After a crash in California, most drivers know to call the police and exchange insurance information. The less obvious obligation is the DMV accident report: a separate filing that has nothing to do with the police report and that each driver must submit on their own. Miss the deadline and your license can be suspended.

When you are required to file an accident report

California law requires every driver involved in a collision to file a Report of Traffic Accident Occurring in California (form SR-1) with the DMV within 10 days if any of the following apply:

• Property damage to any vehicle or property exceeds $1,000
• Anyone was injured, even minor injuries
• Anyone was killed

The $1,000 threshold applies to the total damage to any single vehicle or piece of property, not the combined total. A fender bender that dents one bumper and costs $1,200 to fix qualifies. A parking lot tap with $200 in scratches generally does not, as long as no one was hurt.

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Both drivers must file separately. It doesn't matter who caused the accident. It doesn't matter if the other driver already filed. You are responsible for your own report.

How to file the SR-1 form

Download the SR-1 form directly from the California DMV accident report page. Fill it out completely: missing fields will cause the DMV to send it back, which can push you past the 10-day deadline.

Mail the completed form to:

Department of Motor Vehicles
P.O. Box 942884
Sacramento, CA 94824-0884

Keep a copy for your records before you mail it. The DMV does not send a confirmation receipt in most cases.

The form asks for: your driver's license number and contact info, the other driver's info (name, address, license number, insurance company and policy number), vehicle descriptions, date and location of the accident, and a brief description of what happened.

The police report is different from the SR-1

Many people assume that if police responded to the accident, the report is already filed. It is not. The police report is filed by the officer and goes to the responding agency (CHP, local police, or sheriff's department). The SR-1 is filed by you and goes to the DMV. They are completely separate documents.

You are not required by law to call police for a property-damage-only accident. But having an officer write a report creates an official record that's useful for insurance claims, especially if the other driver later disputes what happened.

What to do at the scene first

Before you can fill out the SR-1, you need the other driver's information. Collect this at the scene:

• Full name and address
• Driver's license number
• Vehicle license plate number and VIN
• Insurance company and policy number

Take photos of the damage to both vehicles, the license plates, and the scene (skid marks, street signs, traffic signals). Move your car out of traffic after you've photographed it, if it's safe to do so. Don't block lanes waiting for police if you can avoid it.

Do not leave the scene without exchanging information. Leaving is a hit-and-run, which is a criminal offense in California under Vehicle Code 20002.

If you hit a parked car

If you strike an unoccupied parked vehicle, California requires you to leave a note with your name, address, and phone number in a visible place on the damaged vehicle. You must also report the accident to the local police, sheriff, or California Highway Patrol. File the SR-1 with the DMV within 10 days if damage exceeds $1,000.

What happens if you don't file

If the DMV determines you were required to file an SR-1 and didn't, your driver's license can be suspended until the report is filed and any other requirements are met. The suspension doesn't happen immediately: the DMV typically sends a notice first: but it can and does happen.

If you're not sure whether your crash meets the reporting threshold, err on the side of filing. There is no penalty for filing when you didn't need to. There is a penalty for not filing when you did.

How to get a copy of a crash report

If you want a copy of the police report (not the SR-1), contact the agency that responded to the accident. For CHP-handled crashes, you can request a report online through the CHP website. For city police-handled crashes, contact the records division of that department. There is usually a fee of $10 to $25 for a copy.

Police reports are typically available within a few weeks of the incident. If you need the report for an insurance claim, your insurer can often request it directly.

The DMV's copy of your SR-1 is part of your driving record. You can request a copy of your driving record from the DMV for a fee.

Insurance and your accident report

Filing an SR-1 does not automatically notify your insurance company. You need to report the accident to your insurer separately, typically within a few days of the incident per your policy terms. Delaying can complicate claims.

California requires all drivers to carry minimum liability coverage: $15,000 per person for bodily injury, $30,000 per accident, and $5,000 for property damage (15/30/5). If the other driver was uninsured, your uninsured motorist coverage applies if you have it.

After any crash, reviewing the traffic rules that apply to the situation is worthwhile. Our free California DMV practice tests cover right-of-way, merging, intersection rules, and other areas that commonly factor into crash situations.

Can you file the SR-1 online?

As of 2026, the SR-1 must be mailed to the DMV. California does not currently accept electronic submission of the SR-1 form. The DMV has discussed online filing in the past, but it has not been implemented. Fax submissions are generally not accepted either.

If you're close to the 10-day deadline, it's worth calling the DMV at 1-800-777-0133 to confirm current options. Sending by certified mail with tracking gives you documented proof that you mailed it within the required window, even if the DMV receives it slightly later.

What happens after the DMV receives your SR-1

The DMV reviews the SR-1 to verify financial responsibility (proof that your vehicle was insured at the time of the crash). If your insurance information checks out, the DMV files the report and closes the matter for you.

If there are questions about insurance coverage, the DMV may contact your insurer directly. If it determines you were uninsured at the time of the crash, your license and registration can be suspended under California's Financial Responsibility Law (Vehicle Code 16000-16078), which requires drivers to maintain liability coverage or an approved equivalent.

The SR-1 becomes part of your driving record. It does not appear on the public version of your DMV record that employers typically see, but it is visible to insurers when they run an insurance driving record (IDR) check.

What to do if the other driver was uninsured

California requires minimum liability coverage, but a significant percentage of California drivers are uninsured. If the driver who hit you had no insurance and wasn't at fault: or if you were injured and they had no coverage: your options depend on your own policy.

Uninsured motorist coverage (UM) pays for your injuries when the other driver can't. If you have UM coverage on your policy, file a claim with your own insurer and notify them the other driver was uninsured. They'll handle the claim through that coverage.

If you have collision coverage, it pays for damage to your vehicle regardless of who was at fault. Your insurer may then try to recover that cost from the at-fault driver through subrogation: but that's their problem to deal with, not yours.

If you have no UM coverage and no collision coverage, your options are limited to suing the at-fault uninsured driver directly. Many attorneys offer free consultations for crash cases and will tell you quickly whether it's worth pursuing.

SR-1 and insurance rate impact

Filing an SR-1 by itself does not raise your insurance rates. It's a government document, not an insurance claim. What affects your rates is what your insurer knows about the crash: which comes from your own claim filing, the police report, or an insurance driving record check when you renew or shop for coverage.

If you were not at fault and did not file a claim, many insurers will not raise your rates. If you were at fault, expect your rates to increase at renewal. California law allows insurers to factor at-fault accidents into your premiums for up to three years.

Crash reports and civil lawsuits

If the crash leads to a lawsuit, both the police report and your SR-1 may become exhibits. Attorneys for the other side will request your driving record, which includes the SR-1 filing date. If you filed late or didn't file at all when required, that fact can be used to suggest you were trying to avoid documentation.

The SR-1 itself is a sworn document in the sense that providing false information on it is a criminal offense. Don't overstate or understate damage amounts, and don't omit information about injuries if people were hurt. Even minor injuries: neck stiffness, a headache that lasted a few days: should be mentioned if they were present, because symptoms from soft tissue injuries sometimes take days to fully develop.

What to do and avoid after a California crash