Florida Crash Reporting Rules

$500 until Sep 30 2026; $2,000 from Oct 1 2026

Source: s. 316.065(1), Florida Statutes, requires immediate notice of a crash causing injury, death, or damage to any vehicle or other property in an apparent amount of at least $500. SB 488 (ch. 2026-39, s. 7) raises that figure to $2,000 effective October 1, 2026. The handbook publishes no dollar figure at all: p. 77 describes the police-report duty in terms of whether a vehicle must be towed, and the driver's own written report to FLHSMV within 10 days when no law enforcement report is made. · Verified Aug 2026

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Source: s. 316.066(1)(e), Florida Statutes: a driver involved in a crash that damaged a vehicle or other property and does not require a law enforcement report 'shall, within 10 days after the crash, submit a written report of the crash to the department.' The same 10-day deadline applies to the officer's long-form report under s. 316.066(1)(a). Also stated in the Florida Driver License Handbook (rev. 08/2023), Chapter 9, p. 77. · Verified Aug 2026

Florida splits the duty between the officer and the driver. A law enforcement officer must complete and submit a Florida Traffic Crash Report, Long Form when the crash caused death or personal injury, or any indication of complaints of pain or discomfort by anyone involved; when it involved leaving the scene of a crash with property damage or driving under the influence; when a vehicle was left inoperable enough that a wrecker had to remove it; or when a commercial motor vehicle was involved. For any other crash on a public roadway, the officer completes a short-form report or hands the drivers an exchange-of-information form. If your crash damaged a vehicle or other property and does not require a law enforcement report, the duty falls to you: submit a written report to FLHSMV within 10 days, on the form the department approves.

Source: s. 316.066(1)(a), Florida Statutes, for the four law enforcement long-form triggers; s. 316.066(1)(c) for the short form and exchange-of-information form; s. 316.066(1)(e) for the driver's own report, which applies to a crash 'resulting in damage to a vehicle or other property which does not require a law enforcement report'. The Florida Driver License Handbook (rev. 08/2023), Chapter 9, p. 77, describes the same split in plainer terms but lists fewer of the officer-report triggers. · Verified Aug 2026