How to Get a Police Report in Minnesota (2026 Guide)

Minnesota crash reports are requested from Driver and Vehicle Services (DVS) using a dedicated form, while a general incident report is requested under the Minnesota Government Data Practices Act (MGDPA). Minnesota also has one of the most detailed dedicated body camera statutes in the country, and it changed in a way that matters directly for crash victims: since July 2025, anyone entitled to a Minnesota crash report can also get unredacted body camera footage of that same crash from most agencies, though the provision expressly does not apply to the Minnesota State Patrol. This page covers all three, including that amendment.

Information last verified on 2026-09-01. This article has not yet been reviewed by a licensed lawyer.

Getting a Crash Report in Minnesota

Minnesota crash reports are no longer filed with Driver and Vehicle Services for central storage in the way older guidance describes; that filing requirement, Minn. Stat. Section 169.09, subdivision 7, was repealed effective July 1, 2021. The current path to get a copy is the Crash Record Request Form, PS2503, submitted in person at the DVS Central Office or a full-service deputy registrar office, or by mail to the DVS Records Unit in St. Paul. The fee is $5.00, and reports generally become available about three weeks after the crash.

Access is limited to an authorized requestor, defined as a person recorded on the police report itself as the driver, a passenger, the owner of damaged property, the vehicle owner, or a pedestrian involved in the crash, or that person's authorized agent. The PS2503 form requires that person's signature, so a third party cannot simply request someone else's crash report without documented authorization.

The confidentiality and evidentiary rules for the report itself sit in Minn. Stat. Section 169.09, subdivision 13, which states that accident reports and the data in them are not discoverable under any provision of law or rule of court, and generally may not be used as evidence at trial, while still governing which categories of people may obtain a copy. For more on fault rules and deadlines after a Minnesota crash, see our Minnesota car accident laws page.

Getting an Incident Report in Minnesota

A general incident report, for a crime or other call unrelated to a traffic crash, is requested under the Minnesota Government Data Practices Act (MGDPA) from the responding local department. Requests can be made in person, by phone, email, or mail, and some cities, including Minneapolis, offer an online portal.

Start from what Minnesota law makes public rather than from the exemptions. Minn. Stat. Section 13.82 classifies the core of a police report as public government data: arrest data under subdivision 2, which documents actions taken to cite, arrest, incarcerate, or otherwise substantially deprive an adult of liberty and is public at all times in the originating agency; request-for-service data under subdivision 3, which documents calls from the public for law enforcement services; and response or incident data under subdivision 6, which documents the agency's response to a request for service, including responses to traffic accidents, or actions the agency took on its own initiative.

Subdivision 7 is the narrower exemption, and it is time-limited. Other investigative data collected to prepare a case against a person are confidential or protected nonpublic while the investigation is active. Once the investigation is inactive, the statute flips the default: inactive investigative data are public unless release would jeopardize another ongoing investigation or would reveal the identity of an individual protected under subdivision 17. If your case is closed, the presumption is in your favor, and a denial should be explained by reference to one of those exceptions rather than to the investigation's former active status. A separate carve-out in Section 13.82 keeps images and recordings that are clearly offensive to common sensibilities private or nonpublic, though the agency must still disclose that such data exist. Other categories the MGDPA calls out as generally withheld or requiring redaction include juvenile records, victim information, and vulnerable-adult data.

The MGDPA's general response standard, Minn. Stat. Section 13.03, subdivision 2(a), requires an agency to establish procedures so that requests for government data are received and complied with in an appropriate and prompt manner; some agencies describe that as approximately 30 days as a practical guideline, though Section 13.03 itself sets no fixed number of days. The 10-day deadline that circulates in Minnesota records guidance comes from a different section and applies only when you are the data subject. Under Minn. Stat. Section 13.04, subdivision 3, the responsible authority must comply immediately with a request by an individual for data about that individual, if possible, or within ten days of the date of the request, excluding Saturdays, Sundays, and legal holidays, if immediate compliance is not possible. For the state's broader open-records framework, see our Minnesota public records laws page.

Body Camera Footage in Minnesota

Minnesota's body camera statute, Minn. Stat. Section 13.825, is one of the most detailed dedicated bodycam laws in the country, running across 12 subdivisions. It defines a portable recording system as a device worn by a peace officer capable of both video and audio recording, and classifies the data it collects as private data on individuals or nonpublic data by default, subject to the statute's own disclosure exceptions.

