How Do I Get My Atlanta Car Accident Report from BuyCrash?

If you were in a wreck anywhere inside the city — the Downtown Connector, Peachtree Street, the I-285 Perimeter, a fender-bender in Buckhead — the Atlanta Police Department puts your crash report online through a company called BuyCrash. This guide walks you through it click by click: what to type, what it costs, and the one thing that trips most people up (spoiler: the report often isn't there yet). No form on this page, and no one sells your information.

What is BuyCrash, and why does Atlanta use it?

BuyCrash — at buycrash.lexisnexisrisk.com — is an online records portal operated by LexisNexis Risk Solutions. The Atlanta Police Department, like thousands of other agencies nationwide, uses it so the public can pull crash reports without staffing a counter for every request. When APD's ATL311 service tells you to get your report "online," BuyCrash is the site it means.

Here's the important part: BuyCrash is a distribution vendor, not the police. Your crash report is a public record. BuyCrash simply stores it, verifies you, takes the payment, and hands you the PDF. That makes it the official online route — and it makes it very different from the "free instant report" ad sites, which exist to collect your phone number, not your report.

How do I get my Atlanta accident report from BuyCrash, step by step?

The whole thing takes about five minutes once your report is in the system. Follow these four steps:

Go to buycrash.lexisnexisrisk.com

Type the address yourself or search "LexisNexis BuyCrash." Skip any ad that promises a "free" report — those are not BuyCrash.

Select Georgia, then the agency

Choose Georgia as the state, then Atlanta Police Department. If the Georgia State Patrol worked your crash on an interstate, choose Georgia State Patrol instead.

Enter your search details

Type the last name of a person involved and the crash date, plus one of: the report number, a vehicle VIN, or a driver's-license number.

Pay ~$11 and download

Pay by credit or debit card. Your report downloads as a PDF immediately once it's on file. Save it and email yourself a copy.

That's it. If the site can't find your report at step three, don't panic — jump to "What if BuyCrash can't find my report?" below. Nine times out of ten it just means the report hasn't been filed yet.

What do I need to find my report on BuyCrash?

BuyCrash matches you to your report using a few details from the crash. You need the basics plus one unique identifier. Here's exactly what counts:

What you need to search for an Atlanta report on BuyCrash

Detail	Always needed?	Where to find it
Last name of a person involved	Yes	Your own name as it was given to the officer
Date of the crash	Yes	You know this one
Report / case number	One of these three	On the card or slip the officer gave you at the scene
Vehicle VIN	One of these three	Dashboard by the windshield, or your insurance card
Driver's-license number	One of these three	Your Georgia license

Lost the little slip with the report number? You're not stuck — a VIN or a driver's-license number works just as well on BuyCrash. And if you have none of the three, there's still a way to track your report down.

How much does the BuyCrash report cost in Atlanta?

An Atlanta crash report on BuyCrash costs about $11, paid by credit or debit card. The exact fee is shown at checkout before you confirm — a small state and processing fee sits on top of the base report price, which is why you may see a figure a dollar or two either side of $11.

Compare that to picking it up in person at APD Central Records, where it's 10 cents per page (most reports run a handful of pages). Here's the honest math:

BuyCrash (online)

~$11 · instant PDF

In person (APD)

~$0.60 · 10¢/page

"Free report" sites

$0 cash — paid with your info

So the trade-off is simple: BuyCrash costs ~$11 but you get it instantly from your couch. In person is nearly free but means a drive to Northwest Atlanta during business hours. Either way, you pay in dollars — never in personal information. Want the full breakdown? See how much an Atlanta car accident report costs.

How long until my Atlanta report shows up on BuyCrash?

This is the step nobody advertises. Your report has to be written, reviewed, and uploaded before BuyCrash can show it to you. In Atlanta that generally takes up to 7 business days after the crash.

If your wreck was yesterday and BuyCrash says "no report found," that's almost always why — the document doesn't exist in any system yet. No website can pull a report that hasn't been filed, no matter what its ad promises.

Day 0

Crash happens

Days 1–3

Officer files report

Days 3–7

Uploaded to BuyCrash

Day 7+

Instant download, 24/7

My crash was on the interstate — is that report on BuyCrash?

Yes — but the agency may be different, and that changes what you pick on the dropdown. In metro Atlanta, the Georgia State Patrol works most crashes on the interstates (I-75, I-85, the I-20 corridor, and the I-285 Perimeter), especially during weekday daytime hours. City streets are Atlanta PD. County roads outside the city may be a county agency.

Use this quick decision guide to know which agency to choose on BuyCrash:

Where did your crash happen?

City street

Peachtree St, Ponce, MLK Jr Dr, Buckhead, Midtown → pick Atlanta Police Department

Interstate

I-75/85 Connector, I-20, I-285, Spaghetti Junction → usually Georgia State Patrol (also on BuyCrash)

Not sure

Check the agency name on the officer's card — or call HIM and describe where it happened

For a GSP report you can also call the Georgia Department of Public Safety reports line at 404-624-6077. Full walkthrough here: how to get your Atlanta report from the Georgia State Patrol.

What if BuyCrash can't find my report?

A "no results" screen almost always means one of four things. Run down this list before you give up:

1. It's too soon. Give it up to 7 business days from the crash, then try again.
2. Wrong agency. An interstate crash won't show under "Atlanta Police Department" — switch to Georgia State Patrol.
3. A typo. Check the last-name spelling and the exact crash date. Try a VIN or license number instead of the report number.
4. It's genuinely not there yet. Complex or injury crashes sometimes take longer to upload.

Still nothing? Call APD Central Records at 404-546-7461 during business hours, or call 1-866-CALL-HIM any time and HIM will help you figure out where your report is and how to get it.

Is BuyCrash the only way to get my Atlanta report?

No. BuyCrash is the fastest online option, but you have real choices — and if you were directly involved, your report is a public record you're entitled to under the Georgia Open Records Act (O.C.G.A. § 50-18-70). Here's how the three routes stack up:

Ways to get your Atlanta car accident report compared

Route	Cost	Speed	Best for
BuyCrash (online)	~$11 card	Instant once filed · 24/7	Most people who want it now
APD Central Records (in person)	10¢/page	At the counter, business hours	Cheapest cash price
Open records request	Often free / low	Days	People not involved in the crash

In person, APD Central Records is at the Atlanta Public Safety Annex, 3493 Donald Lee Hollowell Parkway NW, Atlanta, GA 30331, open Monday–Friday 9:00 AM–4:00 PM (entry closes 3:30). Bring a valid photo ID; you must have been directly involved. Not involved — say you're helping a family member? Start with getting an Atlanta report when you weren't involved. And if you're wondering whether any of these routes are ever genuinely free, see are car accident reports free in Atlanta.