If you ever wondered when is the time to file an accident report, the best answer is “as soon as possible.” According to The Law Dictionary, filing a police report will start the police investigation to the accident, and unless the investigation begins soon after the crime was committed, the people that may help you regard to the accident may forget the scenario or the evidence may become contaminated or may not be useful to the case anymore.

Filing an accident report may be different depending on the state on which the accident happened, listed below are from Digest of Motor Laws:

ALABAMA
Crashes are required to be reported in incidents of death, injury, or when property damage exceeds $500.00 from an uninsured motorist.
The deadline to file a (safety responsibility) report is 30 days.

ALASKA
Crashes must be reported in cases of death or injury or when property damage exceeds $2,000.00. The deadline to issue a report is ten days.

ARIZONA
Crashes are required to be reported when property damage exceeds $300.00, results in bodily injury to or death of a person, or if the settlement of the crash has not been reached within six months of the crash

ARKANSAS
Crashes involving death or injury are required to be reported immediately. Crashes involving property damage exceeding $1000.00 are required to be reported within 30 days.

CALIFORNIA
Crashes are required to be reported in cases of death or injury or when property damage exceeds $750.00 (effective January 1, 2017, $1,000). Reports must be filed within ten days.

COLORADO
An accident report is required in any crash resulting in death, injury, or any property damage.
The report must be filed within ten days.

CONNECTICUT
Crashes are required to be reported when property damage exceeds $1000.
The deadline to file a report is five days.

DELAWARE
Crashes are required to be immediately reported in cases of death or injury or when property damage exceeds $500.00.

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
Crashes are required to be reported when property damage exceeds $250.00.
The deadline to file a report is five days.

FLORIDA
Crashes are required to be reported as soon as possible in cases of death or injury, or when property damage exceeds $500.00.

GEORGIA
Crashes are required to be immediately reported in cases of death or injury, or when property damage exceeds $500.00.

HAWAII
Crashes are required to be immediately reported in cases of death or injury, or when property damage exceeds $3000.00.

IDAHO
Crashes resulting in death, injury, or property damage more than $1,500.00 are required to be immediately reported.

ILLINOIS
Crashes are required to be reported in cases of death, injury, or when property damage exceeds $1,500.00, or $500 if any vehicle involved in the crash is uninsured.
The deadline to file a report with the Department of Transportation is ten days.

INDIANA
Crashes are required to be immediately reported if they result in death, injury, or property damage exceeding $750.00.

IOWA
Drivers are not required to fill out a DOT report for an accident resulting in personal injury, death, or damage of $1,500 or more if the accident is investigated by a law enforcement agency.
If required to submit an accident report, the deadline is three days.

KANSAS
Crashes are required to be immediately reported in cases of death, injury, or when property damage exceeds $1,500.00.

KENTUCKY
Crashes are required to be reported in cases or death, injury, or when property damage exceeds $500.00.
The deadline to file a report is ten days.

LOUISIANA
Crashes must be reported immediately in cases of death, injury, or when property damage exceeds $500.00. Crashes must be reported when property damage exceeds $100.00. The deadline to file a report is one day.

MAINE
Crashes are required to be immediately reported in cases of death, injury, or when property damage exceeds $1000.00.

MARYLAND
Crashes are required to be reported when in cases of injury or death.
The deadline to file a report is 15 days.

MASSACHUSETTS
Crashes are required to be reported in cases of death, injury, or if property damage exceeds $1000.00.
The deadline to file a report is five days.

MICHIGAN
Crashes are required to be immediately reported in cases of death, injury, or if property damage exceeds $1000.00.

MINNESOTA
Crashes are required to be reported in cases of death, injury, or when property damage exceeds $1000.00.
The deadline to file a report is ten days.

MISSISSIPPI
Crashes are required to be reported in cases of death, injury, or when property damage exceeds $500.00.
The deadline to file a report is ten days.

MISSOURI
Crashes are required to be reported in cases of death, injury, or when property damage exceeds $500.00.
The deadline to file a report is five days.

MONTANA
Crashes are required to be immediately reported in cases of death, injury, or when property damage exceeds $1,000.00.

NEBRASKA
Crashes are required to be reported in cases of death, injury, or when property damage exceeds $1000.00.
The deadline to file a report is ten days.

NEVADA
Crashes are required to be immediately reported.

NEW HAMPSHIRE
Crashes are required to be reported in cases of death, injury, or when property damage exceeds $1000.00.
The deadline to file a report is 15 days.

NEW JERSEY
Crashes are required to be immediately reported in cases of death, injury, or when property damage exceeds $500.00.

NEW MEXICO
Crashes are required to be immediately reported in cases of death, injury, or when property damage exceeds $500.

NEW YORK
Crashes must be reported in cases of death, injury, or if property damage exceeds $1,000.00.
The deadline to file a report is ten days.

NORTH CAROLINA
Crashes are required to be immediately reported in cases of death, injury, or if property damage exceeds $1000.00.

NORTH DAKOTA
Crashes are required to be immediately reported in cases of death, injury or when property damage exceeds $1,000.00. Crashes resulting in property damage only with an undomesticated animal are exempt from reporting.

OHIO
All crashes are required to be immediately reported.

OKLAHOMA
Crashes are required to be immediately reported when involving death or injury. Crashes involving property damage exceeding $500.00 must be reported within six months.

OREGON
Crashes are required to be reported in cases of death, injury, or when property damage exceeds $1500.00.
The deadline to file a report is 72 hours.

PENNSYLVANIA
Crashes are required to be reported immediately in cases of death, injury, or when a vehicle is rendered disables. All crashes must be reported within five days.

RHODE ISLAND
Crashes are required to be reported in case of death, injury, or when property damage is more than $1,000.00.
The deadline to file a report is 21 days.

SOUTH CAROLINA
Crashes are required to be reported in case of death, injury, or when property damage is more than $1,000.00.
The deadline to report a crash is 15 days.

SOUTH DAKOTA
Crashes are required to be immediately reported in case of death, injury, or when property damage is more than $1,000.00 for one person’s property or $2,000.00 for an accident.

TENNESSEE
Crashes are required to be immediately reported in case of death, injury, or when property damage is more than $50.00.
Crashes involving death, injury, or when property damage is more than $400.00, are required to be reported in writing within 20 days.

TEXAS
Crashes are required to be immediately reported in case of death or injury.
Crashes resulting in death, injury, or property damage more than $1000.00 are required to be reported in writing within ten days.

UTAH
Crashes are required to be reported in case of death, injury, or when property damage is more than $1,000.00.
The deadline to file a report is ten days.

VERMONT
Crashes are required to be reported in case of death, injury, or when property damage is more than $3000.00.
The deadline to file a report is three days.

VIRGINIA
Crashes are required to be immediately reported in cases of death or injury.

WASHINGTON
Crashes are required to be reported in cases of death, injury, or when property damage exceeds $700.00.
The deadline to file a report is four days.

WEST VIRGINIA
Crashes resulting death, injury, or property damage more than $1000.00 must be immediately reported.

WISCONSIN
Crashes are required to be reported when involving death or injury when private property damage exceeds $1000.00 or government property damage of $200.00 or more.
The deadline to file a report is one day.

WYOMING
Crashes are required to be immediately reported in cases of death, injury, or when property damage exceeds $1000.00.

PUERTO RICO
Crashes resulting in injury or any property damage are required to be reported within 4 hours.