Michigan
How to Get a Police Report in Michigan (2026 Guide)
Michigan runs a single statewide portal for crash reports, the Traffic Crash Purchasing System (TCPS), that covers every law enforcement agency in the state, while a general incident report is a separate request under Michigan's Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). Michigan also has one of the more complete dedicated body camera statutes, MCL 780.313, part of a five-section subchapter passed in 2017. This page covers all three.
Information last verified on 2026-08-11. This article has not yet been reviewed by a licensed lawyer.
Getting a Crash Report in Michigan
Michigan centralizes crash-report access through a single statewide system, the Traffic Crash Purchasing System, or TCPS, at tcps.state.mi.us. TCPS covers reports submitted by every law enforcement agency in Michigan, not just the state police, and purchasing a report requires a MiLogin account and a credit card. The fee is $15.00 per report.
A report generally takes between 3 and 30 days after the crash to be processed into TCPS and become available for purchase. To search for a specific report, TCPS requires the crash date along with either the case or incident number, or a driver's license number and date of birth for someone involved in the crash, which functions as a built-in check that the requester actually has a connection to the crash. If you cannot supply that information, or if you are a third party such as a property-damage claimant who was not involved as a driver, the alternative path is a FOIA request to the specific agency that investigated the crash.
Access is also time-gated by statute. MCL 257.503 restricts access to a crash report for the first 30 days after it is filed with a law enforcement agency, requiring anyone seeking it during that window to file a statement establishing a permitted purpose before the agency or an organization can release it. After that 30-day period, the access restriction eases. For more on fault rules and deadlines after a Michigan crash, see our Michigan car accident laws page.
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Getting an Incident Report in Michigan
A general incident report, for anything other than a traffic crash, is requested under Michigan's Freedom of Information Act, 1976 PA 442, from the responding department's FOIA coordinator. Requests can be made by mail, email, or fax; larger departments, including Detroit Police Department, run dedicated online FOIA request pages. A report is generally only available once the underlying investigation is complete or the case is closed.
The core exemption is MCL 15.243(1)(b), which lets a public body withhold investigating records compiled for law enforcement purposes to the extent disclosure would interfere with law enforcement proceedings, deprive a person of a fair trial, or similarly compromise the investigation. A related provision, MCL 15.243(1)(s), adds a further exemption tied to law enforcement personnel safety. For the state's broader open-records framework, see our Michigan public records laws page.
Body Camera Footage in Michigan
Michigan has a genuinely comprehensive, dedicated body camera statute. MCL 780.313, part of the Law Enforcement Body-Worn Camera Privacy Act, 2017 PA 85, states that a recording made by a law enforcement officer's body-worn camera in a private place is exempt from disclosure under FOIA. The Act runs across five sections, MCL 780.311 through 780.318, covering definitions, disclosure, retention, and a written-policy mandate for agencies that deploy body cameras.
The requester-eligibility rule sits in the companion section, MCL 780.314: a copy may be requested by the individual who was recorded, an individual whose property was seized or damaged in the recorded incident, a parent or guardian of a minor who appears in the recording, or an attorney representing any of those people. That list functions as Michigan's access gate for bodycam footage, distinct from the general FOIA process used for other law enforcement records.
For fee details, retention periods, and how Michigan's approach compares with other dedicated-act states, see our Michigan body camera laws page and the cluster guide on how to request body camera footage.
Corrections and Other Practical Notes
No formal, publicly documented statewide procedure for correcting a completed UD-10 crash report was located on a primary Michigan State Police page. If you believe a UD-10 report contains an error, contact the Michigan State Police Traffic Crash Reporting Unit directly rather than assume the report itself can be edited after filing; the state's UD-10 instruction manual references supplemental reports as the mechanism for adding follow-on information tied to a crash.
MCL 780.314's requester categories, the recorded individual, a property owner or claimant, a minor's parent or guardian, and an attorney for any of them, function as Michigan's bodycam-specific access and effective redaction gate; no separate juvenile or victim carve-out for crash or general incident reports was found beyond that framework. For general guidance on filing a new report or reading a completed one, see how to file a police report and how to read a police report. If a case tied to the incident proceeds through the courts, related filings are available through Michigan court records.
Disclaimer
This article provides general legal information about public-records access in the state named above. It is not legal advice, does not create an attorney-client relationship, and should not be relied on as a substitute for advice from a licensed attorney about a specific situation. Fees, forms, and processing times change; confirm current figures with the listed agency before relying on them.
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 Michigan crash report?
Purchase it through the Traffic Crash Purchasing System (TCPS) at tcps.state.mi.us, using a MiLogin account, for $15.00. Reports typically become available 3 to 30 days after the crash. If you cannot search TCPS, request the report by FOIA from the investigating agency.
Is a Michigan crash report available immediately after the accident?
