Hickory · Hickory Police Department
Requesting a Hickory Police Department Crash Report
The City of Hickory gives out Hickory Police Department crash reports in one of two ways. Crash reports can be downloaded free from the city's online search, and a copy picked up in person from Records at the 2nd Avenue SW headquarters costs $3.00, on weekdays from 8:00 a.m. through 5:00 p.m.
This page covers crashes within the Hickory city limits that the Hickory Police Department investigated. A crash outside the city has its report with another agency, and the fifth section covers that case.
The sections below cover both routes to the city's copy, when an officer writes a report at all, what the DMV-349 form records, how to ask for other Hickory police records, crashes beyond the city limits, and how long each step takes.
01
Hickory crash reports online at no charge, or $3.00 at headquarters
The City of Hickory offers Hickory Police Department crash reports as free downloads, through an Access Crash Reports link on the police department's web page. The city's Records page sets the price of a report picked up in person at $3.00, and the police FAQ puts the same fee on each report obtained at headquarters.
| Route | Where | Cost the city lists | When |
|---|---|---|---|
| Online download | The Access Crash Reports link on the Hickory Police Department page | No charge | Not listed on the city pages |
| In person | Records Division, Floyd W. Lucas, Jr. Police Headquarters, 347 2nd Avenue SW | $3.00 per report | Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. |
Try the free download first. The counter copy at headquarters is the fallback when the online search does not turn up your report.
The Records unit enters and stores the city's crime data, and the city says those records stay confidential unless released under the Public Records Act. For a crash report, that same Records page points to its Access Crash Reports Online link.
02
When a Hickory officer writes a crash report at all
A Hickory officer writes the state crash report when a crash is reportable, and G.S. 20-4.01(33b) gives that term to a crash causing someone's death or injury, or property damage that reaches one thousand dollars in total. The investigation requirement sits in G.S. 20-166.1(e), which also sets a 24-hour window from the crash for the officer's written report.
A scrape with no one hurt and damage below that line is not a reportable crash, and the statute does not call for a state report on it. No one hurt and little damage usually means no state crash report.
Exception. A driver who collides with a vehicle left parked or unattended on a highway of this State owes the owner a report, a duty G.S. 20-166.1(c) imposes whether or not the crash is reportable. That report reaches the owner within 48 hours, spoken or written, and tells the owner when and where the collision happened, who was driving, the driver's license number and address, and the registration plate on the driver's vehicle.
No one hurt and little damage usually means no state crash report.
03
What a Hickory DMV-349 report records about each driver and vehicle
North Carolina's crash report form is the DMV-349, and NCDMV's posted copy carries the revision date 4/2018. For each unit in a crash it has spaces for each driver's name, street address and license number, the owner, the plate and VIN, and the insurer and policy number.
| Part of the DMV-349 | What it holds |
|---|---|
| Crash location | County, municipality, highway number, relation to the roadway, latitude and longitude |
| Driver and owner | Name and address, license details, and whether alcohol or drugs were suspected |
| Vehicle and insurance | Plate, VIN, make and year, estimated damage, insurer name and policy number |
| Persons and EMS | Names and addresses of the people involved, the EMS unit, and the facility the injured were taken to |
| Crash sequence | Points of initial contact, each event in order, the most harmful event, the speed limit and estimated speeds |
| Diagram and narrative | A drawing with north marked, the written narrative, and witness names, addresses and phone numbers |
| Violations and officer | Traffic violations and charges, with the officer's name, number, department and report date |
Financial responsibility information also belongs in the report, under G.S. 20-166.1(e), for the vehicle of the person the officer identifies as at fault. The narrative and diagram give the officer's account of how the Hickory crash happened.
Copy the witness names and phone numbers off the report the day you get it. I would rather a client bring me the whole report than a summary of it.
04
Other Hickory police records go through form HPD 11-14
The Hickory Police Department's Public Information Request Form, numbered HPD 11-14, is the written request for Location/Property Check reports and Crime/Calls for Service reports. The form says every Crime/Calls for Service request takes a minimum of five working days to process.
Fill out form HPD 11-14
Give your name and contact details, the address the request concerns, the date range and the format you want, whether paper, CD or USB, or telephone.
Send it to Hickory police headquarters
Pick up the form at the department or print a copy off the city's police web page, then fax it to 828-328-6146 or mail or hand deliver it to 347 2nd Avenue SW.
