Virginia
Virginia Police Report: How to Get a Crash Report from DMV, an Incident Report, or Body Camera Footage
Virginia centralizes crash-report requests at DMV, unlike states that route requests to whichever agency investigated. A general incident report, by contrast, still comes from the local department, under the Virginia Freedom of Information Act's dedicated law-enforcement records section.
Virginia's body-worn camera law focuses on the front end of the process, requiring a written policy before an agency can deploy cameras at all, rather than setting its own separate rule for who can later obtain the footage.
Information last verified on 2026-08-10. This article has not yet been reviewed by a licensed lawyer.
Getting a Copy of a Virginia Crash Report
Virginia crash reports are requested from the DMV Customer Records Work Center rather than from the investigating police department directly. The fee is $8 per report, and DMV refunds it automatically if no matching report is found. Requests can go by mail (Room 514, PO Box 27412, Richmond, VA 23269), by fax (804-367-0390, with a DMS 004 payment-authorization form), or in person by appointment or walk-in. Payment options vary by channel: mail requires a check or money order, fax requires the authorization form, and in-person requests accept cash, check, money order, or credit card, with billing arrangements available for high-volume requesters.
Eligibility to request a Virginia crash report is broader than in many states. Code of Virginia 46.2-380 opens the report to a driver, passenger, or other person involved or injured in the crash; a vehicle or property owner at the time of the crash; personal representatives such as a conservator, executor, or next of kin; attorneys representing an involved party; authorized insurance-company representatives; and a parent or legal guardian of a minor who was injured or killed. Virginia's Traffic Records Electronic Data System retains reports for at least 36 months, the same minimum period the statute itself specifies.
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Getting a Copy of a Virginia Police Incident Report
A general incident report, such as an arrest record or a burglary report, is requested directly from the police department or sheriff's office that responded, not from DMV. Virginia's baseline access framework is the Virginia Freedom of Information Act, and its law-enforcement records provision, 2.2-3706, is more structured than a single yes-or-no exemption.
The statute separates records into tiers: some information must be released, some release is left to the agency's discretion, and some release is prohibited outright, depending on the type of record and whether it relates to an active criminal investigation or prosecution. A companion section, 2.2-3706.1, sets additional rules specifically for criminal-incident information and victim access. Virginia also has a separate juvenile-records provision, Code of Virginia 16.1-301, that restricts release of records involving a minor.
Virginia Body Camera Footage
Virginia's dedicated body-worn camera statute, Code of Virginia 15.2-1723.1, focuses on deployment rather than disclosure. It states that "no law-enforcement agency having jurisdiction over criminal law enforcement or regulatory violations shall purchase or deploy a body-worn camera system unless such agency has adopted and established a written policy for the operation of a body-worn camera system." That written policy has to be publicly vetted before deployment, which is the statute's main protection for transparency.
Virginia has no separate statute setting a distinct access rule for the footage once recorded. A public request for bodycam video runs through the same VFOIA law-enforcement records framework at 2.2-3706 covering other law-enforcement recordings, submitted to the deploying agency's records unit. For a broader comparison across states, see How to Request Body Cam Footage and Virginia Body Camera Laws.
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?, Virginia Body Camera Laws, Virginia Car Accident Laws, Virginia Public Records Laws, and Virginia Court Records.
Disclaimer
This article provides general information about how to request police crash reports, incident reports, and body camera footage in Virginia. It is not legal advice. Fees, portals, and statutes change; confirm current details with Virginia DMV, the responding agency, or a Virginia attorney before relying on anything here for a specific situation.
Last updated: 2026-08-10. Fees and portals reflect their published status as of August 2026.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get a copy of a Virginia crash report?
Request it from Virginia DMV’s Customer Records Work Center for $8 per report. The fee is refunded if DMV cannot find a matching report. You can submit the request by mail, fax, or in person.
Who is eligible to request a Virginia crash report?
Parties involved in the crash, vehicle or property owners at the time of the crash, personal representatives such as an executor or next of kin, attorneys representing an involved party, authorized insurance representatives, and parents or guardians of an injured or killed minor.
How long does Virginia DMV keep crash reports?
Virginia’s Traffic Records Electronic Data System retains crash reports for at least 36 months, matching the minimum retention period set by Code of Virginia 46.2-380.
Are Virginia police incident reports public record?
