You can use the crash report information center at AccidentReports.com now, to instantly get your copy.  You can also obtain your Santa Clara County report through the San Jose Department Records Unit. 

The San Jose Police Department in Santa Clara County is the reporting agency for collisions that occur within city limits. The SJPD provides a couple of ways you can request a copy of your accident report.

Mail-In Requests 

For mail-in requests, you can send a written request for your accident report to:

201 West Mission Street
San Jose, CA
95110.

You must also include the appropriate fee and provide a copy of proper identification, such as a government-issued photo ID and additional contact information including your mailing address and email address. 

Keep in mind, with mail-in requests, you may have to wait significantly longer for your report to arrive since orders for mail-in requests are processed in the order they are received. 

In-Person Request

For an in-person request, you can visit the San Jose Police Department. You must fill out a public records request form and pay the appropriate fee at the time of pickup. To ensure that copies of reports are available, contact the police department by phone prior to picking it up. 

The San Jose Police Department’s hours of operation are 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. seven days a week.

During this time, you must also provide proper identification, such as a government-issued photo ID. 

Police Station phone: 408-277-4261

The San Jose Police Department Records Unit is located at:

201 West Mission Street
San Jose, CA
95110.

In a San Jose police report, you’ll find the following information:

• Contact information for involved drivers and passengers including phone numbers and email addresses 
• Incident type 
• Law enforcement agency and the name of the police officer and their badge number 
• A diagram of the accident scene
• Time and date of the accident 
• Location of occurrence 
• A description of personal injuries
• The breakdown for vehicles involved 
• A detailed description of vehicle damage location breakdown 
• The responding law enforcement officer’s opinion concerning who they believe is at fault for the accident 
• Driver’s license numbers
• Vehicle identification number and license plate numbers
• A description of the accident scene and other factors that may have contributed to the accident including inclement weather or poor road conditions, as well as additional details regarding the accident scene 

With this type of report, due to privacy laws, the following parties will be eligible to receive an unredacted copy:

• The legal guardian or parent of a minor driver or passenger with proof of relationship
•  Accident lawyer
• Owners of vehicles 
•  Any parties involved in the accident
•  Insurance Company

In some cases, if it was a fatal accident, this report may only be available in a redacted version. Eligible parties must provide a valid photo ID or another type of proper identification, such as a valid driver’s license, to receive copies of accident reports. 

A crash report may be available as soon as five business days after a collision. However, if it was a fatal collision, there were personal injuries involved, property damage, domestic violence, or another type of crime, the report may be unavailable for several months. These types of collisions may involve an ongoing investigation. Requests for reports may only be made available once the investigation has concluded. 

A San Jose and San Francisco accident report will cost $16 per copy. Accepted forms of payment include money orders, debit card, credit card, personal check, or cash. Make a money order or check payable to the San Jose Police Department. Cash payments are not accepted with written requests.

If your accident occurred outside city limits, contact the Santa Clara County Sheriff. The Santa Clara County Sheriff handles accidents that take place outside of the SJPD’s jurisdiction.

Santa Clara County Sheriff phone: (408) 868-6600

After you’ve been involved in an accident, if you sustained injuries and/or your vehicle was damaged or totaled, you may be eligible to file an insurance claim with the other driver’s insurance company, or you may file a lawsuit. An insurance claim or lawsuit can compensate you for medical bills, lost wages from work, property damage, mental distress, pain and suffering, and more. If it was a fatal accident, and a passenger or the driver dies, the surviving family members of the lost loved one may be eligible to file a wrongful death lawsuit. 

Working With a Personal injury lawyer 

An experienced San Jose City accident attorney can use the information found in an accident report to help strengthen your claim or personal injury lawsuit. Since the accident report contains an unbiased opinion from the responding police officer, if you are not to blame for the accident, this information can be invaluable.