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Who may receive a Texas crash report, Transp. Code §550.065: the statute text explained

The official text of the Texas statute on who may receive a full crash report, what the redacted report leaves out and what a copy costs, explained.

8 min readPublished October 27, 2026Last updated October 27, 2026Edited by Joseph Budzinski, CTO, InjuryClaimGuide

The short answer

Texas Transportation Code §550.065 makes an officer's crash report "privileged and for the confidential use of" TxDOT and certain government agencies, except as the section provides (Transp. Code §550.065(b)). On written request and payment of any required fee, the full report is released to the requesters listed in §550.065(c), which include any person involved in the collision, that person's authorized representative, the owner of a damaged vehicle or property and the insurers of a vehicle or person involved. Any person may request a redacted report, which leaves out names, contact details and the other items listed in §550.065(f)(2). A copy costs $6 under §550.065(d).

This entry provides general informational guidance and is not legal advice.

Key facts (as of 2026-10-27)

  • Confidential by default. The report is privileged and for the confidential use of TxDOT and of government agencies that use it for collision prevention or a criminal investigation, except as §550.065(c), (c-1) or (e) provides (§550.065(b)).
  • Full report to a listed requester. Released on written request and payment of any required fee to the entities and people listed in §550.065(c) (§550.065(c)).
  • Redacted report to any person. With names, license and policy numbers, contact details and the other items in §550.065(f)(2) left out (§550.065(c-1), (f)).
  • Fees set by statute. $6 for a copy, $2 more for certification, and $6 for a certification that no report is on file (§550.065(d)).
  • Filed within 10 days. An officer's report must be filed electronically with TxDOT not later than the 10th day after the collision (§550.062(b)).
  • Last amended in 2025. The history line for §550.065 lists Acts 2025, 89th Leg., ch. 204 (H.B. 1620) and ch. 846 (S.B. 1598), both effective September 1, 2025, as the most recent amendments.

What information does §550.065 cover?

The official text of Tex. Transp. Code §550.065(a), as published by the Texas Legislature:

Sec. 550.065. RELEASE OF CERTAIN INFORMATION RELATING TO COLLISIONS. (a) This section applies only to the following information that is held by the department or another governmental entity: (1) a written report of a collision required under: (A) Section 550.062; or (B) former Section 550.061 or 601.004 before September 1, 2017; or (2) collision report information compiled under Section 201.806.

Source: Tex. Transp. Code §550.065, statutes.capitol.texas.gov. Text last checked October 27, 2026.

In plain language: the section covers the written report a law enforcement officer must make under §550.062 after investigating a crash with injury, death or apparent property damage to any one person of $1,000 or more, reports made under the earlier provisions before September 1, 2017, and the crash information TxDOT compiles from those reports under §201.806 (§201.806). In this subchapter, "department" means the Texas Department of Transportation (§550.0601).

Who may use the report confidentially?

The official text of §550.065(b):

(b) Except as provided by Subsection (c), (c-1), or (e), the information is privileged and for the confidential use of: (1) the department; and (2) an agency of the United States, this state, or a local government of this state that has use for the information for purposes of collision prevention or a criminal investigation conducted by a law enforcement agency.

Source: Tex. Transp. Code §550.065.

Who may receive the full report?

The official text of §550.065(c):

(c) On written request and payment of any required fee, the department or the governmental entity shall release the information to: (1) an entity described by Subsection (b); (2) the law enforcement agency that employs the peace officer who investigated the collision and sent the information to the department, including a person acting on behalf of the law enforcement agency who is authorized by contract to obtain the information; (3) the court in which a case involving a person involved in the collision is pending if the report is subpoenaed; or (4) any person directly concerned in the collision or having a proper interest therein, including: (A) any person involved in the collision; (B) the authorized representative of any person involved in the collision; (C) a driver involved in the collision; (D) an employer, parent, or legal guardian of a driver involved in the collision; (E) the owner of a vehicle or property damaged in the collision; (F) a person who has established financial responsibility for a vehicle involved in the collision in a manner described by Section 601.051, including a policyholder of a motor vehicle liability insurance policy covering the vehicle; (G) an insurance company that issued an insurance policy covering a vehicle involved in the collision; (H) an insurance company that issued a policy covering any person involved in the collision; (I) a person under contract to provide claims or underwriting information to a person described by Paragraph (F), (G), or (H); (J) a radio or television station that holds a license issued by the Federal Communications Commission; (K) a newspaper that is: (i) a free newspaper of general circulation or qualified under Section 2051.044, Government Code, to publish legal notices; (ii) published at least once a week; and (iii) available and of interest to the general public in connection with the dissemination of news; (L) any person who may sue because of death resulting from the collision; or (M) an employee or authorized representative of a vehicle storage facility, as defined by Section 2303.002, Occupations Code, that stored a vehicle involved in the collision.

Source: Tex. Transp. Code §550.065.

