Alaska
How to Get a Police Report in Alaska (2026): Crash & Incident Reports
Independently fact-checked against primary sources (last audited August 11, 2026). · Law checked current as of August 11, 2026. · 3 primary sources cited on this page. How we verify our legal content
Alaska has no online purchase portal for either crash or incident reports. Both run through a written request to the relevant agency: a crash report goes to the Division of Motor Vehicles, while an incident report (an arrest, a theft, an assault) goes to whichever local department or the Department of Public Safety investigated.
Alaska is also one of a small group of states with no dedicated body-worn camera access statute at all. Any bodycam footage a department holds is governed by the same general public-records exception that covers other law enforcement records, described below.
Information last verified on 2026-08-11. This article has not yet been reviewed by a licensed lawyer.
How to Get an Alaska Crash Report
Alaska's Division of Motor Vehicles (DMV) handles crash-report requests statewide, but there is no online purchase system. Two report types exist: a law-enforcement-completed report (DMV Form 12-200) when an officer investigated, and a self-reported form (DMV Form 12-209) a driver files when no officer responded.
How to order: Submit signed DMV Form 440, 'Request for Crash Report Form,' by email to doa.dmv.ads@alaska.gov, by mail to DMV Driver Services (4001 Ingra Street, Suite 101, Anchorage, AK 99503), or in person at a DMV office.
Fee: $10, billed as an electronic invoice after the DMV receives your request; payment is required before the report is released.
Eligibility and timeline: Alaska's own DMV page does not publish a detailed eligibility list beyond the requester's own involvement, or a fixed processing timeline. Alaska Statutes 28.35.080 sets the underlying reporting duties. A driver in a crash involving bodily injury, death, or property damage of $2,000 or more must give immediate notice by the quickest means of communication under subsection (a), and file a written or electronic report within 10 days under subsection (b). Subsection (b) then adds a carve-out that matters to most readers of this page: 'A report is not required under this subsection if the accident is investigated by a peace officer.' So if a trooper or city officer investigated your crash, the 10-day driver report is not yours to file. Subsection (e) instead requires the investigating officer to forward an electronic report to the Department of Administration within 24 hours of completing the investigation, and that officer report is the Form 12-200 you would later request. The statute does not itself state who may later obtain a copy or how quickly it becomes available, so confirm current timing directly with DMV Driver Services when you submit Form 440.
A limit on what the report can be used for: Alaska Statutes 28.35.120 provides that 'a report made in accordance with this chapter may not be used in evidence in a criminal or civil action arising out of the accident that is the subject of the report.' The report is still worth obtaining. It identifies the other driver, the insurers, the responding agency, and the witnesses, and insurers routinely work from it when handling a claim. But if your dispute reaches an Alaska courtroom, do not assume the report itself will be admitted. Ask a lawyer licensed in Alaska how this rule affects your case before you build a claim around the document.
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How to Get an Alaska Police Incident Report
There is no statewide, centralized incident-report portal in Alaska. A request for an arrest, theft, assault, or other non-crash report goes directly to whichever agency investigated.
For a local incident, that typically means the city or borough police department. Anchorage Police Department, the state's largest exemplar, accepts records requests in person or by mail at its Records unit, requiring the case number and the date, time, and location of the incident if you have it. For an incident a state trooper investigated, the request goes to the Alaska Department of Public Safety instead.
Access is governed by Alaska Statutes 40.25.120(a)(6), the state's law-enforcement public-records exception. It withholds 'records or information compiled for law enforcement purposes, but only to the extent that the production' of those records could reasonably be expected to interfere with an enforcement proceeding, deprive someone of a fair trial, invade a suspect's, victim's, or witness's privacy, disclose a confidential source, reveal investigative techniques, or endanger someone's safety. This is a case-by-case standard, not a blanket exemption for every investigative record.
Alaska Police Bodycam Footage
Alaska has no dedicated body-worn camera statute and no statewide bodycam mandate. Whether a given department equips its officers with cameras is a local, not a state, decision.
When a department does hold bodycam footage, a request for it runs through the same general law enforcement exception described above, Alaska Statutes 40.25.120(a)(6), rather than a footage-specific rule. That means there is no separate fee schedule, timeline, or eligibility list written specifically for bodycam requests; expect the same case-by-case withholding standard that applies to any other investigative record, decided by the individual agency holding the footage. For more on how states without a dedicated bodycam statute typically handle these requests, see Alaska Police Bodycam Laws and our guide to requesting body camera footage.
Corrections and Practical Notes
No formal statutory process for correcting a factual error on an Alaska crash or incident report was found; contact the investigating officer's agency directly if you believe a report contains a mistake.
