Michigan Crash Reports: TCPS, State Police and No-Fault Rules
Who has your crash report, what drivers must report, insurance rules and traffic deaths in Michigan.
That also means the agency that writes your crash report depends on where the accident happened. Once the report is filed, though, it becomes part of Michigan's statewide crash-reporting system, making it easier to track down the record later.
Who Has Your Michigan Crash Report
The Michigan State Police are charged by law with traffic patrol on the freeways and state trunklines. City police handle city streets, and some townships contract with their county sheriff for patrol, so a deputy takes the report there. The crash slip an officer hands you at the scene carries the incident number you’ll use to find the report.
Every Michigan police agency writes its crash reports on the state’s UD-10 form and sends them to the State Police. That makes the Traffic Crash Purchasing System (TCPS) a single place to buy a State Police report, and the reports of city and county agencies too, for $15 each.
Sign in with a MiLogin account (accounts from the old TCPS site do not carry over), then search by driver license number or incident number, plus a date of birth and the crash date. Individuals use a citizen account, and businesses and organizations use a business account.
Reports usually reach TCPS 3 to 30 days after the crash, depending on the agency that wrote them, and stay available for 10 years. If you are missing the search details or the crash is older than that, file a Freedom of Information Act request.
For a State Police report, email [email protected] or write to the MSP Records Resource Section, P.O. Box 30634, Lansing, MI 48909, and expect a response within five business days.
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 Michigan Cities and Counties
Many departments also release their own copies at a records counter, by mail, or through an outside system such as CLEMIS or LexisNexis. A sample of major departments and one sheriff’s office:
| Agency | How to request | Fee |
| Detroit Police Department | Written FOIA request to the DPD Law Unit, 2 Woodward Ave., Suite 500, by mail, fax, or email | $10 |
| Grand Rapids Police Department | TCPS online, or the police lobby at 1 Monroe Center St. NW with photo ID | $5 in person; $15 on TCPS |
| Warren Police Department | CLEMIS online | Set at request |
| Sterling Heights Police Department | LexisNexis online, the Records Bureau at 40333 Dodge Park Rd. (wait at least 3 days), or FOIA | Set at request |
| Ann Arbor Police Department | CLEMIS online, the Justice Center at 301 E. Huron, or by mail with an ID copy and the incident number | $15 in person; $5 by mail |
| Dearborn Police Department | CLEMIS online | Set at request |
| Muskegon Police Department | LexisNexis BuyCrash online, or FOIA to the Records Bureau | Set at request |
| Oakland County Sheriff’s Office | CLEMIS online, or the Records Unit at 1201 N. Telegraph Rd., Pontiac; reports usually arrive 4 to 5 business days after the crash | $7 cash in person |
CLEMIS releases reports only to people involved in the crash and their legal representatives, and it asks you to allow at least 5 to 7 business days. Ann Arbor asks for a signed release form with mail requests made within 30 days of the crash.
What Michigan Drivers Must Report
Under Michigan Compiled Law (MCL) section 257.622, a driver in a crash that injures or kills anyone, or causes $1,000 or more in property damage, must report it right away at the nearest or most convenient police station, or to a police officer.
The officer completes the report and forwards it to the State Police, and the agency that took it keeps it for at least three years. If you hit only a fence, sign, or other fixture beside the road, MCL 257.621 says to find and notify the owner, or report it to the nearest police officer if the owner cannot be found.
How Michigan No-Fault Insurance Works
Michigan is a no-fault state. Your own personal injury protection (PIP) pays your medical bills after a crash, whoever caused it, up to the coverage level you chose.
For policies issued or renewed after July 1, 2020, drivers pick a PIP medical level, according to the Department of Insurance and Financial Services. Unlimited, $500,000 and $250,000 are open to anyone. The lower options, $250,000 with excluded household members, $50,000, or no PIP medical at all, require qualifying health coverage, Medicaid, or Medicare.
Bodily injury liability now defaults to $250,000 per person and $500,000 per crash. You can sign a state form to drop to $50,000 and $100,000, but no lower (MCL 500.3009). Property protection insurance pays up to $1 million for damage your car does in Michigan.
