Colorado
How to Get a Police Report in Colorado (2026): Crash & Incident Reports
Colorado splits crash-report requests by jurisdiction, much like Arizona and California: the Colorado State Patrol (CSP) handles state-highway crashes, while a local department handles crashes on city or county roads. Incident reports for non-crash matters go through the Colorado Open Records Act (CORA) and its criminal-justice-records counterpart.
Colorado also has one of the more detailed bodycam statutes in the country. Since 2023, every local agency and CSP must equip officers with body-worn cameras, and a specific, request-triggered release process governs misconduct-complaint footage.
Information last verified on 2026-08-11. This article has not yet been reviewed by a licensed lawyer.
How to Get a Colorado Crash Report
State highways (Colorado State Patrol): Order online through CSP's Online Accident Report Request form, by email to cdps_csprecords@state.co.us, or by mail or fax to CSP Central Records Unit, 700 Kipling Street, Lakewood, CO 80215. The Colorado Department of Transportation also distributes electronic copies of CSP reports.
Local roads: Contact the police department for the city or county where the crash happened. Denver, as an exemplar, accepts Colorado Open Records Act requests online, by email, in person, or by mail through its own police records unit.
Fee and timeline: CSP's own fee and processing-time page was not reachable during this research pass; contact CSP Central Records directly, or the local department for a local-road crash, to confirm the current fee schedule and turnaround time before submitting a request.
Confidentiality: Colorado Revised Statutes 42-4-1610, confirmed directly against the statute's text, makes a driver's or owner's own accident report confidential for the department's use, while stating plainly that this rule 'shall not be construed to mean that reports of investigation or other reports made by sheriffs, police officers, coroners, or other peace officers shall be confidential,' since those are public records subject to Colorado Revised Statutes 42-1-206.
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How to Get a Colorado Police Incident Report
An incident report for an arrest, theft, or other non-crash offense goes through the Colorado Open Records Act (CORA) and its law-enforcement counterpart, the Colorado Criminal Justice Records Act (CCJRA), submitted to the investigating agency.
Colorado Revised Statutes 24-72-305, confirmed directly against the statute's text, lets a records custodian deny access to 'records of investigations conducted by or of intelligence information or security procedures of any sheriff, district attorney, or police department or any criminal justice investigatory files' on the ground that disclosure would be contrary to the public interest. If a custodian denies a request, the requester can ask for a written statement of the grounds within 72 hours, and can apply to district court for an order compelling disclosure, with the court able to award costs and attorney fees if it finds the denial was arbitrary or capricious.
Denver Police Department, as a large-city exemplar, accepts CORA and CCJRA requests through multiple channels; confirm Denver's current fee schedule and response-time commitment directly with its records unit, since specific figures were not independently confirmed on the department's own page during this research pass.
Colorado Police Bodycam Footage
Colorado Revised Statutes 24-31-902, enacted by SB20-217 and confirmed directly against the statute's text, required that 'by July 1, 2023, all local law enforcement agencies in the state and the Colorado state patrol shall provide body-worn cameras for each peace officer of the law enforcement agency who interacts with members of the public.' Officers must generally activate the camera when responding to a call, entering a premises to enforce the law, or during most public interactions initiated to enforce the law, subject to specific exceptions such as undercover work or purely personal breaks.
The release process differs depending on whether the footage relates to a misconduct complaint. For any incident with a complaint of peace officer misconduct, the agency must release unedited video and audio to the public within 21 days after receiving the request. A misconduct complaint is a prerequisite for this specific track, not a general 'anyone can request any bodycam footage' rule.
Agencies may delay release up to 45 days from the date of the alleged misconduct if disclosure 'would substantially interfere with or jeopardize an active or ongoing investigation,' with a prosecuting attorney required to provide a written justification for the delay. Video that raises substantial privacy concerns, nudity, sexual assault, a mental-health crisis, a medical emergency, must be blurred rather than withheld outright, unless blurring is insufficient, in which case the affected person or their next of kin may still request the unblurred version. Video depicting a death must be provided on request to the victim's spouse, parent, child, or other listed family member, who must also be notified of the right to review it at least 72 hours before any public release.
See Colorado Police Bodycam Laws and our guide to requesting body camera footage for the full redaction and timing framework.
Corrections and Practical Notes
No Colorado-specific statutory process for correcting a factual error on a crash or incident report was found; contact the investigating agency directly.
A peace officer who intentionally fails to activate a body-worn camera when required, or who tampers with the footage, faces a rebuttable presumption against admitting unrecorded statements in a related prosecution, and the officer's own employer must impose discipline up to termination if a court or internal investigation confirms the violation, per Colorado Revised Statutes 24-31-902(1)(a)(III)-(IV).
For the aftermath of a crash beyond the report itself, see Colorado Car Accident Laws. For the broader public-records framework, see Colorado Public Records Laws and Colorado 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 Colorado 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 Colorado.
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 Colorado crash report?
