Alaska Crash Reports: State Troopers, DMV Copies and Rules
Who has your crash report, what drivers must report, insurance rules and traffic deaths in Alaska.
Who Has Your Alaska Crash Report
Alaska has no counties and no sheriff’s offices, according to the Alaska State Troopers. The troopers provide law enforcement outside the city limits of most Alaska cities and patrol where no local police department exists, and their patrol work includes crashes. Inside a city with its own department, that department takes the call. State law draws the same line for crash notice: local police inside a municipality, the Department of Public Safety (DPS) everywhere else.
There are two official ways to get a copy of a state trooper crash report:
DPS public records portal. DPS lists State Trooper collision reports among its public records, and you request them online through the DPS records portal. DPS says most requests for police reports have no cost, and it contacts you before charging for anything. Most video, photo or audio requests cost $36.49 per request. Questions go to [email protected], and DPS holds no records from city police departments or federal agencies.
DMV copy with Form 440. The Alaska DMV sells copies of crash reports on its Request for Crash Report Form (Form 440), which covers the law enforcement crash form (12-200) and the driver’s self-report (12-209). Each report costs $10, paid by check or money order to the State of Alaska, or by Visa, MasterCard or American Express through an invoice DMV emails you. Mail the form to Division of Motor Vehicles, Attn: Driver Services, 4001 Ingra Street, Ste 101, Anchorage, AK 99503, or call 907-269-5551 with questions.
Crash records at DMV are confidential under AS 28.10.505 and the federal Driver’s Privacy Protection Act. Release requires one of 11 exceptions listed on the form, such as written consent from the person named, a government agency, an insurer or research use. Neither DPS nor DMV posts a turnaround time. The Whittier tunnel’s operator, the state Department of Transportation and Public Facilities, posts no crash report process of its own.
Don’t want to sort out which office has your report, or fill out the forms yourself? We’ll get a copy of your report for you at no cost.
Police Reports From Alaska Cities
DPS does not hold city police records, so a crash worked by a city department means a request to that department. Start with the department that responded. Three departments post their steps:
| Department | How to request | Fee |
| Anchorage Police | Online through LexisNexis BuyCrash, linked from APD’s “Find Past Crash Report,” for reports filed after Sept. 1, 2012; older reports through the APD Records Center or APD headquarters, 716 W. 4th Ave., weekdays 8 to 4; records line 907-786-8600, ext. 1 | Not posted |
| Juneau Police | Online records request form, report type “Traffic Collision”; 6255 Alaway Ave.; Records Unit 907-586-0600, option 3; handled first come, first served | Not posted |
| Palmer Police | Written request on the department’s Public Records Request Form, with a signed certification of non-litigation affiliation; 423 S. Valley Way; 907-745-4811 | Not posted |
Anchorage is the only one of the three with a crash-specific online vendor.
What Alaska Drivers Must Report
Under AS 28.35.080, when a crash hurts or kills someone or causes apparent property damage of $2,000 or more, the driver must give notice immediately, by the quickest means available: to the local police inside a municipality, and to the Department of Public Safety anywhere else. The same law requires a written or electronic report within 10 days for those crashes. No driver report is needed if a peace officer investigated. The law sends the report to the state Department of Administration, and to the local police when the crash happened inside a municipality.
The state Highway Safety Office points drivers to Form 12-209, the self-report for crashes no officer responded to, filed online with the Alaska DMV. Proof of insurance has its own rule. Under AS 28.22.021, a driver must show proof of insurance after a crash with property damage over $501 or anyone hurt or killed. The Highway Safety Office says the Certificate of Insurance is due within 15 days, and the online 12-209 includes that certificate. A crash with $501 to $2,000 in property damage can be reported on the 12-209, and if an officer gave you a case number and asked for proof of insurance, the form is DMV Form 466.
Skipping the report has a cost. Under AS 28.35.110(b), the state suspends the driver’s license until the report is filed and can add up to 30 days. Failing to report is also a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of up to $200, up to 90 days in jail, or both, and false information in a report carries up to $1,000 and a year in jail.
Alaska Insurance and Fault Rules
Alaska requires liability insurance of at least $50,000 for injury or death of one person, $100,000 per crash and $25,000 for property damage, per the state Division of Insurance. Liability is the only coverage the state requires. Liability coverage pays when you are found legally responsible for the crash. Alaska has no personal injury protection (PIP) requirement.