You can sue the at-fault driver for pain and suffering only if the crash caused death, serious impairment of body function, or permanent serious disfigurement under MCL 500.3135.
Damage to your own car follows the mini-tort rule: for crashes after July 1, 2020, you can recover up to $3,000 from the at-fault driver for vehicle damage your insurance does not cover, up from $1,000 before. A driver more than 50% at fault cannot collect.
Michigan Traffic Deaths by the Numbers
| Measure | Figure | Year | Source |
| People killed in traffic crashes | 1,065, down 3% | 2025 | Michigan State Police |
| People killed in traffic crashes | 1,099 | 2024 | Michigan State Police |
| Total crashes | 290,221 | 2025 | Michigan State Police |
| Pedestrians killed | 184, up from 156 | 2025 | Michigan State Police |
| Motorcyclists killed | 151, down from 168 | 2025 | Michigan State Police |
| Deaths in crashes with an alcohol-impaired driver | 306 (28%) | 2024 | NHTSA |
The State Police released the final 2025 figures in August 2026. Drug-involved deaths fell to 210 from 272 that year, while bicyclist deaths rose to 35 from 29.
Michigan Crash Guides by City and County
At Local Accident Reports, we cover crashes across all of the states. We go 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.
We don’t leave Michigan out. With 83 counties and 1,173 municipalities/cities, there are crashes to report every single day, and that’s what we do. But there’s more to it. 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, with their most important roads and their most dangerous intersections, so everyone has a clear picture of what to expect behind the wheel.
Here you’ll find the latest accidents across Michigan’s counties and communities, along with guides to some of the state’s most important cities.
City crash guides: Saginaw, MI
County accident news: Wayne County · Genesee County · Macomb County · Kent County · Saginaw County · Ottawa County · Ingham County · Kalamazoo County
Intersections and ramps with the most fatal crashes from 2018 to 2022 are listed on our Michigan dangerous 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.
- Michigan Crime Victim Compensation Helps pay out-of-pocket losses for people physically hurt by a crime, up to $45,000 per claimant, and the state’s claim form lists DWI/DUI as a crime type. Claims must be filed within five years of the crime.
- MADD Michigan Free support for people hurt by drunk or drugged drivers and their families. 24-hour help line: 877-MADD-HELP (877-623-3435).
- 911. Call 911 after a crash for support.
Michigan Crash Questions
How do I get a Michigan State Police crash report?
Buy it on the Traffic Crash Purchasing System at tcps.state.mi.us for $15, signing in with MiLogin. You need the driver’s license or incident number, a date of birth, and the crash date. The same system sells city police and sheriff reports, usually 3 to 30 days after the crash.
Is Michigan a no-fault state?
Yes. Your own PIP coverage pays your medical bills, regardless of who caused the crash, up to the level you chose. You can sue the other driver for pain and suffering only after death, serious impairment of body function, or permanent serious disfigurement.
What is the mini-tort in Michigan?
It lets you recover up to $3,000 from the at-fault driver for damage to your vehicle that your own insurance does not pay, for crashes after July 1, 2020. A driver more than 50% at fault cannot recover under it.
How long do I have to file a car accident claim in Michigan?
Three years for injury and wrongful death claims under MCL section 600.5805, with extra time for an estate’s personal representative under section 600.5852. A lawsuit for no-fault PIP benefits must be filed within one year of the crash unless the insurer got written notice or made a payment under section 500.3145. A road-defect claim against a government agency needs written notice within 120 days under section 691.1404, and an injury claim against the state needs a filing within six months under section 600.6431.
Recent Michigan Crash Coverage
One Dead in Industrial Accident Near Mary St in Mount Clemens, MI
Bicyclist Injured in Crash at Joyce St and Schoenherr Rd in Warren, MI
Injuries Reported in Apartment Building Fire on Plymouth Rd in Detroit, MI
Critical Injury Crash on Curtis St in Detroit, MI
Motorcyclist Critically Hurt in Crash on W 20th Ave in Oshkosh, WI
The full archive is at Michigan 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.