The North Carolina DMV-349 form is the official crash report that a law enforcement officer completes after a reportable traffic collision in the state. Drivers don’t fill it out themselves; they supply the officer with license, insurance, and vehicle information at the scene, and later request a copy for insurance claims or legal use. Copies cost $6.50 and can be ordered online through myNCDMV, by mail, or in person at one of two license plate agencies.
What the DMV-349 Is and Who Completes It
The DMV-349 is a single-page, front-and-back form filed by the investigating officer, not by the drivers involved. The form itself states that it exists for DMV statistical analysis and highway safety programming, and that “determinations of ‘fault’ are the responsibility of insurers or of the State’s courts.”1North Carolina Department of Transportation. DMV-349 North Carolina Driver Exchange Form In practice, insurers still lean heavily on what the officer wrote, which is why your copy matters.
Your role at the scene is to hand over accurate information quickly: driver’s license, proof of insurance (insurer name and policy number), vehicle registration, and the vehicle identification number if the officer asks. An outdated insurance card or a wrong policy number is a common source of claim delays, because incorrect insurance information on the DMV-349 can trigger follow-up from the DMV and slow down your insurer.
When a Crash Has to Be Reported
North Carolina defines a “reportable crash” as any collision involving a motor vehicle that causes death, injury, or total property damage of $1,000 or more.2North Carolina General Assembly. North Carolina Code 20-4.01 – Definitions A crash also qualifies if it causes any damage to a vehicle seized under the state’s impaired-driving forfeiture law. Modern vehicles cross the $1,000 threshold easily, so most collisions beyond minor parking-lot scrapes end up documented on a DMV-349.
If you’re in a reportable crash, you must immediately contact law enforcement by the quickest means available: the local police department inside city limits, or the State Highway Patrol or county sheriff’s office outside them.3North Carolina General Assembly. North Carolina Code 20-166.1 – Reports and Investigations Required in Event of Accident The statute says “immediately” and gives no 24- or 48-hour grace period. The one specific time limit applies to hitting a parked or unattended vehicle: you have 48 hours to notify the owner if you can’t locate them at the scene.
What the Officer Records
The front of the form captures driver and vehicle information for each unit involved, plus numbered statistical code boxes for road surface, weather, light conditions, and contributing circumstances such as speeding, following too closely, or distracted driving.4North Carolina Department of Transportation. DMV-349 Instructional Manual Contributing-circumstances codes carry the most weight in liability disputes, because insurers and attorneys look at them first.
The back side carries the crash diagram, the officer’s written narrative, witness contact information, any traffic violations charged, additional property damage, and EMS information if anyone was transported. When you review your copy, read these entries carefully against your own memory of the scene. Errors in the codes or diagram can shape how your insurer assigns fault long before any formal determination happens.
How to Request a Copy
You can order a completed DMV-349 three ways. The fee is $6.50 per report regardless of method.5North Carolina Department of Transportation. Crash Reports
Online Through myNCDMV
The myNCDMV portal is the fastest option. Create an account if you don’t have one, then choose “Crash Reports” from the Services menu. You’ll need your North Carolina driver’s license or ID card number, your Social Security number (or ITIN or U.S. visa number), the driver’s license number of a driver involved in the crash, and the date of the crash.5North Carolina Department of Transportation. Crash Reports Add the report to your cart and pay electronically.6myNCDMV. Order a North Carolina Crash Report on myNCDMV If the report doesn’t come up in search results, it probably hasn’t been processed yet; check back in a few days.
By Mail
Send a written request listing the crash date, your name, and the names of other drivers involved, along with a check or money order for $6.50, to:
Crash Reports Unit
3119 Mail Service Center
Raleigh, NC 27699-31195North Carolina Department of Transportation. Crash Reports
In Person
Bring a completed Crash Report Request form (TR-67A) to either of two locations. If you’re requesting five or fewer reports, you can receive them on the spot:5North Carolina Department of Transportation. Crash Reports
- Raleigh: Central Services/License Plate Agency, 4121 New Bern Ave., Raleigh, NC 27616. Use the Vehicle Registration door, not Driver License.