A material change took effect July 1, 2025, under 2025 Minnesota Laws chapter 35, section 5: subdivision 4(c) now requires agencies to provide anyone entitled to a report of a collision under Section 169.09, subdivision 13 with copies of unredacted body camera data from that same collision, generally even while the investigation remains active. Three conditions and one large exclusion come with it. The request must be made in writing and accompanied by the accident report relating to the data. The data may be used only to process a claim related to the collision or as evidence in a proceeding related to the collision, and the requestor must not disseminate it or use it for any other purpose; a requestor who does is subject to the remedies and penalties under Section 13.08. The agency may still deny the unredacted request if it determines there is a compelling reason release would interfere with an active investigation, if the data is clearly offensive to common sensibilities, or if the data is otherwise classified as not public.

The exclusion matters most for serious crashes: the paragraph does not apply to the Minnesota State Patrol. Because the State Patrol investigates crashes on trunk highways, freeways, and interstates, many of the highest-severity Minnesota collisions fall outside this right entirely. If a trooper rather than a city or county officer worked your crash, you are back to the ordinary Section 13.825 rules, under which bodycam data is private or nonpublic by default and a data subject's access to data in which they are documented runs through the statute's general provisions.

Also effective in 2025, Minnesota added a rule that incident-related body camera data documenting a death resulting from a use of force must become public within 14 days, unless the agency's chief law enforcement officer asserts that release would interfere with an ongoing investigation. General retention rules set floors of 90 days for routine footage, one year for a firearm discharge or serious use of force, and indefinitely for a deadly-force incident, with a data subject able to request an extension of up to 180 days. In an officer-involved death, next of kin have a right to inspect footage within 5 days. Redaction generally protects non-consenting subjects shown in the footage, while an on-duty officer's own identity is generally not redactable absent a separate privacy statute.

For the full 12-subdivision framework and how it compares with other states, see our Minnesota body camera laws page and the cluster guide on how to request body camera footage.

Other Practical Notes

No statewide statutory procedure for correcting a completed Minnesota crash report was independently verified this cycle; contact DVS or the investigating agency directly. Minnesota's redaction regime for both crash and bodycam records draws heavily on Section 13.825 and Section 13.82's juvenile, victim, and vulnerable-adult categories described above.

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 Minnesota 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: 2026-09-01. Fees and portals reflect their published status as of August 2026.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I get a copy of my Minnesota crash report?

File a Crash Record Request Form, PS2503, in person at a DVS office or full-service deputy registrar, or by mail to the DVS Records Unit in St. Paul, for a $5.00 fee. Reports are generally available about three weeks after the crash. Only an authorized requestor, someone recorded on the report or their authorized agent, may obtain a copy.

How do I request a Minnesota police incident report?

Request it from the responding department under the Minnesota Government Data Practices Act, in person, by phone, email, or mail, or online for some cities. Arrest data, request-for-service data, and response or incident data are public government data under Minn. Stat. Section 13.82, subdivisions 2, 3, and 6. Other investigative data may be withheld under subdivision 7 while the investigation is active.

Can I get a Minnesota police report after the case is closed?

Usually yes. Under Minn. Stat. Section 13.82, subdivision 7, inactive investigative data are public unless release would jeopardize another ongoing investigation or would reveal the identity of an individual protected under subdivision 17. An agency that denies a closed-case request should point to one of those exceptions rather than to the investigation's former active status.

How fast does a Minnesota agency have to respond to a records request?

It depends on who is asking. For a general public request, Minn. Stat. Section 13.03, subdivision 2(a) requires only that the agency comply in an appropriate and prompt manner, with no fixed number of days. If you are asking for data about yourself, Minn. Stat. Section 13.04, subdivision 3 requires compliance immediately if possible, or within ten days of the request excluding Saturdays, Sundays, and legal holidays.

Did Minnesota change its body camera law recently?

Yes. Effective July 1, 2025, Minn. Stat. Section 13.825, subdivision 4(c) requires agencies to give anyone entitled to a collision report under Section 169.09, subdivision 13 unredacted body camera footage of that crash, generally even while the investigation is still active. The request must be in writing and accompanied by the accident report, and the footage may be used only to process a claim or as evidence in a proceeding related to the collision, not disseminated. The agency can still deny access for a compelling reason tied to an active investigation, or if the footage is offensive to common sensibilities or otherwise classified as not public. Importantly, the paragraph does not apply to the Minnesota State Patrol, so crashes worked by troopers are not covered.

Is Minnesota body camera footage public if someone dies from police use of force?

Generally yes, within a set window. Effective 2025, incident-related body camera data documenting a death from a use of force must become public within 14 days unless the chief law enforcement officer asserts that release would interfere with an ongoing investigation. Next of kin also have a right to inspect the footage within 5 days.

How long does Minnesota DVS take to have a crash report ready?

Reports are generally available about three weeks after the crash. Crash reports are no longer centrally filed with DVS under the old subdivision 7 process, which was repealed in 2021; use the PS2503 Crash Record Request Form instead.