How to Get a Michigan Crash Report (UD-10) and Correct Mistakes

You were in a crash in Michigan, and now you need the police report. In Michigan it’s called the UD-10 Traffic Crash Report, and you buy it online from the Michigan State Police for $15. It’s usually ready 3 to 30 days after the crash. To find it, you need a driver’s license number or the case number, a driver’s date of birth and the crash date (Michigan State Police, as of September 30, 2026). If something in it is wrong, only the police agency that wrote it can change it.

If you can’t find your report yet, or the copy you found gets the crash wrong, that’s a normal worry, and there are clear steps to take.

Hurt in a Michigan crash and not sure where you stand? Get a free case review. Four quick questions, no cost, no obligation.

Do you have to report a car accident to the police in Michigan?

Yes, if anyone is hurt or killed, or the damage appears to total $1,000 or more. The driver must report a crash on a public road immediately “at the nearest or most convenient police station, or to the nearest or most convenient police officer” (MCL 257.622, 257.601). If you hit an unattended vehicle, such as a parked car, and can’t find its owner, report that to the police too, even in a parking lot (MCL 257.620). Our checklist of 10 things to do after a car accident covers the rest of what to do at the scene.

How do you report a crash if no officer came?

Contact a police agency where the crash happened, or a Michigan State Police post. The State Police’s crash reporting unit can’t file a report for you. Do it right away: if a crash isn’t reported immediately, the agency decides whether it will still take a report (Michigan State Police).

A crash that begins and ends in a parking lot is a non-traffic crash, and police don’t have to report it on a UD-10 unless someone died or a snowmobile or off-road vehicle was involved (Traffic Crash Advisory #5). Ask the agency what it recorded, and see what to do after a parking lot accident.

How do you get a copy of your Michigan crash report?

Buy it online through the State Police’s Traffic Crash Purchasing System. On September 30, 2026, the State Police’s pages said:

Without the search details, or for a crash more than 10 years old, the State Police point you to a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request, and their FOIA page offers one as an alternative to buying online. A 2017 State Police advisory says copies released under FOIA leave out personal details such as names and addresses (Traffic Crash Advisory #3). The case number comes from the agency that handled the crash; for a State Police crash, that’s the post for the county where it happened. Individuals and businesses can both buy reports: the system has personal accounts and business accounts, for example for an insurance company that buys many reports (Michigan State Police).

Can you get it from the police department that took the report?

Sometimes. The agency must keep a copy for at least three years (MCL 257.622), and some sell their own reports at a records counter or through an online vendor, as the Sanilac County Sheriff’s Office does. For other records, such as scene photos, send the agency a written FOIA request. It must respond within 5 business days, or extend that once by up to 10 business days, and it can charge fees and withhold exempt information (MCL 15.232, 15.233(1), 15.234, 15.235(2), 15.243(1)).

What’s on a Michigan UD-10 crash report?

The State Police’s instruction manual tells officers what goes in each of the report’s seven sections:

The State Police’s UD-10 user guide explains the codes.

What do the injury codes mean?

Each person gets a letter based on what was known when the report was completed: K, fatal; A, suspected serious injury, such as a broken arm or leg; B, a minor injury evident at the scene, such as bruises; C, a possible injury that’s claimed but not evident, such as a complaint of pain; or O, no apparent injury (UD-10 instruction manual). The code reflects what the officer saw and heard, not a medical diagnosis, so if you’re hurt, say so and see a doctor.

What is the “hazardous action”?

It’s the officer’s opinion of whether a driver’s actions contributed to the crash, such as failing to yield or driving too fast, and it’s entered even when no ticket was written (UD-10 instruction manual and user guide). A State Police advisory to officers calls the entire UD-10 “the investigating officer’s opinion,” with no burden of proof (Traffic Crash Advisory #3).

How do insurers and courts use a Michigan crash report?

The claims process runs on paperwork, and the crash report is part of it. Insurers buy these reports, which name the drivers, vehicles, insurers and policy numbers and give the officer’s account (Michigan State Police). After a deer crash, for example, Michigan’s Office of Highway Safety Planning says you may need the police report number to start your claim.

The officer’s opinion doesn’t decide your personal injury protection (PIP) benefits, which are due “without regard to fault” (MCL 500.3105(2)); see what Michigan no-fault benefits pay. In a claim against the other driver, fault matters: your damages are reduced by your percentage of fault (MCL 600.2959), and pain and suffering can’t be awarded to someone more than 50% at fault (MCL 500.3135(2)(b)). See how comparative fault works in Michigan.

Can a crash report be used in court in Michigan?