In plain language: the full report goes only to a requester the statute lists, and only on a written request with any required fee. The list in paragraph (4) is introduced by the words "any person directly concerned in the collision or having a proper interest therein, including", followed by the people and businesses in subparagraphs (A) through (M).

What is the redacted report?

The official text of §550.065(c-1):

(c-1) On receiving information to which this section applies, the department or the governmental entity that receives the information shall create a redacted collision report that may be requested by any person. The redacted collision report may not include the items of information described by Subsection (f)(2). A report released under this subsection is not considered personal information under Section 730.003.

And the official text of §550.065(f):

(f) The department or the governmental entity when releasing information under Subsection (c-1), (e), or (e-1): (1) may not release personal information, as defined by Section 730.003; and (2) shall withhold or redact the following items: (A) the first, middle, and last name of any person listed in a collision report, including a vehicle driver, occupant, owner, or lessee, a bicyclist, a pedestrian, or a property owner; (B) the number of any driver's license, commercial driver's license, or personal identification certificate issued to any person listed in a collision report; (C) the date of birth, other than the year, of any person listed in a collision report; (D) the address, other than zip code, and telephone number of any person listed in a collision report; (E) the license plate number of any vehicle listed in a collision report; (F) the name of any insurance company listed as a provider of financial responsibility for a vehicle listed in a collision report; (G) the number of any insurance policy issued by an insurance company listed as a provider of financial responsibility; (H) the date the peace officer who investigated the collision was notified of the collision; (I) the date the investigating peace officer arrived at the collision site; (J) the badge number or identification number of the investigating officer; (K) the date on which any person who died as a result of the collision died; (L) the date of any commercial motor vehicle report; and (M) the place where any person injured or killed in a collision was taken and the person or entity that provided the transportation.

Source: Tex. Transp. Code §550.065.

In plain language: anyone may request the redacted version, and it leaves out the people's names and identifying details along with the other items in the list. "Personal information" is defined in §730.003 of the Motor Vehicle Records Disclosure Act as information that identifies a person, such as a name, an address other than the ZIP code, or a telephone number (§730.003(6)). The same definition says the term does not include information contained in a collision report prepared under chapter 550 (§730.003(6)(B)). The items the redacted report must leave out are the ones listed in §550.065(f)(2).

What does a copy cost?

The official text of §550.065(d):

(d) The fee for a copy of the collision report is $6. The copy may be certified by the department or the governmental entity for an additional fee of $2. The department or the governmental entity may issue a certification that no report or information is on file for a fee of $6.

Source: Tex. Transp. Code §550.065.

The charge for the other information TxDOT may release under §550.065(e) (collision report information compiled under §201.806, or a vehicle identification number with specific collision information about that vehicle) is calculated in the manner Government Code chapter 552 specifies for public information (§550.065(e), (g)). The steps for requesting a copy, and the fees TxDOT and city police departments list, are covered in the related guides below.

When was this checked, and can it change?

The statute text above was last checked on October 27, 2026, against the official text published by the Texas Legislature. The Legislature can amend a statute in any session, and it amended this section twice in 2025. It convenes in regular session on the second Tuesday in January of each odd-numbered year (Gov't Code §301.001), so the next regular session begins on January 12, 2027. This entry is scheduled to be rechecked against the official text by April 2027 and again after the 2027 regular session ends.

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Frequently asked questions

Who may receive a full Texas crash report?
Under Tex. Transp. Code §550.065(c), on written request and payment of any required fee, TxDOT or the governmental entity holding the report releases it to the government agencies described in §550.065(b), the law enforcement agency whose officer investigated, the court in a pending case involving a person in the collision if the report is subpoenaed, and any person directly concerned in the collision or having a proper interest in it, including a person involved, that person's authorized representative, a driver and the driver's employer, parent or legal guardian, the owner of a damaged vehicle or property, insurers covering a vehicle or person involved, and the others listed in §550.065(c)(4).
Can a person who is not on that list request a Texas crash report?
Section 550.065(c-1) requires TxDOT or the governmental entity to create a redacted collision report that may be requested by any person. The redacted report leaves out the items listed in §550.065(f)(2), which include the names of people in the report, driver's license numbers, dates of birth other than the year, addresses other than the ZIP code, telephone numbers, license plate numbers and insurance company names and policy numbers.
What does a copy of a Texas crash report cost under §550.065?
Section 550.065(d) sets the fee for a copy of the collision report at $6. The copy may be certified for an additional fee of $2, and a certification that no report or information is on file has a fee of $6.
When does an officer's crash report reach TxDOT?
Under §550.062(b), an officer's written report of a collision must be filed electronically with the Texas Department of Transportation not later than the 10th day after the date of the collision.
Can InjuryClaimGuide request a crash report for me?
No. InjuryClaimGuide is a legal advertising service, and we do not apply the law to anyone's situation. An attorney can advise you about your specific situation.

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