Alaska's two crash-report forms function differently: Form 12-200 is completed by the investigating officer when one responds, while Form 12-209 is a driver's own self-report, filed when no officer investigated. If you were in a minor crash with no responding officer, you may need your own copy of Form 12-209 rather than an officer's report.
For the aftermath of a crash beyond the report itself, see Alaska Car Accident Laws. For the broader public-records framework, see Alaska Public Records Laws and Alaska Court Records. For the general process of filing or reading a report, see How to File a Police Report and How to Read a Police Report.
Disclaimer
This article provides general legal information about how to obtain a police crash report, incident report, or body camera footage in Alaska as verified on 2026-08-11. It does not constitute legal advice and does not create an attorney-client relationship. Readers with a specific records dispute, or who need advice about a specific incident, should consult a lawyer licensed in Alaska.
Last updated: 2026-08-11. Fees and portals reflect their published status as of August 2026.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get a copy of my Alaska crash report?
Submit signed DMV Form 440 by email to doa.dmv.ads@alaska.gov, by mail to DMV Driver Services in Anchorage, or in person at a DMV office. The fee is $10, billed as an electronic invoice after you submit the request.
Is there an online portal for Alaska crash reports?
No. Unlike many states, Alaska has no online purchase system for crash reports. Every request goes through DMV Form 440 by mail, email, or in person.
Do I still have to file a 10-day crash report if a police officer investigated?
No. Alaska Statutes 28.35.080(b) requires a driver's written or electronic report within 10 days after a crash involving injury, death, or $2,000 or more in property damage, but the same subsection states that a report is not required under it if the accident is investigated by a peace officer. In that situation subsection (e) requires the investigating officer to forward an electronic report to the Department of Administration within 24 hours of completing the investigation. The immediate-notice duty in subsection (a) is separate and still applies.
Can I use my Alaska crash report as evidence in court?
Alaska Statutes 28.35.120 provides that a report made in accordance with the state's crash-reporting chapter may not be used in evidence in a criminal or civil action arising out of the accident that is the subject of the report. The report is still useful for identifying drivers, insurers, and witnesses and for handling an insurance claim, but do not assume the document itself will be admitted in a lawsuit. Ask a lawyer licensed in Alaska how the rule applies to your case.
How do I get an Alaska police incident report?
Contact the investigating agency's records unit directly. There is no statewide incident-report portal. Anchorage Police Department, for example, accepts requests in person or by mail with the case number and incident date, time, and location.
Does Alaska have a body-worn camera law?
No. Alaska has no dedicated bodycam statute and no statewide mandate requiring departments to use body cameras. Footage a department holds is accessed through the general law enforcement public-records exception, Alaska Statutes 40.25.120(a)(6).
What is the difference between Alaska crash report Form 12-200 and Form 12-209?
Form 12-200 is completed by the investigating officer when one responds to the crash. Form 12-209 is a driver's own self-report, used when no officer investigated. Which form applies affects what you should request a copy of.
Updates
Corrected the crash-reporting duty to note that Alaska Statutes 28.35.080(b) exempts a driver from the 10-day report when a peace officer investigated the accident, attributed the 24-hour reporting duty to the investigating officer under subsection (e), and added the Alaska Statutes 28.35.120 rule that a crash report may not be used in evidence in a criminal or civil action arising out of the accident.
Independently fact-checked against the cited primary sources; governing law re-checked for recent changes
The Law Behind This Article
This article rests on the statutory provisions below, held in our own legal record and retrieved from the official source. Tap a section to read the operative text.
Alaska Statutes, Title 40. Public Records and Recorders, Chapter 25. Public Record Disclosures
§ 40.25.120Public records; exceptions; certified copiesIn forcecited in 5 of our articles
(a) Every person has a right to inspect a public record in the state, including public records in recorders' offices, except (1) records of vital statistics and adoption proceedings, which shall be treated in the manner required by AS 18.50; (2) records pertaining to juveniles unless disclosure is authorized by law; (3) medical and related public health records; (4) records required to be kept confidential by a federal law or regulation or by state law; (5) to the extent the records are required to be kept confidential under 20 U.S.C. 1232g and the regulations adopted under 20 U.S.C.
Official text (excerpt) · last checked 2026-09-02 · Read the full text in our law library · Verify at akleg.gov
Cited in 11 court opinions in our collectionLatest citing opinion in our collection: 2023
In the courts (editorial summary, independently checked):Basey v. State (2017) held the State cannot invoke the law enforcement interference exception in AS 40.25.120(a)(6)(A) merely by pointing to a pending criminal case against the requester. Fuller v. City of Homer (2003) treated the deliberative process privilege as a state law exception under (a)(4) and held it did not apply there.