They are governed by the Virginia Freedom of Information Act’s law-enforcement records section, 2.2-3706, which separates mandatory releases, discretionary releases, and prohibited releases rather than treating every incident report the same way.
Does Virginia require a body camera policy before an agency can use them?
Yes. Code of Virginia 15.2-1723.1 requires an agency to adopt a written, publicly-vetted operations policy before purchasing or deploying a body-worn camera system.
How do I request Virginia body camera footage?
Virginia has no separate bodycam-specific disclosure statute. Requests for footage run through the same VFOIA law-enforcement records framework at 2.2-3706 that governs other law-enforcement recordings, submitted to the deploying agency.
Updates
Governing law re-checked for recent changes
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.
Code of Virginia, Title 15.2: Counties, Cities and Towns
§ 15.2-1723.1Body-worn camera systemIn forcecited in 3 of our articles
A. For purposes of this section, "body-worn camera system" means an electronic system for creating, generating, sending, receiving, storing, displaying, and processing audiovisual recordings, including cameras or other devices capable of creating such recordings, that may be worn about the person. B. No law-enforcement agency having jurisdiction over criminal law enforcement or regulatory violations shall purchase or deploy a body-worn camera system unless such agency has adopted and established a written policy for the operation of a body-worn camera system. Such policy shall follow identified best practices and be consistent with Virginia law and regulations, using as guidance the model policy established by the Department of Criminal Justice Services. Prior to the adoption of a written policy for the operation of a body-worn camera system, the agency shall make the policy available for public comment and review.
Official text (excerpt) · as of 2026-07-29 · Read the full section at law.lis.virginia.gov
Also relied on in: Virginia Police Body Camera Laws: Mandate & FOIA Access, Virginia Recording Laws (2026): One-Party Consent Rules
Code of Virginia, Title 2.2: Administration of Government
§ 2.2-3706Disclosure of law-enforcement and criminal records; limitationsIn forcecited in 2 of our articles
A. Records required to be released. All public bodies engaged in criminal law-enforcement activities shall provide the following records when requested in accordance with the provisions of this chapter: 1. Adult arrestee photographs taken during the initial intake following the arrest and as part of the routine booking procedure, except when necessary to avoid jeopardizing an investigation in felony cases until such time as the release of the photograph will no longer jeopardize the investigation; 2. Information relative to the identity of any individual, other than a juvenile, who is arrested and charged, and the status of the charge or arrest; and 3. Records of completed unattended death investigations to the parent or spouse of the decedent or, if there is no living parent or spouse, to the most immediate family member of the decedent, provided the person is not a person of interest or a suspect.
Official text (excerpt) · as of 2026-07-29 · Read the full section at law.lis.virginia.gov
Code of Virginia, Title 46.2: Motor Vehicles
§ 46.2-380Reports made under certain sections open to inspection by certain persons; copies; maintenance of reports and photographs for three-year periodIn force
A. Any report of a crash made pursuant to § 46.2-372, 46.2-373, 46.2-375, or 46.2-377 shall be maintained by the Department in either hard copy or electronic form for a period of at least 36 months from the date of the crash. The report shall be open to the inspection of (i) any person involved or injured in the crash or as a result thereof, or his attorney, or any person who, at the time of the crash, owned a vehicle or property involved in the crash, or his attorney, (ii) any authorized representative of any insurance carrier reasonably anticipating exposure to civil liability as a consequence of the crash or to which the person has applied for issuance or renewal of a policy of automobile insurance, or (iii) the FMCSA or any authorized agent thereof. Additionally, any report made pursuant to § 46.2-373 shall be open to the inspection of any towing and recovery operator that responded to a public safety towing request for the removal of any vehicle involved in the crash for the sole purpose of obtaining registered owner information and insurance information for any such vehicle.
Official text (excerpt) · as of 2026-07-29 · Read the full section at law.lis.virginia.gov
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Sources and References
- Code of Virginia § 46.2-380, Reports made under certain sections open to inspection by certain persons; copies; maintenance of reports and photographs(law.lis.virginia.gov).gov
- Code of Virginia § 2.2-3706, Disclosure of law-enforcement and criminal records; limitations (Virginia Freedom of Information Act)(law.lis.virginia.gov).gov
- Code of Virginia § 15.2-1723.1, Body-worn camera system(law.lis.virginia.gov).gov
- Virginia DMV, Request a Police Crash Report(dmv.virginia.gov).gov