Wait for the pickup notice
The form asks whether you want to hear by telephone or email when the records are ready. Records produced are charged under the City of Hickory fee schedule adopted by City Council.
The form adds that the law does not require a written request, and that the details it asks for help the department respond accurately and promptly.
Neither the city's Records page nor its police FAQ mentions this form for crash reports. Both point to the free download and the counter copy instead.
05
Crashes outside Hickory city limits, and NCDMV's own copy
When a reportable crash happens past the Hickory city line, G.S. 20-166.1(a) points the driver to a county sheriff, qualifying rural police or the State Highway Patrol, so the Hickory Records Division does not hold that report.
A Patrol crash near Hickory
NCDPS, the state's public safety department, runs a Collision Information search for crashes the State Highway Patrol investigated.
NCDMV's copy of any report
NCDMV's own copy is ordered on its TR-67A form, for a $6.50 charge that G.S. 20-42(b) fixes.
A Patrol officer's report travels straight to NCDMV under subsection (e). A city officer's report stops at the local agency first, which gets 10 days after receipt to pass it on to NCDMV.
For a crash inside the limits, the Hickory city page covers the courthouses for a Hickory case and the first call.
06
How long each Hickory crash report step takes
The officer's written report on a reportable Hickory crash comes due 24 hours after the crash. G.S. 20-166.1(e) sets that deadline, and the city's police and records pages give no posting time for the download.
| Step | Time rule | Where the rule comes from |
|---|---|---|
| Officer's written report | 24 hours after the crash | G.S. 20-166.1(e) |
| Local agency sends the report to NCDMV | Within 10 days after receiving it | G.S. 20-166.1(e) |
| Counter copy at Hickory police headquarters | Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. | City of Hickory Records page |
| Crime/Calls for Service records | A minimum of five working days | Form HPD 11-14 |
If the report is not in the online search yet, check back later, since the city posts no timing for it. A call to me does not have to wait for it.
NCDOT's figures are gathered on the page of crash numbers for Hickory and Catawba County, and a first call can be requested through the contact page whether or not the report has posted.
Questions
Common questions
Does the $3.00 Hickory fee apply to each copy?
The Hickory Police Department FAQ says there is a $3.00 fee for each police report obtained from police headquarters. The same FAQ and the city's Records page both say a crash report downloaded online carries no charge.
Where is the Hickory Records Division located?
The department's own FAQ places the Records Division inside the Floyd W. Lucas, Jr. Police Headquarters, at 347 2nd Avenue SW. The city's Records page gives the weekday window for getting a copy there as Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m.
Does a Hickory crash report count as evidence in court?
G.S. 20-166.1(i) lets a law enforcement officer's crash report be offered in a lawsuit or a prosecution to the extent the evidence rules allow. A report from anyone besides an officer or civilian traffic investigator is kept for NCDMV's use and stays out of the trial.
About the attorney
Julian Doby, attorney since 1998
Julian Doby has been admitted to practice in North Carolina since 1998, North Carolina State Bar No. 25407, and he represents injured people across the state. His one office is at 110 W. Elm Street in Graham. He meets clients across the state after a first conversation by phone or video.
More about JulianSources and verification (11)
- City of Hickory, Records, Parking and Animal Control, verified October 18, 2026.
- City of Hickory, Police Department FAQ, verified October 18, 2026.
- City of Hickory, Police Department (Access Crash Reports link and contact number), verified October 18, 2026.
- N.C. Gen. Stat. 20-4.01(33b), reportable crash, ncleg.gov, verified October 18, 2026.
- N.C. Gen. Stat. 20-166.1(a), (c) and (e), ncleg.gov, verified October 18, 2026.
- NCDMV, DMV-349 Crash Report Form, Rev. 4/2018, verified October 18, 2026.
- Hickory Police Department, Public Information Request Form, HPD 11-14, verified October 18, 2026.
- City of Hickory, Police Forms, verified October 18, 2026.
- NCDPS, State Highway Patrol Collision Information, verified October 18, 2026.
- NCDMV, Form TR-67A, Request for Motor Vehicle Information (Crash Reports), revised July 1, 2024, verified October 18, 2026.
- N.C. Gen. Stat. 20-42(b), ncleg.gov, verified October 18, 2026.
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