- Huntersville: License Plate Agency, 12101 Mt. Holly-Huntersville Rd., Huntersville, NC 28078.
Requests for more than five records must be submitted by mail.
When Your Report Will Be Available
The investigating officer must complete the written report within 24 hours of the crash. State Highway Patrol officers forward it directly to the DMV. Local police and sheriff’s offices send it to their own agency, which then has 10 days to transmit it to the DMV.3North Carolina General Assembly. North Carolina Code 20-166.1 – Reports and Investigations Required in Event of Accident After the DMV receives, processes, and scans it, the report appears in the online system. Expect at least a couple of weeks between the crash and the day your report shows up online, and longer if the local agency is slow to forward it.
Who Can Order a Copy
Crash reports contain personal information, so access is restricted under the federal Driver’s Privacy Protection Act. The DPPA limits unredacted motor vehicle records to specific permissible uses, including government functions, insurer claims and underwriting, parties to civil or criminal litigation, and licensed private investigators.7Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 2721 – Prohibition on Release and Use of Certain Personal Information From State Motor Vehicle Records When you order through myNCDMV, you’ll select a permissible-use category.
If you were involved in the crash, you have a clear right to your own report. Your insurance adjuster, your attorney, and law enforcement qualify as well. A member of the public with no connection to the crash generally cannot obtain the full, unredacted version.
Fixing Errors on Your Report
Officers sometimes record incorrect details: a transposed digit in a license plate, the wrong insurance company, a misspelled name, or a contributing-circumstances code you disagree with. North Carolina doesn’t publish a standard statewide correction form for the public. You contact the investigating officer’s agency directly.
Identify the officer and agency from the report, which lists the officer’s name, badge number, and department. Call the agency’s non-emergency line, reference your report number, and explain the specific error. Bring documentation: scene photos, your insurance card, vehicle registration, or witness statements. The officer cannot erase the original but can file a supplemental or amended DMV-349 that attaches to the original in state records.
If the officer has transferred or retired, the agency’s records unit can assign someone else to review your evidence. Agencies are generally cooperative on objective factual errors. Expect more resistance on subjective entries like contributing-circumstances codes, which is where fault arguments live; officers usually change those only when the evidence is clear. If an agency refuses to correct a plain factual error, escalate to a patrol supervisor or records supervisor. The NCDOT Crash Reporting Unit at 919-861-3098 can confirm whether an amended report has been uploaded to the statewide system.
Move quickly, ideally within 30 days of receiving the report. Even if the report isn’t amended, an incorrect DMV-349 doesn’t close the door with your insurer. Adjusters use the report as a starting point and evaluate other evidence as well. Send a written liability dispute with a clear timeline, diagrams, and supporting exhibits, and ask for a written explanation if the adjuster denies your position or splits liability.
Penalties for Leaving the Scene or Failing to Report
North Carolina treats failure to stop and report a crash seriously, and the penalties scale with the severity of the collision. Under N.C.G.S. ยง 20-166:8North Carolina General Assembly. North Carolina Code 20-166 – Duty to Stop in Event of a Crash
- Crash causing serious bodily injury or death, where you knew or should have known: willful violation is a Class F felony.
- Crash causing injury, where you knew or should have known: willful violation is a Class H felony.
- Crash causing only property damage, or one where you didn’t know about any injury or death: willful violation is a Class 1 misdemeanor.
- Failure to provide your information or render reasonable assistance: Class 1 misdemeanor, charged on top of the penalties above.
The practical consequences compound the criminal exposure. Without an official crash report, filing an insurance claim becomes difficult, and you can end up personally liable for damages your policy would otherwise have covered. The absence of documentation also tends to work against you in any later lawsuit.