there.

How long does it take, and what will it cost?

In Cotati, Healdsburg and Petaluma, expect about one to two weeks. Cotati says an approved request takes about 7 to 10 working days and that reports may not be available yet when you first ask; complex investigations can take longer. Healdsburg says to allow 7 to 10 days. Fees vary by agency, but state law caps them at the actual cost of the copy (Vehicle Code 20012). Healdsburg, for example, charges $0.10 per page, and the CHP says it charges only a nominal fee to cover reproduction, set by the office where the report was filed.

Some parts of a report may be held back. Cotati notes that reports can have redacted areas or missing pages, and that reports involving minors are not released without a court order.

What if the report is wrong?

The CHP lets an involved party who disagrees with part of a report write a "supplemental" statement. It should include the report number, your name and the specific items you disagree with, and you can bring it to any CHP office or mail it; the CHP answers by mail. The CHP advises against calling the investigating officer directly, because a phone call cannot be tracked.

A city department may have its own process, so ask its records office. A supplemental statement does not rewrite the officer's conclusions, but it puts your account on file next to them.

What if no officer came to the crash?

If anyone was hurt or killed, a driver must make, or have someone make, a written report to the CHP or, inside a city, to the CHP or the city police, within 24 hours (Vehicle Code 20008). That report is separate from the DMV's SR-1, which is due within 10 days. Our guide on reporting a car accident to the DMV explains who must file the SR-1 and what happens if it is missed. Our guide to the first 30 days after a car accident in Sonoma County explains both.

Why does the report matter for an uninsured motorist claim?

After a hit-and-run, your own uninsured motorist coverage can pay only if the crash was reported within 24 hours to the police of the city where it happened or, outside city limits, to the Sheriff or the CHP, and you give your insurer a sworn statement within 30 days (Insurance Code 11580.2(b)). Read how uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage works for the rest of the rules.

What changes the answer?

Where the crash happened. On a city street, the city police usually take the report. On Highway 101 in Rohnert Park, the city asks for a CHP report. In the Sonoma Valley east of Trinity Road, the CHP's Napa Area office serves the area.

The crash happened in Marin County. The CHP's Marin Area office in Corte Madera and the Marin cities take those reports; see our page on personal injury cases in Marin County.

Someone was seriously hurt or died. Petaluma notes that reports on collisions with injuries or deaths can take longer because of the investigation. After a death, the report also matters to the coroner's work and any criminal case, as our guide on what happens after a fatal crash in Sonoma County explains.

A minor was involved. Cotati says reports involving minors are not released without a court order, although Vehicle Code 20012 lets the parent of a minor driver get the report.

The report covers a crime. Healdsburg notes that reports involving domestic violence, child abuse, sexual assault and elder abuse are confidential and have strict release rules.

The driver fled. The report becomes a condition of your uninsured motorist claim. Our guide on hit-and-run crashes in Sonoma or Marin County covers the other steps.

What could this look like? An example

For example, imagine two cars collide at an intersection in downtown Santa Rosa, and a Santa Rosa police officer takes statements and gives each driver a case number. A week later, one driver goes to the Records Bureau on Sonoma Avenue during counter hours, completes the application for release of information with the case number, and shows photo ID.

The Bureau has 10 days to decide whether copies will be provided. When the report arrives, she sees the officer recorded the wrong lane for her car. She writes down the error, gathers her photos showing the lane markings, and asks the department how to add her account. This example is made up to show the steps; it says nothing about any real case.

What mistakes do people make?

• Calling the CHP for a crash a city department handled, or the reverse, and losing weeks.
• Asking for the report before it is finished and assuming none exists.
• Not keeping the report number from the officer's card.
• Reading only the officer's conclusion and missing a wrong address, a missing witness or a passenger left off the injured list.
• Calling the officer to argue instead of using the written supplemental statement.
• Waiting for the report before seeing a doctor or opening claims; neither should wait.

What should I do this week?

1. Find the agency name and report number on the officer's card or paperwork.
2. Check the agency's process in the table above and submit the request.
3. Keep a copy of your request and note the date you sent it.
4. Gather your own photos and witness contacts, so you can check the report against them.
5. If the other driver fled, confirm the 24-hour report was made and calendar the 30-day sworn statement for your insurer.

What should I check when the report arrives?

• Names and addresses of every driver, owner and witness, and each vehicle's registration number.
• The date, time and exact location.
• Whether every injured person is listed, including you.
• The diagram and the officer's description of how the crash happened.
• Witness names and what they said.

If something looks wrong or is missing, write it down and bring the report to your consultation.

Frequently asked questions

Can my insurance company get the report for me?

Often, yes. Cotati and Petaluma say an insurance company may request the report for you, and Vehicle Code 20012 also covers anyone who may be liable and their representatives.

Do I need the report before I can make a claim?

No. You can report the claim to the insurers right away and send the report when it arrives. The deadlines in our guide to California personal injury deadlines run whether or not the report is ready.

Is the crash report used as proof of fault in court?

Usually not on its own. Vehicle Code 20013 says the accident reports required by that chapter of the Vehicle Code may not be used as evidence in a civil or criminal trial arising out of the crash. Fault is proved through the drivers, the witnesses and the physical evidence, and the report is often how those witnesses are found.

What if the police would not come to my crash?

If someone was injured, a driver must still make a written report within 24 hours (Vehicle Code 20008). Write down the date, time and the agency you contacted.

Can I get the other driver's insurance from the report?

The report names the drivers, owners and vehicles, which is where the other driver's insurance claim usually starts. Each driver also must give their information at the scene (Vehicle Code 20003).

Who handles reports for crashes outside the cities?

The CHP. Its Santa Rosa Area office serves most of Sonoma County, and its Napa Area office serves the Sonoma Valley east of Trinity Road. Our page on personal injury cases in Sonoma County lists the other county offices involved after a crash.

If you or a loved one has been injured in a car accident in Sonoma County, contact Young Law Group today at (707) 343-0556 or through our contact page to schedule your free consultation and learn how we can help.

Sources

• Vehicle Code section 20012 (who may get a crash report, and the fee limit)
• Vehicle Code section 20008 (written report within 24 hours)
• Vehicle Code section 20003 (information drivers must give at the scene)
• Vehicle Code section 20013 (use of accident reports at trial)
• Insurance Code section 11580.2 (hit-and-run reporting for uninsured motorist claims)
• California Highway Patrol: Santa Rosa Area office
• California Highway Patrol: Napa Area office
• California Highway Patrol: Marin Area office (crash report requests, fees and supplemental statements)
• City of Santa Rosa: Police Department Records Bureau questions
• City of Petaluma: contact the Police Department
• City of Petaluma: request a police report (archived copy of October 10, 2025)
• Rohnert Park Public Safety: Police Reports
• Rohnert Park Public Safety: Records FAQs (incidents on Highway 101)
• City of Cotati: Police Records Request
• City of Healdsburg: Police Records Request
• Town of Windsor: Windsor Police Department
• City of Sonoma: Police Department