Idaho Police Reports: How to Get a Crash Report or Incident Report

Idaho gives crash-involved drivers, their legal representatives, and their insurer an express statutory right to a complete copy of the crash report, on top of the state's general public records framework. Everything else, from incident reports to body camera footage, runs through Idaho's Public Records Act. Idaho has no statute governing who may request bodycam footage, but it does have a dedicated statute setting how long that footage must be kept before it can be deleted.

This guide covers the Idaho Transportation Department's crash report portal, the local incident report process, and Idaho's bodycam retention rule.

Information last verified on 2026-08-11. This article has not yet been reviewed by a licensed lawyer.

How to Get a Copy of an Idaho Crash Report

The Idaho Transportation Department's Crash Reports portal, at apps.itd.idaho.gov/apps/HWY_CrashReports, lets a requester search by name, city, county, driver's license last four digits, or case ID, then purchase and download a report. ITD's own portal states that "collision records are considered public information," citing Idaho Code section 49-202 for the general public-access framework. A PDF of one report costs $7.00 plus transaction fees charged through Idaho.gov. New reports typically take a few weeks to appear online, longer depending on the investigating agency, and a purchased report remains downloadable for up to 7 days. Idaho State Police also offers its own district-based request path as an alternative; secondary sources describe that channel as free of charge, which conflicts with the ITD portal's $7 figure. This guide could not independently confirm the ISP fee, so confirm directly with whichever channel is used.

Idaho's Statutory Right to a Crash Report Copy

Beyond the general public-access framework, Idaho Code section 74-124(2) gives a specific group an express right to their crash report: "any person involved in a motor vehicle collision which is investigated by a law enforcement agency, that person's authorized legal representative and the insurer shall have a right to a complete, unaltered copy" of the report. That is a stronger, statute-level guarantee than the ITD portal page alone conveys, and it applies regardless of which channel the requester ultimately uses to obtain the copy.

How to Get an Idaho Police Incident Report

General incident reports are requested from the responding agency under the Idaho Public Records Act, Title 74, Chapter 1. Boise Police Department's process is a useful example: requesters submit a written request online or in person at City Hall West, and the department targets 3 to 10 business days to respond for Idaho residents, but 21 to 35 business days for requesters located outside the state, a genuinely unusual residency-based timeline. Boise Police Department states that "any open, ongoing investigation must be completed and adjudicated in the court system before any records about the incident can be released," and a denial can be appealed by petition within 180 days of the denial letter under Idaho Code section 74-115.

Idaho's law enforcement investigatory exemption, Idaho Code section 74-105(1), withholds investigatory records of a law enforcement agency under the conditions in section 74-124. That companion section, 74-124(3), still requires disclosure of certain baseline facts even from an otherwise exempt inactive investigatory record: the time, date, location, and nature and description of a reported crime, accident, or incident, and the name, sex, age, and address of a person arrested, among other categories. Section 74-124(3) separately bars using investigatory records to build mailing lists, electronic lists, or telephone lists, a solicitation-adjacent restriction worth knowing if a request touches bulk records.

Body Camera Footage in Idaho

Idaho has no statute that sets a request process, fee, or response window for body camera footage. Disclosure is governed by the same general balancing test under sections 74-105 and 74-124 used for other law enforcement records. Idaho does, however, have a dedicated statute governing how long a recording must be kept before it can be deleted. Idaho Code section 31-871 defines a law enforcement media recording and sets minimum retention periods: 200 days for a recording with evidentiary value, 60 days for a non-evidentiary recording from mobile equipment such as a body or dash camera, and 14 days for a non-evidentiary recording from fixed, building-mounted equipment. That statute controls how long footage exists to be requested; it does not itself create a right to request or view it. For the state's fuller legal picture, see Idaho's body camera laws.

Corrections and Practical Notes

No dedicated correction process or driver exchange of information form specific to Idaho was located for this guide. If an Idaho crash or incident report needs a correction, contact the investigating agency directly.

Related Resources

Police Reports by State covers the full 50-state picture. See also how to file a police report, how to read a police report, are police reports public, how to request body camera footage, Idaho bodycam laws, Idaho car accident laws, Idaho public records laws, and Idaho court records.

Disclaimer

This article provides general information about Idaho's police report and public records process. It is not legal advice. Fees, portals, and eligibility rules change; verify current details with the agencies named above or a licensed Idaho attorney before relying on anything here for a specific situation.

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Last updated: 2026-08-11. Fees and portals reflect their published status as of August 2026.