Montana Police Reports: How to Get a Crash Report, Incident Report, or Bodycam Video

Montana handles crash reports and general incident reports through two different frameworks. A crash investigated by the Montana Highway Patrol is requested from the Montana Department of Justice using a release form, not an online purchase portal. A general incident report, meaning the record of a call for service or a criminal complaint, is governed by the Montana Criminal Justice Information Act (MCJIA), the state's structural law for what counts as public versus confidential law enforcement information.

The crash-report fee below comes from the Montana Department of Justice's crash records page; the mailing address was not checked against an agency page and is flagged accordingly. The statutory framework itself, by contrast, is confirmed directly from the Montana Code.

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

This guide is part of a broader look at police reports by state. For the filing side rather than requesting a copy, see how to file a police report.

Getting a Montana Crash Report

Montana does not run an online crash-report storefront comparable to Texas's CRIS or Nevada's CRASHDOCS. Instead, Montana Highway Patrol crash reports are requested using a Crash Release Form, sometimes called the White Form, submitted by mail to Montana Highway Patrol, 2550 Prospect Avenue, Helena, MT 59620 (or P.O. Box 117, Boulder, MT 59632).

The Montana Department of Justice's crash records page lists a $2.00 non-refundable fee for a crash report (photos are $10.00), accepted as cash, check or money order only. It says records requests are not processed online and must be sent in by mail with the fee, and that the 10 to 14 day period mentioned on the Crash Release Form is not a deadline for producing records. Confirm the current mailing details directly with Montana Highway Patrol before submitting a request.

Eligibility to examine or copy the report itself is not unconfirmed. MCA 61-7-114 subsection 2 spells it out directly: without needing a court order, the report and supplemental information, including witness statements, may be examined and copied by a person named in the report or involved in the accident, that person's designated representative or insurance carrier, a party to a civil action arising from the accident, the executor or administrator (or their attorney) if the person is deceased, and the general public, including commercial entities, for research into the history of vehicles. That last category comes with a limit: the department may not disclose the name, address, telephone number, or other identifying information of any reporting person, accident victim, peace officer, or insurer named in the report to a vehicle-history requester.

If a local police department investigated the crash instead of Montana Highway Patrol, the request goes to that department's own records unit rather than the state Highway Patrol channel.

Getting a Montana Incident Report

Montana's general framework for law enforcement records is the Montana Criminal Justice Information Act of 1979, codified starting at MCA 44-5-101. The definitions section, MCA 44-5-103, draws a structural line between confidential criminal justice information, meaning criminal investigative and intelligence information, and public criminal justice information, which it expressly defines to include information originated by a criminal justice agency such as initial offense reports. That is Montana's version of the open-incident-report, closed-investigative-file line found in several other states.

The access right itself sits one part later in the chapter. MCA 44-5-301 provides that there are no restrictions on the dissemination of public criminal justice information, and that it must be available from the originating department or agency during normal business hours, with a reasonable charge permitted for copying. That is the provision to point to when a Montana agency is slow to release an initial offense report. The same section sets a separate rule for booking photographs, which carry a clerking fee before the case terminates unless the person is convicted of the offense related to that arrest.

No specific city police department's records-request page was independently checked for a Montana incident-report exemplar in this pass. A reader in a specific Montana city should start with that department's own records or public information unit, which will process the request under the MCJIA framework described above.

Montana Bodycam Footage

Montana has no standalone body worn camera statute. A dedicated search of the Montana Code and independent web research both confirm the absence of a statewide bodycam equipment mandate or a bodycam-specific public-access statute, unlike neighboring states such as Colorado or New Mexico. Where a Montana agency chooses to deploy body cameras on its own initiative, footage from those cameras is governed by the general MCJIA framework covered above, applied through that agency's own written policy rather than a dedicated state bodycam law.

Because there is no dedicated statute to point to, a reader looking for Montana bodycam footage should contact the deploying agency directly and ask what its own written policy says about public release. For a look at how other states structure bodycam access by statute, see how to request bodycam footage and Montana bodycam laws.

What Wasn't Confirmed This Pass

The crash-report fee and the absence of a fixed processing deadline are covered above from the Department of Justice's own crash records page. Who may examine or copy a report is not on that unconfirmed list; MCA 61-7-114 answers that question directly, as covered above. No Montana corrections process for an inaccurate crash report, and no juvenile or victim redaction rule specific to Montana crash or incident reports, was confirmed either. Readers with a specific record question should contact Montana Highway Patrol or the investigating local agency directly.

Related Resources

Police Reports by State covers the national picture. See also How to File a Police Report, How to Read a Police Report, Are Police Reports Public?, Montana Bodycam Laws, Montana Car Accident Laws, Montana Public Records Laws, and Montana Court Records.

Disclaimer

This article provides general information about how Montana handles crash reports, incident reports, and bodycam footage. It is not legal advice. Because fees and procedures can change, confirm them directly with Montana Highway Patrol, the relevant local department, or a licensed Montana 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.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I get a Montana Highway Patrol crash report?

Submit a Crash Release Form by mail to Montana Highway Patrol. Montana does not use an online purchase portal for crash reports the way some other states do. Confirm the current form and fee directly with the agency.

Is a Montana crash report confidential?

Under MCA 61-7-114, accident reports are for the confidential use of the department and other government agencies, which is why Montana uses a release-form process rather than an open online portal. The same statute lets a specific list of people examine or copy the report without a court order: the person involved, their insurer or representative, a party to a related civil action, an executor or administrator of a deceased person, and the general public for vehicle history research with identifying details redacted.

Are Montana incident reports public record?

Yes, initial offense reports are. MCA 44-5-103, the definitions section of the Montana Criminal Justice Information Act, separates confidential criminal justice information from public criminal justice information and expressly lists initial offense reports as public. MCA 44-5-301 then supplies the access right, making public criminal justice information available from the originating agency during normal business hours for a reasonable copying charge.

Does Montana have a bodycam law?

No. Montana has no dedicated statewide body worn camera statute. Agencies that choose to use bodycams do so under their own policy, and requests for that footage run through the general Montana Criminal Justice Information Act framework.

How long does a Montana crash report take to get?

This guide does not confirm a current processing timeline. Contact Montana Highway Patrol directly for a current estimate.