After a crash in Buffalo, two pieces of paper matter. One is the officer’s police report and the MV-104, a report you may have to file yourself with the DMV. Plenty of drivers assume the police report covers them. It doesn’t.
Do you have to file an MV-104?
Under Vehicle and Traffic Law 605, every driver involved in a New York crash must file a Report of Motor Vehicle Crash, form MV-104, inside 10 days when a crash kills or injures someone, or when damage to the property of any one person was more than $1,000. The DMV’s crash report page lets you file online or download the MV-104 form to mail. Failing to file is a misdemeanor, and the DMV can suspend your license or registration until you do.
A $1,000 threshold is low. A dented quarter panel and a cracked headlight on a newer car can pass it easily. When in doubt, file.
What should go in it?
Stick to facts. Names, plates, insurance, the location and a plain description of what happened. Don’t guess at speeds, and don’t write “my fault” or “I didn’t see them.” Insurers and lawyers on the other side may read it later. Keep a copy.
How do you get the police report from Buffalo Police?
When Buffalo Police worked the crash, begin at BPD Headquarters at 68 Court Street, Buffalo, NY 14202. The department’s contact page lists the headquarters phone as (716) 851-4444 and the Accident Investigation Unit at (716) 851-4537. Find out the current request steps and price, and bring the crash date, the street and names of the drivers ready, plus any report number the officer gave you.
How do you get a copy from the DMV?
The DMV keeps police and motorist crash reports from all over the state for four years. Per its crash report ordering page, the options and fees are these.
- Online. A $7 search fee plus $15 for each report.
- By mail with form MV-198C. A $10 search fee plus $15 for each report.
Reports take time to reach the DMV system. A paper police report takes at least 30 days, and a motorist report at least 60. If you search too early, you may pay for nothing.
What if another agency responded?
Not every crash in Buffalo is a BPD case. State Police Troop T handles the Thruway, including the 190. Erie County Sheriff’s deputies and suburban departments, like Amherst, Cheektowaga and Tonawanda, handle crashes in their areas. NFTA Transit Police handle incidents on Metro buses and rail. Each has its own request process. The DMV route works for all of them once the report is processed.
What if the report is wrong?
Officers rarely change their opinions, but they will often fix factual errors, like a wrong plate or misspelled name, and some will add a supplement. Contact the department that wrote it. Even if the report blames you, insurers and juries look at the full evidence. The report itself usually isn’t admissible at trial for the officer’s conclusions.
Hit-and-run?
Report it to police within 24 hours. That’s required to protect a claim through MVAIC and matters for your own uninsured motorist coverage. See our guide on uninsured drivers and hit-and-runs.
The short version
- An MV-104 is due within 10 days whenever someone is hurt or one person’s property damage passes the $1,000 mark.
- Buffalo Police reports start at headquarters, 68 Court Street.
- DMV copies cost $7 plus $15 online, or $10 plus $15 by mail.
- Wait 30 to 60 days before searching the DMV.
What the motorist report and the DMV copy actually cost
New York requires a motorist crash report in more situations than people expect. The DMV MV-104 page says you must file the report within 10 days if the crash caused death, injury, or more than $1,000 in damage to the property of any one person. Failing to file can be a misdemeanor, and the DMV can suspend a license. That report is separate from the police report you may also want from Buffalo Police or the State Police.
To buy a copy later, the DMV order page lists an online search fee of $7 plus $15 per report, or a mailed request on form MV-198C at $10 to search plus $15 per report. Police reports generally appear in the DMV system about 30 days after the crash, and motorist reports about 60 days. The DMV keeps crash reports for four years. Confirm those amounts on the page before you pay, because fees change.
If the crash also hurt a pedestrian or cyclist, VTL ยง 1146 required the driver to use due care and, when necessary, to sound the horn. Asking the agency to include a complete narrative, a diagram and any mention of a horn or a turning movement can matter later, because the report is often the first document an insurer reads.
A no-fault claim is generally still due within 30 days even if the police report has not yet posted to the DMV system. Do not wait for the 30-day police-report window before sending the no-fault application described by the DFS filing FAQ.
Keep one folder with the police report request, the MV-104 copy, the no-fault application and any later DMV receipt, so a lawyer or an insurer can see the timeline without hunting through emails.
Fees and processes change. Confirm with the agency before you send money.