Maine Crash Reports: How to Get a Copy and the Rules After a Crash
Who has your crash report, what drivers must report, insurance rules and traffic deaths in Maine.
Which office has your report, and how you order it, comes down to which agency showed up at your crash.
Who Has Your Maine Crash Report
Maine crash reports are sold online through the Maine Crash Reporting Online Search & Ordering Service, a Maine.gov service that searches the State Police crash database. Officers send their reports to the State Police Traffic Division, and the database picks up agencies’ reports every day. The Cumberland County and Franklin County sheriffs both send people who want a crash report to this service. It does not list which local departments are included, so if you can’t find your report there, ask the department that responded.
Ordering a report. Searching is free. You need the name and date of birth of someone on the report, or you can search by crash location, date or investigating agency. Each report costs $10, paid by Mastercard, Visa, Discover or an InforME subscription, and there is no charge when no match turns up.
Reports arrive as an emailed PDF, usually within hours. Reports pulled from the microfilm archive take up to five days. Anyone may buy a report.
If your report isn’t there yet, search again in a few days. Officers have five days after they learn of a crash to file it.
Older reports. Crashes from before 2003 may not be in the database. Reports from 1976 to 2002 are on microfilm, and the State Police Traffic Division hand-searches them for a non-refundable $10. Send a written request with payment to Maine State Police Traffic Division, State House Station #20, Augusta, ME 04333-0020, or email [email protected]. The division’s phone is (207) 624-8944.
Turnpike crashes. Crashes on the Maine Turnpike are handled by State Police Troop G, which covers the Turnpike from Kittery to Augusta, based at 2360 Congress Street in Portland (207-871-7755). The Maine Turnpike Authority runs the road but posts no crash report process of its own. A Turnpike crash report is a State Police report, so order it the same way.
What the report won’t include. Officer narratives, witness statements and photos stay with the investigating agency. The report does not say who was at fault, because insurers decide that, and only the investigating officer can correct a mistake on it. ATV and snowmobile crashes handled by the Maine Warden Service are not in the database; call the Warden Service at (207) 287-2766.
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 Maine Cities and Sheriffs
South Portland is one department that sells its reports outside the state service, through BuyCrash.com. Start with the department that responded to your crash. These four post their process:
| Department | How to request | Fee |
| South Portland Police | BuyCrash.com, with the report number, last name and crash date; ready within 72 hours. Crashes under investigation are not online, and fatal crash reports are bought in person. | Not posted |
| Cumberland County Sheriff | State crash report service online, or Records at 36 County Way, Portland, in person, by mail, fax or email ([email protected]); (207) 774-1444 ext. 2249. Reports can take up to 5 days to complete. | $10 online; $0.10 per page at Records, cash, check or money order only |
| Franklin County Sheriff | Online through the state crash report service, or in person at 120 County Way, Suite 1, Farmington, weekdays 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. | $10 per crash report |
| Gorham Police | Online request form, by mail to 270 Main Street, Gorham, ME 04038, or at the station lobby. Phone (207) 893-2810. | Administrative fee; amount not posted |
A crash that was not reportable under state law is not in the state database. For one of those, ask the responding department for an incident report.
What Maine Drivers Must Report
Under 29-A M.R.S. §2251, a crash must be reported if it injures or kills anyone, or causes apparent property damage of $2,000 or more, judged by the market value of the needed repairs. The rule covers public roads and any place where public traffic can reasonably be expected.
The driver, someone acting for the driver, or the owner if the driver is unknown must report it immediately by the quickest means available. That report goes to a state trooper or the nearest State Police field office, the county sheriff’s office or a deputy, or the local police of the town where the crash happened.
Knowingly failing to report is a Class E crime, and the Secretary of State may suspend or revoke the license and registration of a driver who does not report. The state crash report service’s FAQ still lists an older $1,000 damage threshold. The statute sets $2,000.
Maine Insurance Rules After a Crash
The liability coverage of the driver responsible for a crash pays for the injuries and damage that driver causes, and every policy must also carry at least $2,000 of medical payments coverage.
The minimum liability limits under 29-A M.R.S. §1605 are $50,000 for injury or death of one person, $100,000 per crash and $25,000 for property damage. The Bureau of Insurance says a $125,000 combined single limit also meets the requirement.
Every Maine policy must include uninsured, underinsured and hit-and-run coverage (24-A M.R.S. §2902). That coverage matches your liability limits unless you reject the higher amount on a signed, dated form from your insurer, and it can never drop below $50,000 per person and $100,000 per crash.