Opinions citing this section in our collection:
- Fuller v. City of Homer (Alaska Supreme Court 2003, 75 P.3d 1059)✓A resident sought city staff documents behind an annexation petition; treating the deliberative process privilege as the state law exception in AS 40.25.120(a)(4), the court found the public interest outweighed confidentiality once the petition was filed and ordered disclosure.
- Kaleb Lee Basey v. State of Alaska, Department of Public Safety, Division of State Troopers, Bureau of Investigations (Alaska Supreme Court 2020, 462 P.3d 529)✓A federal prisoner suing state troopers requested their disciplinary records; the court held those records are confidential personnel records under the State Personnel Act, bringing them within AS 40.25.120(a)(4)'s exception for records confidential by state law.
- Basey v. State, Department of Public Safety, Division of Alaska State Troopers, Bureau of Investigations (Alaska Supreme Court 2017, 408 P.3d 1173)“…records related to AST’s use of 1 AS 40.25.120(a)(6)(A). 2 AS 4…”
Identified automatically from the court opinions citing this section — not a ranking of which case controls.
Also relied on in: Alaska Recording Laws (2026): One-Party Consent Rules, Alaska License Plate Reader Laws (2026), Alaska Police Body Camera Laws (2026): Access & Retention
Alaska Statutes, Title 28. Motor Vehicles, Chapter 35. Offenses and Accidents
§ 28.35.080Immediate notice of accidentIn forcecited in 2 of our articles
(a) The driver of a vehicle involved in an accident resulting in bodily injury to or death of a person or total property damage to an apparent extent of $2,000 or more shall immediately by the quickest means of communication give notice of the accident to the local police department if the accident occurs within a municipality, otherwise to the Department of Public Safety. (b) The driver of a vehicle involved in an accident resulting in bodily injury to or death of a person or total property damage to an apparent extent of $2,000 or more shall, within 10 days after the accident, forward a written or electronic report of the accident to the Department of Administration and to the local police department if the accident occurs within a municipality. A report is not required under this subsection if the accident is investigated by a peace officer. (c) The form of accident report required under (b) of this section can be obtained from the department's Internet website, any local police department, or the Department of Public Safety.
Official text (excerpt) · last checked 2026-07-31 · Read the full text in our law library · Verify at akleg.gov
Cited in 21 court opinions in our collectionLatest citing opinion in our collection: 2010
Opinions citing this section in our collection:
- Wylie v. State (Court of Appeals of Alaska 1990, 797 P.2d 651)“…ure to report an accident, a misdemean- or, in violation of AS 28.35.080(a), 3 and driving while in…”
- Adkins v. Lester (Alaska Supreme Court 1974, 530 P.2d 11)“…report and the officer's conclusions were privileged under AS 28.35.080(e) [8] and AS 28.35.120. [9] Because…”
- Parnell v. Peak Oilfield Service Co. (Alaska Supreme Court 2008, 174 P.3d 757)“…eal. 20 a. Negligence per se for violating AS 28.35.080 Parnell builds her theory of neg…”
Identified automatically from the court opinions citing this section — not a ranking of which case controls.
Also relied on in: Alaska Hit and Run Laws: Penalties and What to Do
§ 28.35.120Use of accident reports in evidenceIn force
A report made in accordance with this chapter may not be used in evidence in a criminal or civil action arising out of the accident that is the subject of the report.
Official text (excerpt) · last checked 2026-07-31 · Read the full text in our law library · Verify at akleg.gov
Cited in 7 court opinions in our collectionLatest citing opinion in our collection: 1983
Opinions citing this section in our collection:
- Rutherford v. State (Alaska Supreme Court 1979, 605 P.2d 16)“…t introduction of these memoranda in evidence was barred by AS 28.35.120. 12 That statutory section…”
- Beech Aircraft Corp. v. Harvey (Alaska Supreme Court 1976, 558 P.2d 879)“…v. Lester, 530 P.2d 11, 17 (Alaska 1974), interpreting AS 28.35.120, is inapplicable to the case at bar. Ad…”
- Adkins v. Lester (Alaska Supreme Court 1974, 530 P.2d 11)“…conclusions were privileged under AS 28.35.080(e) [8] and AS 28.35.120. [9] Because of this ruling, the court…”
Identified automatically from the court opinions citing this section — not a ranking of which case controls.
Sources and References
- Alaska Statutes 28.35.080 (Immediate notice of accident)(akleg.gov).gov
- Alaska Statutes 40.25.120 (Public records; exceptions; certified copies)(akleg.gov).gov
- Alaska DMV, Report a Crash(dmv.alaska.gov).gov
- Anchorage Police Department, Request Police Records(anchoragepolice.com)
- Alaska Statutes 28.35.120 (Use of accident reports in evidence)(akleg.gov)