After a Crash in New Hampshire — Official Resources
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This is general information, not legal advice.
New Hampshire is the only state that does not require drivers to carry auto liability insurance, and that single fact shapes everything after a crash here. Under RSA 264:25, you must report in writing to the DMV within 15 days if anyone is injured or killed or property damage exceeds $1,000 — unless a police officer investigated, in which case the officer’s report satisfies the requirement. Police file form DSMV 159; if no officer investigated, you file an Operator’s Report (DSMV 400) to NH Dept. of Safety, DMV-FR/Accidents, 23 Hazen Drive, Concord NH 03305. The flip side of optional insurance: RSA 264:23 requires proof of financial responsibility after a qualifying crash, and an uninsured at-fault driver’s license and registration stay suspended until they deposit security equal to the damages or the claimant signs a release. Free help: NH Bar Lawyer Referral at (603) 229-0002 — a $25 administrative fee, with attorneys agreeing to charge no more than $25 for a consultation of up to 30 minutes.
Everyone knows New Hampshire doesn’t make you buy car insurance. Far fewer know the trade the state extracted in return: if you cause a crash without coverage, your license and registration go away and stay away until you either put up money equal to the damages or persuade the person you hit to let you off. For a crash victim dealing with an uninsured driver, that is one of the strongest levers in the country — and it applies automatically, with no form to file. The first-steps checklist covers saving your dashcam clip before the camera loops.
Report the crash — 15 days
The statute requires any person driving a vehicle involved in an accident — or any person who owns a vehicle that was illegally parked when it was involved in one — to report in writing to the division within 15 days if any person is injured or killed, or if damage to property exceeds $1,000. Unless a police officer investigated the accident, in which case the officer’s report satisfies the requirement.
Two details from the statute that surprise people. Anyone who owns a vehicle involved in an accident but isn’t otherwise required to report may file voluntarily. And voluntary intoxication is not a defense on the question of whether you knew you had been in a crash.
Now the practical tip, straight from the DMV. Because it may take several weeks for a law enforcement agency to get a police accident report to the DMV, the Division of Motor Vehicles says an operator may submit an Operator’s Report to assist in an insurance claim — and once the police report arrives, it becomes part of the same file. So even when a trooper did write it up, filing your own DSMV 400 is a legitimate way to get documentation into your file weeks earlier than waiting would.
No mandatory insurance — and what that means
New Hampshire does not require most drivers to carry liability insurance, and does not require proof of insurance to register a vehicle. Policies that are sold here must meet minimum limits under RSA 264:15 — $25,000 bodily injury per person, $50,000 per accident, $25,000 property damage — but buying one is generally optional absent a court or DMV order.
The catch is what happens afterward. RSA 264:23 requires drivers involved in a qualifying accident to demonstrate financial responsibility to the DMV. If you carry insurance, you show the policy and you are done. If you don’t, the law requires depositing security equal to the estimated damages, or obtaining a signed release from every claimant — and RSA 264:25 specifies the consequence for failing: the DMV suspends the license and vehicle registration until the security is deposited or the release is provided.
Read that from the victim’s side. If an uninsured driver caused your crash, they are looking at an indefinite suspension that only lifts when they put up money matching your damages or you sign a release. That is real leverage, and it operates automatically rather than requiring you to file anything. Do not sign a release before you understand what your claim is actually worth — that signature is the thing they need.
Insurers must offer uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage in New Hampshire, though you may reject it in writing. Given how many drivers here carry nothing, check your declarations page for UM/UIM before you assume you have none.
Get the crash report
New Hampshire runs a mail-based system. Requests go on form DSMV 505, the Request for Motor Vehicle Records, available on the DMV website — complete it with the crash date, location, and names of the parties, and submit with payment by mail or drop box. Local departments handle their own copies; some county sheriff’s offices charge $20.00 for a report, so ask what the fee is when you call.
Keep copies of everything you send — the form, the check or money order, and any correspondence. In a mail-based system a lost request costs you weeks, and your own paper trail is what lets you follow up credibly.
Remember the timing above: a police report can take several weeks to reach the DMV, so if you need something for an insurer sooner, the responding department may have its copy first, and your own Operator’s Report is available immediately.
Hit-and-run
Call police immediately. RSA 264:25 requires you to stop and give your name, address, license number, insurance provider and policy number, vehicle registration, and the names and addresses of occupants — and if circumstances prevent an exchange, to give that information to a uniformed officer at the scene or immediately at the nearest police station. A driver who leaves has failed all of that.
Save your clip and note the time and location while they’re exact. On a back road in the White Mountains or a stretch of Route 16 in November there may be no second witness at all, and a plate that resolves on playback is the whole investigation. And if the driver is later identified and turns out to be uninsured, the financial-responsibility machinery above becomes available to you. Until then, uninsured-motorist coverage on your own policy is the usual route to payment — in a state where insurance is optional, that coverage matters more here than almost anywhere.
Find a lawyer
The NHBA Lawyer Referral Service charges a nonrefundable $25 administrative fee, and participating attorneys agree to charge no more than $25 for an initial consultation of up to 30 minutes. Trained referral specialists clarify your issue first and match you to someone who handles it. Call (603) 229-0002 — Monday through Thursday 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Friday until 3:00 p.m. — or submit an online request.
Two limits worth knowing. LRS does not provide walk-in or on-site consultations, so do not turn up at the Bar Center in Concord expecting one. And LRS does not refer to pro bono attorneys — that is a separate program. All LRS attorneys are insured members in good standing carrying malpractice coverage.
The Bar also runs a Modest Means Program matching income-eligible people with attorneys charging reduced rates. Note that it excludes civil contingency cases — which most crash-injury claims are. That is less of a loss than it sounds: contingency means no fee up front and a percentage only if you recover, so ask about it directly.
Free legal help
New Hampshire Legal Assistance provides free legal advice and representation to low-income people in civil matters involving basic needs — food, shelter, income — which is the right call for the knock-on problems a serious crash creates rather than the injury claim itself.
The Bar’s Pro Bono Referral Program matches volunteer attorneys with low-income individuals and families whose eligibility has been screened by the Legal Advice and Referral Center. The Bar also runs a NH Free Legal Answers program for civil legal questions online. For people with disabilities, the Disability Rights Center takes calls at 800-834-1721, weekdays 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Insurance problems
The New Hampshire Insurance Department regulates insurers operating 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? Understand exactly where you stand. Operating without insurance is legal in New Hampshire absent an SR-22 order — but causing a crash while uninsured triggers the license and registration suspension described above, and it lifts only when you deposit security equal to the estimated damages or every claimant releases you. The 15-day reporting duty applies regardless. Report it, then get advice quickly; a $25 consultation is a small price for finding out what a security deposit in your case would actually look like.
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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