New Hampshire
New Hampshire Police Reports: How to Get a Crash Report, Incident Report, or Bodycam Video
New Hampshire's rule for who gets to see bodycam footage does not live where a reader would expect it. The bodycam statute itself, RSA 105-D, governs when officers must record and how long footage is kept, but not who can request a copy. That disclosure rule sits in a completely different chapter, New Hampshire's Right to Know Law, and it comes with a built-in carve-back that pulls some of the most serious footage back into public view.
Crash reports run on a separate track through the Department of Motor Vehicles, and a general incident report runs through the same Right to Know Law that governs bodycam access. Below is how each piece fits together, including which New Hampshire operational facts could and could not be independently confirmed this pass.
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 New Hampshire Crash Report
New Hampshire's underlying accident-report requirement is set by RSA 264:26, the Uniform Police Investigation Report of Accident. The police officer, agency, or individual who investigates a qualifying accident in the regular course of duty must, within 5 days of completing the investigation, forward one copy of the report to the state's Division of Motor Vehicles.
The DMV's own pages describing how the public requests a copy of that report, including the request form and current fee, could not be reached during this article's research after repeated attempts. Figures describing a roughly one dollar per page fee with a small minimum, and a request form submitted by mail or in person in Concord, circulate for New Hampshire, but because they could not be independently confirmed against the DMV's own page this pass, this guide does not publish them as verified facts. Confirm the current form, fee, and submission method directly with the New Hampshire Division of Motor Vehicles before requesting a report.
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Getting a New Hampshire Incident Report
New Hampshire's Right to Know Law, RSA 91-A, is the general framework governing access to government records, including police records, statewide. Paragraph IV of RSA 91-A:5 is the general law enforcement and privacy exemption: it protects records pertaining to internal personnel practices and other files whose disclosure would constitute an invasion of privacy, but the statute itself carves back an exception, stating that nothing in the paragraph prohibits releasing information relative to health or safety from investigative files.
RSA 264:26 sets the content and filing requirement for the underlying police accident report, while RSA 91-A governs whether and how that report, or any other incident record, gets disclosed. A separate provision, RSA 260:14 II-a, additionally makes accident reports involving government-owned vehicles subject to RSA 91-A disclosure.
New Hampshire Bodycam Footage
New Hampshire's dedicated bodycam statute is RSA 105-D. It applies to any law enforcement agency that chooses to equip its officers with body-worn cameras, and it requires that agency to adopt policies and procedures governing use, along with the retention and destruction of recorded data. RSA 105-D:2 sets activation rules, meaning cameras generally activate on arrival at a call for service or a law enforcement encounter and record continuously until the event concludes, along with a list of situations where recording is prohibited, including undercover officers, intimate searches, non-consenting crime victim interviews, anonymous tips, school grounds, and personal breaks. Residents may decline to be recorded in a place where they have a reasonable expectation of privacy, absent a warrant. Standard retention runs 30 to 180 days, extended to a minimum of 3 years for recordings involving deadly force, serious injury, a firearm discharge, or a formal complaint. RSA 105-D:2-a was repealed effective August 1, 2025, and this guide does not cite it as current law.
What RSA 105-D does not do is set the public disclosure rule. That lives instead in New Hampshire's Right to Know Law, at RSA 91-A:5, paragraph X, which exempts video and audio recordings made by a law enforcement officer using a body-worn camera under RSA 105-D, with a specific and important carve-back: recordings depicting restraint, use of force, a firearm discharge, or a felony arrest are excluded from that exemption and become disclosable, though any portion that would still constitute a privacy invasion remains withheld even within those categories. A reader requesting New Hampshire bodycam footage should point to both statutes, RSA 105-D for what was recorded and how long it was kept, and RSA 91-A:5(X) for whether it can be released. For the general request process, see how to request bodycam footage and New Hampshire bodycam laws.
What Wasn't Confirmed This Pass
New Hampshire's DMV pages describing the crash-report fee, form number, and processing timeline were unreachable during this article's research, so this guide intentionally does not publish those as verified facts. No dedicated fee or timeline for a New Hampshire bodycam request beyond the RSA 91-A:5(X) exemption-and-carve-back structure was found either. Readers with a specific request should contact the New Hampshire DMV or the relevant law enforcement 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?, New Hampshire Bodycam Laws, New Hampshire Car Accident Laws, New Hampshire Public Records Laws, and New Hampshire Court Records.
Disclaimer
This article provides general information about how New Hampshire handles crash reports, incident reports, and bodycam footage. It is not legal advice. Because the DMV's crash-report pages were unreachable while this article was researched, current fees and forms should be confirmed directly with the DMV, the relevant law enforcement agency, or a licensed New Hampshire attorney before relying on anything here for a specific situation.
Last updated: 2026-08-11. Fees and portals reflect their published status as of August 2026.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where do I get a copy of a New Hampshire crash report?
The report is filed with the New Hampshire Division of Motor Vehicles under RSA 264:26. The DMV's own pages describing the current request form and fee were unreachable during this article's research, so confirm those details directly with the DMV.
What law governs whether a New Hampshire police record is public?
New Hampshire's Right to Know Law, RSA 91-A, is the general framework. Paragraph IV of RSA 91-A:5 protects investigative and personnel-privacy material but expressly allows releasing health or safety information from investigative files.
Is New Hampshire bodycam footage a public record?
It depends on what it shows. RSA 91-A:5, paragraph X, exempts bodycam recordings from disclosure by default, but recordings depicting restraint, use of force, a firearm discharge, or a felony arrest are carved back out and become disclosable, subject to ordinary privacy redactions.
Does RSA 105-D control who can get bodycam footage in New Hampshire?
No. RSA 105-D governs when officers must record, what may not be recorded, and how long footage is retained. The actual public-disclosure rule lives in a different chapter, RSA 91-A:5, paragraph X.
Is RSA 105-D:2-a still good law in New Hampshire?
No. RSA 105-D:2-a was repealed effective August 1, 2025. This guide does not cite it as current law, and readers should not rely on sources that still reference it as active.
Updates
Governing law re-checked for recent changes
Independently fact-checked against the cited primary sources
Sources and References
- New Hampshire Revised Statutes Annotated, RSA 264:26 (Uniform Police Investigation Report of Accident)(gc.nh.gov).gov
- New Hampshire Revised Statutes Annotated, RSA 91-A:5 (Right to Know Law, exemptions)(gc.nh.gov).gov
- New Hampshire Revised Statutes Annotated, RSA 105-D:2 (Use of Body-Worn Cameras)(gc.nh.gov).gov
- New Hampshire Department of Safety, Division of Motor Vehicles, Accidents and Reports (confirm current fee and form directly)(dmv.nh.gov).gov