Been in a Crash in Florida? Get Clear Answers on Reporting Requirements

In crashes involving injury, death, or apparent damage of at least $2,000, the answer is right away. If a crash caused an injury, a death, or apparent damage of at least $2,000, the driver must notify police immediately. Under Fla. Stat. § 316.066, for certain crashes, including one that resulted in death of, personal injury to, or any indication of complaints of pain or discomfort by anyone involved, a Florida Traffic Crash Report, Long Form must be completed and submitted to the department within 10 days after the law enforcement officer who in the regular course of duty investigates the crash completes the investigation, and the driver of a vehicle in a crash causing damage to a vehicle or other property that does not require a law enforcement report must submit a written report of the crash to the department within 10 days after the crash. So, how long do I have to report a crash in Florida? It depends on what happened, and the duties below explain each one.

This guide is general information from Patrick Wilson Law, PLLC, a criminal defense firm in Miami. It is written under Patrick David Wilson, a lawyer at the firm. It isn’t legal advice about any one crash.

How Long You Have to Report a Crash in Florida

Florida sets several clocks.

• Right away: The driver must give notice to police by the quickest means of communication. See § 316.065.
• Within 10 days: The officer must submit the long-form crash report within 10 days after finishing the investigation. See § 316.066.
• Within 10 days, driver: The driver of a vehicle involved in a crash resulting in damage to a vehicle or other property that does not require a law enforcement report must submit a written report within 10 days after the crash. See § 316.066. See § 316.064.

Many people hear “10 days” and assume it’s their deadline. Often, no: when a crash results in injury, death, or property damage of at least $2,000, Florida law requires the driver to notify police by the quickest available means of communication.

When You Must Notify Law Enforcement Immediately

If a crash involves an injury or a death, you must notify police right away.

Under § 316.065, notice goes to the local police department if the crash happens inside a city, such as Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Miami Beach, or Homestead. Outside city limits, notice goes to the county sheriff or the nearest Florida Highway Patrol office. Missing this duty is a noncriminal traffic infraction.

Injuries don’t always show up at the scene. So a driver who feels fine at the scene can still be part of a report that must be filed.

See § 316.062. That duty does not reach information that would violate your privilege against self-incrimination.

See the FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin on Miranda.

The Written Report Window and the $2,000 Damage Threshold

A crash with only property damage requires police notice only if the apparent damage is at least $2,000. That line comes from § 316.065.

It requires the driver of a crash resulting in injury or death, or damage of at least $2,000, to immediately give notice of the crash by the quickest means of communication to the local police department if the crash is within a municipality, or otherwise to the county sheriff or the nearest Florida Highway Patrol office. Separately, § 316.061 requires a driver in a crash causing only property damage to a vehicle or property that is driven or attended by someone to stop at or as close to the scene as possible and remain there until giving the information required by s. 316.062. Separately, § 316.061 requires a driver in a crash causing only property damage to a vehicle or property that is driven or attended by someone to stop at or as close to the scene as possible and remain there until giving the information required by s. 316.062.

Keep the written-report clock separate. The 10-day periods in § 316.066 govern the officer’s long-form report and, for a crash causing damage that does not require a law enforcement report, the driver’s own written report to the department. The driver’s immediate notice duty is in § 316.065, and under § 316.066, any driver failing to file the written report required under subsection (1) commits a noncriminal traffic infraction.

How to Get Your Florida Crash Report and What It Documents

You request a Florida crash report through the state’s records system. The Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles states that related crash reports may take up to 10 days to become available.

Under § 316.066, parties, their legal representatives, and their insurers can get the report. The requester must present a valid driver license or other photographic identification, proof of status, or identification that demonstrates his or her qualifications to access the report. The requester must also file a written sworn statement for each report. The long form must list the date, time, and location of the crash.

People use “police report” and “accident report” to mean the same thing. In Florida, the official record is the Florida Traffic Crash Report, in long form or short form. Have the date, time, location, and any officer’s name ready before you ask for a copy.

What the 2026 Update to Section 316.065 Means

The history note of § 316.065 lists the most recent change as s. 7, ch. 2026-39. The history note of § 316.065 cites s. 7, ch. 2026-39 as its last entry. The subsections quoted below reproduce the text of § 316.065.

Older articles and summaries may describe earlier wording. Timing matters for any crash, so an older summary may not match the current statute. For a specific crash, read the statute text as it stood on the date of the crash, with a lawyer’s help.

When a Missed Deadline or Leaving the Scene Becomes a Criminal Matter

Leaving the scene of a crash can be a felony, separate from the crash itself. The penalty depends on the harm and on whether the failure was willful.

A death can also lead to a vehicular homicide charge. Under § 782.071, vehicular homicide, a killing caused by operating a motor vehicle in a reckless manner likely to cause death or great bodily harm, becomes a first-degree felony if the driver knew or should have known the accident occurred and failed to give information and render aid. That paragraph does not require that the driver knew the crash caused injury or death.

Patrick Wilson Law, PLLC handles leaving-the-scene and vehicular homicide matters, along with other criminal charges. For a family member, the key questions are whether notice was given and whether aid was rendered, because the statutes turn on those steps.

Frequently asked questions