Medical payments coverage is optional and pays medical and funeral costs regardless of who was negligent. Insurers must offer uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage in writing, with limits equal to your liability limits. The bodily injury and property damage parts can each be rejected, and if your choice isn’t verified by your signature, the policy carries this coverage at your liability limits. A driver caught in a crash without insurance can lose their license and must keep an SR-22 on file for three years to get it back.
Fault can be shared in Alaska. Under AS 09.17.060, an injured person’s own share of fault reduces their award by that share, and it never bars recovery outright. The Alaska Supreme Court adopted the same rule in 1975 in Kaatz v. State. Lawsuits against the state are allowed under AS 09.50.250, with exceptions for discretionary acts and several intentional torts, and that section sets no notice-of-claim deadline.
Alaska Traffic Deaths by the Numbers
| Measure | Figure | Year | Source |
| People killed in traffic crashes | 65 (very preliminary) | 2025 | Alaska Highway Safety Office, FFY 2025 annual report |
| People killed in traffic crashes | 70 | 2024 | Alaska Highway Safety Office (NHTSA’s FARS count also 70) |
| Pedestrians killed | 15 | 2024 | Alaska Highway Safety Office |
| People seriously injured | 262 | 2024 | Alaska Highway Safety Office |
| Deaths in crashes with an alcohol-impaired driver | 13 (19%) | 2024 | NHTSA |
| Motorcyclists killed | 10 | 2024 | NHTSA |
The 2024 total was up from 61 deaths in 2023, and pedestrians made up about one in five of the people killed that year. The state calls its 2025 figure very preliminary and subject to change.
Alaska Crash Guides by City and County
Guides for Alaska’s cities and local crash coverage, as they’re published:
County accident news: Anchorage County · Matanuska-Susitna County · Kenai Peninsula County · Fairbanks North Star County · Ketchikan Gateway County · Aleutians East County · Denali County · Prince of Wales-Hyder County
Compare nearby states: Western crash reports and car accident laws by state · No-fault states and insurance minimums in all 50 states
Questions about getting, reading or correcting a police report? See our accident report FAQ.
Roads and intersections around the state are covered on our Alaska intersections page.
Help After a Crash
- Local Accident Reports. We can put you in touch with local help after a crash, from doctors and body shops to injury attorneys. Contact our team.
- Alaska Violent Crimes Compensation Board. Driving under the influence is one of the crimes it covers. Its eligibility checklist asks whether the crime happened within the last two years, and victims must cooperate with law enforcement. (907) 465-3040. Who is eligible
- MADD Alaska. Free support for victims and survivors of drunk and drugged driving crashes. 24-hour help line: 877-MADD-HELP (877-623-3435).
- 988. Call or text 988 any time for crisis support.
- Trauma centers. Alaska has no Level I trauma center. Its two Level II centers, for adults and children, are Alaska Native Medical Center and Providence Alaska Medical Center, both in Anchorage, per the Department of Health’s trauma center designation list.
Alaska Crash Questions
How do I get an Alaska State Troopers crash report?
Request it through the Department of Public Safety’s online public records portal, which lists State Trooper collision reports. DPS says most police report requests cost nothing and it will contact you before charging. The Alaska DMV also sells copies of crash reports for $10 each with Form 440, mailed to its Driver Services office at 4001 Ingra Street in Anchorage.
Do Alaska drivers have to file their own crash report?
Yes, when the crash causes injury, death or apparent property damage of $2,000 or more and no peace officer investigated. File Form 12-209 online with the Alaska DMV within 10 days, plus a Certificate of Insurance within 15 days. Drivers who don’t report face license suspension until they file, and a misdemeanor carrying up to $200 and 90 days.
Is Alaska a no-fault state?
Alaska’s insurance regulators don’t use a no-fault label. The state requires liability coverage of at least $50,000, $100,000 and $25,000 and has no PIP requirement, so the driver found legally responsible pays through their liability insurance. An injured person who shares the blame still recovers, with the award cut by their own percentage of fault.
How long do I have to file a car accident claim in Alaska?
Two years from when the claim arises for injury and vehicle damage claims (AS 09.10.070), and two years after the death for wrongful death (AS 09.55.580). Alaska law allows lawsuits against the state (AS 09.50.250) and sets no notice-of-claim deadline in that section. The Municipality of Anchorage’s own claim form asks for filing within two years.
Recent Alaska Crash Coverage
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Earlier stories are in the Alaska accident news archive, and recent accident alerts follow new crashes nationwide as they’re reported.
Local Accident Reports compiles this information from public agency sources and published reports for general reference. It is not legal advice and is not an official police record. Fees, forms and deadlines change, so confirm with the agency before you send a request. Last updated October 2026.