No. It generally takes 3 to 30 days for the report to be processed into TCPS, and MCL 257.503 restricts access for the first 30 days after filing to requesters who file a statement establishing a permitted purpose.
How do I request a Michigan police incident report?
Send a FOIA request to the responding department's FOIA coordinator. MCL 15.243(1)(b) lets the agency withhold records still compiled for an active law enforcement investigation; reports are generally available once the case is closed.
Who can request Michigan body camera footage?
Under MCL 780.314, a copy may be requested by the person recorded, someone whose property was seized or damaged in the incident, a parent or guardian of a minor shown in the footage, or an attorney for any of those people. MCL 780.313 exempts footage recorded in a private place from general FOIA disclosure.
Can I correct an error on my Michigan UD-10 crash report?
No statewide statutory correction procedure was independently confirmed. Contact the Michigan State Police Traffic Crash Reporting Unit directly; the UD-10 manual references supplemental reports as the mechanism for adding or correcting information after a crash report is filed.
Updates
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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.
Michigan Compiled Laws
§ 15.243Exemptions from disclosure; public body as school district, intermediate school district, or public school academy; withholding of information required by law or in possession of executive officeIn forcecited in 4 of our articles
(1) A public body may exempt from disclosure as a public record under this act any of the following: (a) Information of a personal nature if public disclosure of the information would constitute a clearly unwarranted invasion of an individual's privacy. (b) Investigating records compiled for law enforcement purposes, but only to the extent that disclosure as a public record would do any of the following: (i) Interfere with law enforcement proceedings. (ii) Deprive a person of the right to a fair trial or impartial administrative adjudication. (iii) Constitute an unwarranted invasion of personal privacy. (iv) Disclose the identity of a confidential source, or if the record is compiled by a law enforcement agency in the course of a criminal investigation, disclose confidential information furnished only by a confidential source. (v) Disclose law enforcement investigative techniques or procedures. (vi) Endanger the life or physical safety of law enforcement personnel. (vii) Disclose the identity of a party who, as described in subdivision (cc), proceeds anonymously in a civil action in which the party alleges that the party was the victim of sexual misconduct.
Official text (excerpt) · as of 2026-07-30 · Read the full section at legislature.mi.gov
Also relied on in: Michigan Data Privacy Laws: Consumer Rights & Protections (2026), Michigan Police Bodycam Laws: Retention & Public Records
§ 257.503Access to motor vehicle accident report; prohibitions; violation; penalty; definitionsIn force
(1) For 30 days after the date a motor vehicle accident report is filed with a law enforcement agency, a person may only access the report if the person or organization files a statement indicating that from the time the person or organization is granted access to the report until 30 days after the date the report is filed, the person or organization acknowledges that the person or organization is prohibited from doing either of the following: (a) Using the report for any direct solicitation of an individual, vehicle owner, or property owner listed in the report. (b) Disclosing any personal information contained in the report to a third party for commercial solicitation of an individual, vehicle owner, or property owner listed in the report. (2) A person that knowingly violates this section is guilty of a crime punishable as follows: (a) For a first violation, a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of not more than $30,000.00. (b) For a second or subsequent violation, a misdemeanor punishable by imprisonment for not more than 1 year or a fine of not more than $60,000.00, or both.
Official text (excerpt) · as of 2026-07-30 · Read the full section at legislature.mi.gov
§ 780.313Audio or video recording recorded by body-worn camera; disclosure; protections; exemption from freedom of information actIn forcecited in 2 of our articles
(1) The disclosure of any audio or video recording recorded by a body-worn camera is subject to the protections provided for crime victims in sections 8, 19, 19a, 21, 34, 38, 48, 62, 68, and 80 of the William Van Regenmorter crime victim's rights act, 1985 PA 87, MCL 780.758, 780.769, 780.769a, 780.771, 780.784, 780.788, 780.798, 780.812, 780.818, and 780.830. (2) Except as otherwise provided in section 4 and subject to section 5, a recording recorded by a law enforcement officer with a body-worn camera that is recorded in a private place is exempt from disclosure under the freedom of information act, 1976 PA 442, MCL 15.231 to 15.246.
Official text (excerpt) · as of 2026-07-30 · Read the full section at legislature.mi.gov
Also relied on in: Michigan Freedom of Information Act: 5 Business Days, Fees, and How to Appeal
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Sources and References
- Michigan Compiled Laws 780.313, Audio or video recording recorded by body-worn camera(legislature.mi.gov).gov
- Michigan Compiled Laws 15.243, Exemptions from disclosure under FOIA(legislature.mi.gov).gov
- Michigan Compiled Laws 257.503, Access to motor vehicle accident report(legislature.mi.gov).gov
- Michigan Compiled Laws 780.314, Persons entitled to request a copy of a body-worn camera recording(legislature.mi.gov).gov
- Michigan State Police, Traffic Crash Purchasing System (TCPS)(tcps.state.mi.us).gov