Illinois Crash Reports: State Police, City Police and Insurance
Who has your crash report, what drivers must report, insurance rules and traffic deaths in Illinois.
Around Chicago, the Illinois Tollway adds another 294 miles of toll roads across 12 counties. Off the interstates and toll roads, meanwhile, city, village, and county police may handle crashes in their own jurisdictions. So, it is essential to know where your crash happened, because it determines which agency wrote the report and where you need to go to get a copy.
Who Has Your Illinois Crash Report
The Illinois State Police handle crashes on the interstates, the Tollway and the U.S. and Illinois routes they patrol, and they say they “rarely” take crashes on city streets. City and village police handle their own streets, and outside town limits the county sheriff or the State Police take the report. The “Investigated By” box in the upper left corner of your crash report names the agency that holds it.
State Police reports are ordered online through the ISP E-PAY crash report service. The fee set by state law is $5, plus a card service fee of 2.35% with a $1 minimum, and a request can take 10 or more business days. You’ll need the agency crash report number, a driver’s name, the crash date, the crash location and the county. Reports are released under the Freedom of Information Act, so the copy you get is redacted, and an unredacted report takes a subpoena or a judge’s order.
By mail, send the report number, date, location and names with a $5 check or money order payable to “Illinois State Police” (no cash) to the Patrol Records Unit, 801 South 7th Street, Suite 600-M, Springfield, IL 62703. A report from a crash reconstruction officer or team costs $20.
Tollway reports come through the same State Police online and mail routes, because State Police troopers patrol the Tri-State, Jane Addams, Reagan Memorial and Veterans Memorial Tollways and the Illinois Route 390 Tollway.
Don’t want to deal with the forms, or not sure which agency took your report? We can get a copy of your report for you at no cost.
Police Reports From Major Illinois Cities and Counties
Reports taken by city and county officers come from that department, and the state’s own crash report page sends drivers to the agency named on the report. State law caps a basic copy at $5 for local agencies, or $20 when a reconstruction team investigated.
| Agency | How to request | Fee |
| Chicago Police Department | Online at crash.chicagopolice.org, or Records Customer Service, 3510 S. Michigan Ave., weekdays 8 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. | $6 |
| Aurora Police Department | BuyCrash online, or Records Division, 1200 E. Indian Trail Rd., weekdays 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. | $5 in person |
| Joliet Police Department | BuyCrash online, or directly from the department, main station at 150 W. Washington St. | Set at request |
| Rockford Police Department | BuyCrash online, or the Records Center, 557 S. New Towne Dr., in person or by mail; Records Center copies are available 10 working days after the crash is reported | $5 at Records, $15 online |
| Springfield Police Department | Crashdocs online, or mail a check and return envelope to 800 E. Monroe St. | $5 by mail; Crashdocs adds a $5 convenience fee |
| Peoria Police Department | JustFOIA online, or Records-FOIA, 600 SW Adams St. | $5; $20 for reconstruction report |
| Naperville Police Department | City FOIA request, online, by email, mail or fax | $5; $20 for reconstruction report |
| Lake County Sheriff | Sheriff’s online report system for crashes after March 31, 2011, or 25 S. Martin Luther King Jr. Ave., Waukegan | $5 in person or by mail, $13 online |
| Will County Sheriff | FOIA request through the Sheriff’s online NextRequest portal, with the case number the deputy gave you; the Sheriff’s Accident Reports link goes to BuyCrash | $5 |
What Illinois Drivers Must Report
Under 625 ILCS 5/11-407, a driver in a crash that injures or kills someone, causes more than $1,500 in property damage ($500 if any vehicle involved is uninsured), or involves a school bus must notify police by the fastest means available when no officer is at the scene. Inside a city, that means the local police; elsewhere, the nearest county sheriff’s office or State Police headquarters.
Drivers no longer have to file the Illinois Motorist Report with the state. Public Act 102-0560 repealed that requirement as of August 20, 2021, although state employees in a crash in a state vehicle still file one. The SR 1050 you may see named on a report is the Illinois Traffic Crash Report that officers complete.
Chicago-area freeway crashes, hit-and-runs included, can be filed as a State Police desk report within 10 days, in person, with your license, registration and proof of insurance. Desk report sites include several Chicago Police district stations, suburban police departments, the Tollway’s offices in Downers Grove, any Tollway toll plaza and the State Police station at 9511 W. Harrison St. in Des Plaines. At any of them, call (847) 294-4400 to ask for a trooper.
At local police departments, troopers take desk reports weekdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. to 3 a.m., and at any hour on weekends; the Des Plaines station takes them at any hour. A single-vehicle crash with property damage and no injuries on an interstate or a U.S. or Illinois route can also be reported online through the State Police.
Illinois Insurance Rules After a Crash
Policies issued or renewed since January 1, 2015 must carry at least $25,000 for injury or death to one person, $50,000 for two or more people, and $20,000 for property damage under 625 ILCS 5/7-203.
