Vermont Police Reports: Getting a Copy and the Rules After a Crash
Who has your crash report, what drivers must report, insurance rules and traffic deaths in Vermont.
I-91 comes north from Massachusetts at Guilford, past Brattleboro, White River Junction, St. Johnsbury and Newport, to the Canadian border at Derby Line. I-89 crosses the Connecticut River from New Hampshire, meets I-91 near White River Junction, then heads northwest through Barre and Montpelier to the Burlington area and on past St. Albans to the border at Highgate Springs.
Off those highways, the officer at a crash might be a state trooper, a town or city police officer or a county sheriff's deputy. Where your report sits, and what a copy costs, depends on which of them came to your crash.
Who Has Your Vermont Police Report After a Crash
A Vermont police report from a crash comes from the Department of Motor Vehicles in Montpelier, ordered on form VG-116, and the Vermont State Police send their crash report requests there. The DMV’s crash report includes the police report of the collision. If a town or city police department or a sheriff’s office handled your crash, start with that agency: South Burlington police also send requests to the DMV, while others release their own reports.
Ordering from the DMV. Fill out both sides of form VG-116, Record Request, attach a copy of your state ID, and pay by check or money order made out to the Vermont Department of Motor Vehicles. Mail it to Vermont DMV, 120 State St, Montpelier, VT 05603-0001. You can also book an appointment at the Montpelier office, open weekdays 7:45 a.m. to 4 p.m., except the third Wednesday of the month, when it opens at 8:45 a.m.
What it costs. A certified copy of the police crash report is $22. A certified copy of an individual crash report is $15, and the insurance information from a crash is $10.
When it’s ready. The State Police say a crash report is available 30 days from the date of the collision. Questions go to the DMV at 802-828-2000.
Who can get one. The form asks you to pick a permitted use under the federal Driver’s Privacy Protection Act. If the record is not your own, include proof that you are authorized to get it. A denied request can be appealed in writing to the DMV Commissioner.
Other State Police records. The Department of Public Safety sells other State Police records through its online records order page: a police report for $20, a photo CD for $20, and incident video or audio for $45 each. That same page sends crash report requests to the DMV, and nothing is refunded once it ships.
Don’t want to mail forms to Montpelier, or not sure which agency wrote up your crash? We can get a copy of your report for you at no cost.
Police Reports From Vermont Towns and Sheriffs
Barre City, Brattleboro and the Grand Isle County Sheriff each charge $20 for a crash report, while South Burlington sends people to the DMV. Start with the department that responded to your crash. These six post how they handle requests:
| Department | How to request | Fee |
| South Burlington Police | Through the Vermont DMV on form VG-116, 30 days after the crash. Drivers who did not get a copy of the crash report face sheet can call 802-846-4111. | DMV fee ($22 for a certified police crash report) |
| Colchester Police | Referred online to crashdocs.org | Not posted |
| Essex Police | Records request link on the department’s Records Request page. Crash reports can take 30 days, and fatal crash reports can take months. Records: 802-878-1337. | Not posted |
| Barre City Police | Records Request Form by mail to Attn: Record Request, 15 Fourth Street, Barre, VT 05641, by email, or in person (cash). You hear back in 3 to 5 business days. 802-476-6613. | $20 |
| Brattleboro Police | Online records form, or drop off and pick up at the Dispatch Window. The department aims for 3 days, up to 10 business days. | $20 per crash report; crash photo prints $8 |
| Grand Isle County Sheriff | Written request to ATTN: Records Request, 10 Island Circle, Grand Isle, VT 05458. Pay by money order, or exact cash in person. | $20 |
Brattleboro also takes reports of minor crashes with no injuries that no officer investigated through a separate online form. A crash with injuries there needs an officer and a Vermont Uniform Crash Report.
What Vermont Drivers Must Report
Under 23 V.S.A. §1129, the driver in any crash that injures someone, or causes $3,000 or more in total property damage, must send a report to the DMV Commissioner within 72 hours. The form is VC-004, Crash Report, Operator: Motor Vehicle. ATV and snowmobile crashes use VC-017, and motorboat crashes use VC-016.
The DMV takes the form by email at [email protected], or by mail to Driver Control, Vermont DMV, 120 State Street, Montpelier, VT 05603. The same law requires an insured owner and driver to give anyone injured, and any owner of damaged property, the names of their insurers and their policy numbers within 5 days.
Vermont Insurance Rules After a Crash
Vermont’s minimum liability limits under 23 V.S.A. §800 are $25,000 for injury or death of one person, $50,000 for two or more people and $10,000 for property damage in a single crash.