When more than one person shares the blame, 14 M.R.S. §156 lets the jury reduce a claimant’s damages by the amount it finds just and equitable for that person’s share of fault, set as a dollar figure. A claimant the jury finds equally at fault recovers nothing.
Maine Traffic Deaths by the Numbers
| Measure | Figure | Year | Source |
| People killed in traffic crashes (early estimate) | 174, against 177 in 2024 | 2025 | NHTSA |
| People killed in traffic crashes | 789 in 726 fatal crashes | 2019 to 2023 | Maine Bureau of Highway Safety (USM analysis) |
| Deaths involving an impaired driver | 278 (35%) | 2019 to 2023 | Maine Bureau of Highway Safety (USM analysis) |
| Motorcyclists killed | 122 | 2019 to 2023 | Maine Bureau of Highway Safety (USM analysis) |
| Pedestrians killed | 88 | 2019 to 2023 | Maine Bureau of Highway Safety (USM analysis) |
The five-year analysis, prepared for the Bureau by the University of Southern Maine’s Survey Research Center, counts 182 deaths in 2022 and 135 in 2023. The impaired share swung from 25% in 2021 to 46% in 2022.
Maine Crash Guides by City and County
Local guides and day-to-day crash coverage for Maine, sorted by city and county:
County accident news: York County · Cumberland County · Penobscot County · Androscoggin County · Kennebec County · Hancock County · Oxford County · Sagadahoc County
Compare nearby states: Northeast 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.
Road stretches and intersections across the state are covered on our Maine intersections 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.
- Maine Crime Victims’ Compensation Program. Run by the Office of the Attorney General, it helps pay costs for people hurt by drunk drivers and for families of those killed, including funeral costs up to $4,500. Apply within three years of the injury, and the crash must have been reported to police within five days, with exceptions for good cause. Program details
- MADD. Mothers Against Drunk Driving supports victims of drunk and drugged driving through its 24-hour help line, 877-MADD-HELP (877-623-3435).
- 988. Call or text 988 any time for crisis support.
- Trauma centers. Maine EMS lists two as of December 2025: Maine Medical Center in Portland (Level I) and Northern Light Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor (Level II), per its hospital destinations list. The Bangor Daily News reported in November 2025 that Central Maine Medical Center in Lewiston would end its trauma center status on Dec. 1, 2025, and the Maine EMS list gives it no trauma level.
Maine Crash Questions
How do I get a Maine crash report?
Order it from the Maine Crash Reporting Online Search & Ordering Service on Maine.gov. Searching is free, and each report costs $10, emailed as a PDF, usually within hours. You need the name and date of birth of someone on the report, and anyone may buy one. Reports from before 2003 come from the State Police Traffic Division by mail or email.
How do I get a crash report for a Maine Turnpike crash?
State Police Troop G covers the Maine Turnpike, so a Turnpike crash report is a State Police report. The Maine Turnpike Authority has no separate report process. Order it through the state’s online crash report service for $10, using the name and date of birth of someone on the report, or call Troop G, which covers the Turnpike, in Portland at 207-871-7755.
Is Maine a no-fault state?
Maine’s Bureau of Insurance says a driver’s liability insurance covers injury and property damage to others in a crash that driver is responsible for. Every policy must also carry $2,000 of medical payments coverage. If you share the blame, a jury can reduce your damages, and a claimant found equally at fault recovers nothing.
How long do I have to file a car accident claim in Maine?
Six years for injury and property damage claims (14 M.R.S. §752), and three years from the death for wrongful death claims (18-C M.R.S. §2-807). A claim against the state, a town or a county under the Maine Tort Claims Act needs written notice within 365 days, and the lawsuit must be filed within two years.
Recent Maine Crash Coverage
Pedestrian Struck by Vehicle at Pool St and Alfred St in Biddeford, ME
Rider Killed in Electric Unicycle Crash Near Western Ave and Melville St in Augusta, ME
Motorcyclist Injured in Early Morning Crash at Lewiston Rd and James St in Topsham, ME
Motorcyclist Injured in Crash on Lewiston Rd in Topsham, ME
Possible Injuries Reported in Multi-Vehicle Crash at Cape Rd and Plains Rd in Hollis, ME
Every new and old crash story in the Pine Tree State is archived at Maine accident news, and recent accident alerts track new crashes nationwide as they come in.
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.