Every liability policy must also include uninsured motorist coverage at those same injury limits, which covers you when a hit-and-run driver or an uninsured at-fault driver hurts you. If you buy uninsured motorist limits above the minimum, Illinois law requires underinsured motorist coverage as well.
Illinois is a fault state, and the Department of Insurance’s list of required coverages includes no personal injury protection. You can file a claim with your own insurer, if your policy has the right coverage, or with the other driver’s insurer, which bases any offer on its driver’s share of the fault. Under 735 ILCS 5/2-1116, a person found more than 50% at fault recovers nothing, and anyone at 50% or less has their damages reduced by their share of the blame.
Illinois Traffic Deaths by the Numbers
| Measure | Figure | Year | Source |
| People killed in traffic crashes | 1,171 (preliminary) | 2025 | IDOT |
| Pedestrians killed | 219, up from 195 in 2022 | 2025 | IDOT |
| People killed in traffic crashes | 1,177 | 2024 | NHTSA |
| Deaths in crashes with an alcohol-impaired driver | 338 (29% of all deaths) | 2024 | NHTSA |
| Motorcyclists killed | 149 | 2024 | NHTSA |
| Bicyclists killed | 37 | 2024 | NHTSA |
The 2025 counts come from IDOT’s statewide fatal crash data as updated in September 2026 and may change when final federal data is published. Pedestrians made up nearly one in five of the state’s traffic deaths in 2025.
Illinois Crash Guides by City and County
At Local Accident Reports, we cover crashes across the country. That means going county by county, and then city by city, focusing on car crashes, motorcycle wrecks, commercial and residential fires, and every other kind of accident happening in every corner of the nation.
Illinois is no exception. With 102 counties and 320 cities, there are crashes to report every single day, and that’s what we do. But we don’t stop there. We don’t just want to tell drivers and commuters when and where a crash happened. We also want to help people get to know the cities they drive in, including the most important roads and the most dangerous intersections, so they have a clear picture of what to expect behind the wheel.
Here you’ll find the latest accidents across Illinois’ counties and communities, along with guides to some of the state’s most important cities.
City crash guides: Chicago, IL
County accident news: Cook County · Lake County · McHenry County · Kane County · Peoria County · Will County · Winnebago County · Champaign County
Compare nearby states: Midwest crash reports and car accident laws by state · No-fault states and insurance minimums in all 50 states
Road stretches with high crash counts are listed on our Illinois dangerous roads page.
Help After a Crash
- Local Accident Reports. After a crash, we can connect you with local help, from doctors and body shops to injury attorneys. Contact our team.
- Illinois Crime Victim Compensation Run by the Attorney General’s office, it helps pay costs for people hurt by drunk drivers, pedestrians and cyclists struck in hit-and-runs, and families in reckless homicide cases, up to $45,000. The crime must be reported to police within 72 hours, and you have five years to apply. 1-800-228-3368.
- MADD Illinois Free support for people hurt by drunk or drugged drivers and for families who lost someone. Help line: 877-MADD-HELP (877-623-3435).
- 911. Call 911 after a crash for support.
- Trauma centers. Illinois designates Level I and Level II trauma centers, listed by region on the Department of Public Health’s trauma center list.
Illinois Crash Questions
How do I get an Illinois State Police crash report?
Order it online through the ISP E-PAY service or by mail to the Patrol Records Unit in Springfield. The fee is $5, plus a card fee online, and requests can take 10 or more business days. You’ll need the crash report number, a driver’s name, the date, the location and the county.
How do I report a crash on a Chicago-area expressway?
File a State Police desk report in person within 10 days, with your license, registration and proof of insurance. Locations include some Chicago Police district stations, suburban police stations, Tollway toll plazas and the State Police station in Des Plaines.
Is Illinois a no-fault state?
No. Illinois is a fault state with no personal injury protection requirement, so the at-fault driver’s liability insurance pays for the injuries and damage that driver causes, up to the policy limits. A person more than 50% at fault recovers nothing, and a smaller share of fault reduces the amount.
How long do I have to file a car accident claim in Illinois?
Two years for injury claims under 735 ILCS 5/13-202 and two years from the death for wrongful death claims according to 740 ILCS 180/2. A suit against a city, county, or other local government must be filed within one year under 745 ILCS 10/8-101. A claim against the State goes to the Court of Claims and needs written notice within one year unless the claim itself is filed within that year under 705 ILCS 505/22-1.
Recent Illinois Crash Coverage
Two Killed in Rollover Crash on I-255 in Cahokia Heights, IL
Patient Evaluated After House Fire on Grove Ave in Bensenville, IL
Multi-Vehicle Crash on IL-13 EB Near Cambria, IL
8 Hurt in Three-Vehicle Crash on S Ashland Ave in Chicago, IL
Pedestrian Killed in Two-Vehicle Strike on Harlem Ave in Tinley Park, IL
The full archive is at Illinois accident news, and recent accident alerts follow new crashes nationwide as they are 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.