After a Crash in Arkansas — Official Resources
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This is general information, not legal advice.
Arkansas raised its reporting threshold and most guides have not caught up. Under Ark. Code §27-53-202(a)(1) — amended by Act 815 of 2023, effective August 1, 2023 — the driver of a vehicle involved in an accident resulting in injury to or death of any person, or total property damage to an apparent extent of $3,000 or more, must notify the nearest law enforcement agency immediately. You will still find $1,000 quoted almost everywhere. If no officer is called, an SR-1 report goes to the Department of Finance and Administration within 30 days. Failing to comply carries a fine of $100 to $1,000 on conviction in the county where the accident occurred (§27-53-201). Crash reports cost $10 if you were involved and $25 if you were not, generally orderable within 10 days of the report being completed — Crash Records Section, (501) 618-8130. Free help: the statewide legal aid HelpLine at 1-800-952-9243 or 1-888-540-2941.
If you look up Arkansas crash reporting today, you will almost certainly be told the threshold is $1,000. It was, until August 1, 2023. The legislature tripled it, and the figure now sitting in the code is $3,000 — one of the highest in the country. That matters in both directions: fewer crashes legally require a call, and fewer people know that. Arkansas also charges two different prices for the same report depending on who is asking. The first-steps checklist covers saving your dashcam clip before the camera loops.
Report the crash
The current statute requires the driver of a vehicle involved in an accident resulting in injury to or death of any person, or total property damage to an apparent extent of $3,000 or more, to notify the nearest law enforcement agency immediately. Section 27-53-202 was amended by Act 2023, No. 815, effective August 1, 2023 — which is where the older $1,000 figure comes from and why so much published guidance is out of date.
If no officer comes to the scene, the separate SR-1 Safety Responsibility report is filed with the Department of Finance and Administration within 30 days of the crash, online, by mail, or in person at a revenue office. If you were physically unable to file inside 30 days, file as soon as you are medically able.
The penalty is criminal, not administrative. Under §27-53-201, a person who fails or refuses to comply is punished on conviction in the county where the accident occurred by a fine of not less than $100 nor more than $1,000. Given that, and given how contested the threshold figure is right now, calling police on anything that might plausibly reach four figures is the cheap move.
Supplemental reports, witnesses, and medical questions
Two features of §27-53-202 are worth knowing before you fill anything in.
The Division of Arkansas State Police may require supplemental reports from any driver whenever it considers the original insufficient — and may require witnesses of an accident to render reports. Most states place no filing obligation on a witness at all.
And the Arkansas report form is required by statute to inquire whether the accident was caused by the driver’s lapse of consciousness, epileptic condition or similar nervous disorder, an episode of marked mental confusion, or any physical disability, disease, disorder or other medical condition affecting safe operation. That is an unusually direct medical question built into a crash form, and answers can have licensing consequences. If you have a condition that might be implicated, that is a question worth putting to a lawyer before you answer it.
Personal information on the report is redacted for most requesters; involved parties and insurers of involved parties are the exception.
Get the crash report
The Arkansas State Police is the statutory repository for motor vehicle crash investigation records. Per the Department of Public Safety, the fee depends on who you are: $10 per report if you were involved in the crash, and $25 per report if you were not. Statute also sets $1.50 per page for supplemental reports.
Timing: once a trooper’s supervisor has checked the report for accuracy, it goes to the crash records repository at Little Rock headquarters and can usually be ordered within 10 days of completion. Order online through the state’s crash report purchase system, or mail a request to Arkansas State Police, Attn: Crash Records Section, One State Police Plaza Drive, Little Rock, AR 72209. Questions: (501) 618-8130.
Have four things ready — the clerks need the date of the crash, the highway number, the county, and the name of at least one driver. Individuals requesting their own report must include a copy of a driver’s license or ID card. County and municipal agencies charge the same statutory fees for reports they hold.
Hit-and-run
Call police immediately — and do not let the raised threshold talk you out of it. A fled driver is exactly the situation where you need an officer regardless of what the damage estimate looks like, because without a report there is no record that the collision happened and no lead for anyone to follow.
Save your clip and note the time and location while they’re exact. On the Delta highways or a county road in the Ozarks there is frequently no second witness, and the plate your camera caught is the entire investigation. If no officer responds, the 30-day SR-1 becomes yours. Uninsured-motorist coverage is the usual route to payment when nobody is identified — Arkansas insurers must offer it — so check your declarations page, and read the hit-and-run notice window in your policy, which will be far shorter than 30 days.
Find a lawyer
The Arkansas Bar Association maintains a searchable directory of member attorneys by location and practice area, and the Arkansas Judiciary points the public to it alongside national lawyer-locator tools. A referral line is also reported at 501-375-4606 — confirm the current arrangement and any fee when you call, since we could not verify the terms against the Bar’s own published materials.
Before hiring, the Arkansas Judiciary’s Office of the Committee on Professional Conduct publishes attorney discipline records, which is worth two minutes. And most crash-injury work in Arkansas is handled on contingency, so ask about that rather than assuming you need a retainer.
Free legal help
Arkansas covers all 75 counties through two nonprofit firms that share a single front door. The Center for Arkansas Legal Services, founded in 1965 and based in Little Rock, serves 44 counties; Legal Aid of Arkansas, based in Jonesboro, serves the other 31. Both accept most clients through a statewide toll-free HelpLine — 1-800-952-9243 or 1-888-540-2941 — or you can apply online at ARLawHelp.org. You are screened for financial eligibility when you call or apply.
Be realistic about what comes back. Arkansas Access to Justice reports that advice accounts for roughly 71% of completed cases and full representation about 21% — so the likeliest outcome is a lawyer telling you where you stand rather than taking your case, which is still worth the call.
Insurance problems
The Arkansas Insurance Department regulates insurers in the state and takes consumer complaints about how claims are handled. You can reach its current complaint channels through the national directory of state insurance departments.
Uninsured when it happened? Arkansas requires liability coverage of at least 25/50/25, and insurers must also offer PIP and uninsured-motorist coverage — so check whether you carry PIP before assuming you have no medical coverage at all. The §27-53-202 duty to notify law enforcement does not depend on insurance, and the fine for not reporting is a criminal one. Report it, then call the HelpLine.
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Dashwatcher is a dashcam company, not a law firm, and nothing here is legal advice or a substitute for a licensed attorney. Reporting rules, deadlines, and programs differ by state and change over time; verify everything with the official source before you rely on it. Links go to government agencies, bar associations, and nonprofits. Dashwatcher receives no payment from any organization listed.
From the team at Dashwatcher.
Last verified: August 4, 2026