For a state-highway crash, use Colorado State Patrol's online request form, email cdps_csprecords@state.co.us, or mail CSP Central Records Unit in Lakewood. For a local-road crash, contact the city or county police department that responded.
Are Colorado police investigation reports confidential?
No, not by default. Colorado Revised Statutes 42-4-1610 makes only a driver's own accident report confidential for the department's use. Officer investigation reports are public records subject to Colorado Revised Statutes 42-1-206.
How do I get a Colorado police incident report?
Submit a Colorado Open Records Act (CORA) or Colorado Criminal Justice Records Act (CCJRA) request to the investigating agency. The CCJRA lets the custodian deny access to investigatory files on public-interest grounds, appealable to district court.
How fast must Colorado release bodycam footage of a misconduct complaint?
Within 21 days of the request, under Colorado Revised Statutes 24-31-902. The agency may delay up to 45 days from the date of the alleged misconduct if disclosure would substantially interfere with an active investigation, with a prosecutor required to justify the delay in writing.
Does every Colorado police department have to use body cameras?
Yes. By July 1, 2023, Colorado Revised Statutes 24-31-902 required every local law enforcement agency and the Colorado State Patrol to equip each peace officer who interacts with the public with a body-worn camera.
Updates
Governing law re-checked for recent changes
Independently fact-checked against the cited primary sources
The Law Behind This Article
This article rests on 3 statutory provisions held in our own legal record, each retrieved from the official source. Tap a section to read the operative text.
Colorado Revised Statutes, Title 24: Government - State
§ 24-31-902Incident recordings - release - tampering - fineIn forcecited in 2 of our articles
(1) (a) (I) By July 1, 2023, all local law enforcement agencies in the state and the Colorado state patrol shall provide body-worn cameras for each peace officer of the law enforcement agency who interacts with members of the public. Law enforcement agencies may seek funding pursuant to section 24-33.5-519. (II) (A) Except as provided in subsection (1)(a)(II)(B) or (1)(a)(II)(C) of this section, a peace officer shall wear and activate a body-worn camera or dash camera, if the peace officer's vehicle is equipped with a dash camera, when responding to a call for service, entering into a premises for the purposes of enforcing the law or in response to a call for service, during a welfare check except for a motorist assist, or during any interaction with the public initiated by the peace officer, whether consensual or nonconsensual, for the purpose of enforcing the law or investigating possible violations of the law. The body-worn camera or dash camera does not need to be on when en route to a call for service, but should be turned on shortly before the vehicle approaches the scene.
Official text (excerpt) · as of 2026-07-29 · Read the full section at olls.info
Also relied on in: Colorado Police Body Camera Laws: Access & Mandate
§ 24-72-305Allowance or denial of inspection - grounds - procedure - appealIn force
(1) The custodian of criminal justice records may allow any person to inspect such records or any portion thereof except on the basis of any one of the following grounds or as provided in subsection (5) of this section: (a) Such inspection would be contrary to any state statute; (b) Such inspection is prohibited by rules promulgated by the supreme court or by the order of any court. (1.5) On the ground that disclosure would be contrary to the public interest, the custodian of criminal justice records shall deny access to the results of chemical biological substance testing to determine the genetic markers conducted pursuant to sections 16-11-102.4 and 16-23-104, C.R.S. (2) to (4) Repealed. (5) On the ground that disclosure would be contrary to the public interest, and unless otherwise provided by law, including as required by section 24-72-303 (4), the custodian may deny access to records of investigations conducted by or of intelligence information or security procedures of any sheriff, district attorney, or police department or any criminal justice investigatory files compiled for any other law enforcement purpose.
Official text (excerpt) · as of 2026-07-29 · Read the full section at olls.info
Colorado Revised Statutes, Title 42: Vehicles and Traffic
§ 42-4-1610Reports by interested parties confidentialIn force
All accident reports and supplemental reports required by law to be made by any driver, owner, or person involved in any accident shall be without prejudice to the individual so reporting and shall be for the confidential use of the department; except that the department may disclose the identity of a person involved in an accident when such identity is not otherwise known or when such person denies his or her presence at such accident. Except as provided in section 42-7-504 (2), no such report shall be used as evidence in any trial, civil or criminal, arising out of an accident; except that the department shall furnish, upon demand of any person who has, or claims to have, made such a report or upon demand of any court, a certificate showing that a specified accident report has or has not been made to the department solely to prove a compliance or failure to comply with the requirement that such a report be made to the department.
Official text (excerpt) · as of 2026-07-29 · Read the full section at olls.info
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Sources and References
- Colo. Rev. Stat. § 42-4-1610 (Reports by interested parties confidential)(olls.info)
- Colo. Rev. Stat. § 24-72-305 (Colorado Criminal Justice Records Act, allowance or denial of inspection)(olls.info)
- Colo. Rev. Stat. § 24-31-902 (Incident recordings, release, tampering, fine)(olls.info)
- Colorado State Patrol, Online Accident Report Request(csp.colorado.gov).gov
- Denver Police Department, Records Request (CORA)(denvergov.org).gov