Every liability policy on a vehicle registered or garaged mainly in Vermont must also include uninsured, underinsured and hit-and-run coverage (23 V.S.A. §941). That coverage starts at $50,000 per person and $100,000 per crash, and it matches your liability limits unless you tell your insurer otherwise. It also pays for property damage up to $10,000 per claim, with a $150 deductible, subject to exceptions in the law. The Department of Financial Regulation’s auto guidelines apply the requirement to umbrella policies too.
When both drivers share the blame, 12 V.S.A. §1036 lets you recover as long as your negligence is not greater than the combined negligence of the people you sue. Your damages are cut in proportion to your share, so a driver found 30% at fault keeps 70% of the award.
Vermont Traffic Deaths by the Numbers
| Measure | Figure | Year | Source |
| Traffic deaths so far this year | 41 through Oct. 5, against 45 at the same point in 2025 | 2026 | Vermont State Police |
| People killed in traffic crashes (preliminary) | 61 | 2025 | Vermont FY2025 Highway Safety Annual Report |
| People killed in traffic crashes | 59 | 2024 | Vermont FY2025 Highway Safety Annual Report |
| Pedestrians killed (preliminary) | 9, up from 6 in 2024 | 2025 | Vermont FY2025 Highway Safety Annual Report |
| People seriously injured (preliminary) | 292, down from 317 in 2024 | 2025 | Vermont FY2025 Highway Safety Annual Report |
The 2025 figures count crashes reported as of Jan. 7, 2026, and the Agency of Transportation told legislators the next day that the 2025 data are not final. The annual report, filed with NHTSA, draws on VTrans crash data and the federal Fatality Analysis Reporting System. Full annual report
Vermont Crash Guides by City and County
Local guides and day-to-day crash coverage for Vermont, sorted by city and county:
County accident news: Chittenden County · Rutland County · Washington County · Bennington County · Franklin County · Windham County · Addison County · Essex County
Road corridors around the state are covered on our Vermont roads and 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.
- Vermont Victims Compensation Program. Run by the Center for Crime Victim Services in Waterbury, it helps people who suffered physical or emotional harm, or a death, as a direct result of a crime in Vermont, with up to $10,000 per eligible claim. Auto insurance has to be billed first. Call 1-800-750-1213 in Vermont or 802-241-1250. Compensation FAQs
- MADD. Mothers Against Drunk Driving supports victims of drunk and drugged driving and their families through its 24-hour help line, 877-MADD-HELP (877-623-3435).
- 988. Call or text 988 any time for crisis support.
Vermont Crash Questions
How do I get a Vermont police report after a crash?
Order the crash report, which includes the police report of the collision, from the Vermont DMV. Mail form VG-116 with a copy of your ID and a check or money order to Vermont DMV, 120 State St, Montpelier, VT 05603-0001. A certified copy costs $22 and is available 30 days after the crash. The State Police’s $20 police report is a separate product, sold online for non-crash records.
Do I have to file my own crash report in Vermont?
Yes, if anyone was injured or the total property damage reached $3,000. Under 23 V.S.A. §1129, the driver sends form VC-004 to the DMV within 72 hours, by email to [email protected] or by mail to Montpelier. Insured owners and drivers must also give injured people and property owners their insurer names and policy numbers within 5 days.
Is Vermont a no-fault state?
Vermont requires every driver to carry liability coverage of at least $25,000 per person, $50,000 per crash and $10,000 for property damage, plus uninsured and underinsured coverage of at least $50,000 and $100,000. If you share the blame, you can still recover as long as your fault is not greater than that of the people you sue, with your damages reduced by your share.
How long do I have to file a car accident claim in Vermont?
Three years for injury claims, counted from when the injury was discovered, and three years for property damage (12 V.S.A. §512). Wrongful death claims must be filed within two years of the discovery of the death (14 V.S.A. §1492). Sections 5601 to 5606 of the Vermont Tort Claims Act, which covers claims against the state, set no notice-of-claim requirement.
Recent Vermont Crash Coverage
Four-Vehicle Crash With Entrapment Near I-91/Rte 5/103 Interchange in Rockingham, VT
Pedestrian Struck by Box Truck on Rte 114 in Canaan, VT
Three Hospitalized In Crash Into Parked Car On Shawville Rd In Sheldon, VT
Two-Vehicle Crash With Entrapment on Rte 133 and Rte 30 in Pawlet, VT
Accident
Two Drivers Hurt In Failure To Yield Crash on Rte 7A In Shaftsbury, VT
Older stories stay in the Vermont accident news archive, and recent accident alerts pick up new crashes across the country 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.