Not the report itself. The chapter of the Michigan Vehicle Code that requires it says:

“A report required by this chapter shall not be available for use in a court action, but a report shall be for the purpose of furnishing statistical information regarding the number and cause of accidents.” (MCL 257.624(1))

The State Police’s instruction manual applies that rule to the UD-10. Evidence that someone was convicted of, or found responsible for, a traffic violation isn’t admissible in a civil case either (MCL 257.731). So a lawsuit relies on other proof, such as witnesses, photos, video and the vehicles; see how to preserve evidence after a crash. Ask a lawyer how these rules apply to your case.

Is an insurer pointing to the crash report to deny or cut your claim? Get a free case review. Four quick questions, no cost, no obligation.

How do you fix a mistake in your Michigan crash report?

Only the police agency that wrote the report can change it, and it decides whether to. The State Police’s crash reporting unit can’t make changes (Michigan State Police).

1. Read every line: names, plates, insurers, policy numbers, location, injury codes, restraint entries, the hazardous action, the diagram and the narrative.
2. Find the agency. Its name is at the top, under “Department Name” (Michigan State Police).
3. Contact it promptly, with proof, such as your insurance card for a wrong detail, or photos, video and witness names for a disputed account.
4. Ask whether it will correct and resubmit the report. The State Police manual shows that agencies can recall a submitted report, correct it and send it again, and that the State Police won’t change an officer’s report otherwise (UD-10 instruction manual).

If the agency says no, other evidence can still show what happened. Give your own insurer a copy of your proof, and get advice before you discuss fault with the other driver’s insurer. Don’t expect a corrected fault entry to take the crash off your driving record, though: the State Police say all reported traffic crashes appear there, regardless of fault.

Is Michigan Traffic Crash Facts the same as your crash report?

No. The State Police turn crash reports, about 315,000 a year, into data for public use (MCL 257.622; Michigan State Police). The State Police’s Michigan Traffic Crash Dashboard, which needs no account, shows statistics. Michigan Traffic Crash Facts, from the State Police’s Office of Highway Safety Planning and the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute, is mostly statistics too, but its query tool can also download police reports (UD-10s). It adds each year’s crashes only after the State Police close that year’s data (the 2025 data went live in August 2026), so a recent crash won’t be there yet (Michigan Traffic Crash Facts).

When does a lawyer help with a crash report?

You can get and check the report yourself. It’s worth talking to a lawyer when:

• the report says you caused the crash and you disagree, or an insurer is using it to deny or cut your claim
• you were seriously hurt: pain and suffering from the at-fault driver requires death, serious impairment of body function or permanent serious disfigurement (MCL 500.3135(1)); see how Michigan car accident claims work
• the other driver fled: if Michigan’s crime victim compensation program covers your crash, it can pay only if police records show the crime was reported (MCL 18.360(c)); see what to do after a hit-and-run
• your PIP benefits are denied or cut off; see what to do when a Michigan PIP claim is denied

Compare Michigan car accident lawyers, and get any fee agreement in writing.

Report wrong, injuries serious or the other driver gone? Get a free case review. Four quick questions, no cost, no obligation.

What to do next

1. Get the case number and the agency’s name from the officer or the agency you reported to.
2. Buy the report when it’s ready, and read every line.
3. Raise any mistake promptly, with proof, and note who you spoke to and when.
4. Keep your own evidence: photos, witness names and any video.
5. Protect your claim. Give your auto insurer written notice of any injury within one year of the crash (MCL 500.3145(1)), and get a free case review.

What waiting can cost

• A report at all. A crash that isn’t reported immediately is up to the agency to accept (Michigan State Police).
• Proof that the report is wrong. Video gets recorded over, cars get repaired and witnesses become harder to find.
• Your PIP benefits. Without written notice or a payment within one year of the crash, you can lose the right to sue for them (MCL 500.3145(1)).
• Your lawsuit. Most injury lawsuits must be filed within three years of the injury (MCL 600.5805(2)).

What a good outcome looks like

You have the report within weeks, the names, vehicles and insurers in it are right, and any mistake has been raised with the agency, with proof. Any dispute about fault turns on all the evidence, not one box on a form. From wondering where your crash report is and whether it’s right to holding a checked copy and knowing what it can and can’t decide.

For the rest of Michigan’s injury rules, see our plain-English guide to Michigan personal injury law, or browse our car, truck and motorcycle accident guides.

Updated October 20, 2026

This guide is general information, not legal advice, and laws change. For advice about your situation, talk to a lawyer licensed in your state. Reading this page or contacting us does not create an attorney-client relationship.