Get your official California crash report from the CHP or local law enforcement. Required for insurance claims and personal injury cases statewide.
Get My California Report →In California, the responding agency determines where to request your report. If the accident happened on a state highway or freeway, the CHP responded. City streets are typically handled by local police; county roads by the sheriff’s department.
CHP reports can be requested online at certs.chp.ca.gov. For local agency reports, contact the specific department directly — many have online portals or mail-in request options. The link below routes CHP-handled accidents.
Save your report immediately. California insurers require the report number and officer’s assessment to process fault-based claims. Your attorney needs it to evaluate liability and begin the case.
California is a pure comparative fault state. This means you can recover damages even if you were 99% at fault — your recovery is simply reduced by your percentage of fault. This is more favorable to injury victims than the modified comparative fault rules in most other states.
California requires minimum liability coverage of 15/30/5 ($15,000 per person, $30,000 per accident, $5,000 property damage). However, these minimums are frequently insufficient for serious injury cases — California has some of the highest medical costs in the country.
The statute of limitations for personal injury in California is 2 years from the accident date (CA CCP § 335.1). Claims against government entities have a much shorter deadline — 6 months to file a government tort claim. If a city or county vehicle was involved, act within weeks, not months.