Search Minnesota Criminal Court Records

Minnesota criminal court records are public documents maintained by District Courts in each of the state's 87 counties. Every criminal case filed here, from misdemeanor charges to felony proceedings, creates a court record that anyone can access. You can search these criminal records online through the free Minnesota Court Records Online system, visit a courthouse in person, or submit a mail request to the court administrator. The Bureau of Criminal Apprehension also maintains a verified criminal history database at the state level. This page covers every way to find, search, and access Minnesota criminal court records quickly and at no cost for basic searches.

How to Access Minnesota Criminal Court Records

The Minnesota Judicial Branch provides five ways to get criminal court records. You can search online, use public terminals at the courthouse, visit the court administration counter, mail in a request, or call by phone. Each method serves a different need. Online is quickest for basic case info. In-person works best when you need certified copies or want to review the full file.

Minnesota Court Records Online, known as MCRO, is the main portal for searching criminal case data across all 87 counties. The case records overview page explains every access method and links to MCRO, court locations, and mail request instructions. MCRO has four search tabs: Case Search, Document Search, Hearing Search, and Judgment Search. Case Search accepts party names, business names, attorney names, bar numbers, case numbers, and citation numbers. The system shows the register of actions for each case, which lists every filing, hearing date, and order. Public documents filed on or after July 1, 2015 are available online for criminal cases. Orders and notices go back to July 1, 2005. Older records need a direct request from the local court administration office.

The MCRO portal displays criminal case records from all Minnesota district courts in a single searchable system.

The system is available around the clock except during Sunday maintenance, which runs from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM each week.

Every county courthouse in Minnesota has a public access terminal where you can search court records at no charge. These terminals run during normal business hours and give you the most complete view of electronic records in the system. Staff at the court administration counter can search by name or case number and make copies on the spot. Mail requests go to the court administrator at the county where the case was filed. Many courts accept phone requests and can charge a credit or debit card for copy fees. The standard schedule for most county courts is Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM.

The Access Case Records page on mncourts.gov links to public terminals, the MCRO login, and step-by-step instructions for mail requests.

Public access terminals at all 87 courthouses let anyone view case records for free during business hours.

Minnesota Court Records Online System

MCRO is the free public portal for Minnesota district court case data. The direct login page is at publicaccess.courts.state.mn.us. Basic case searches do not require an account. Full document access requires a free registration. The system covers every county court in Minnesota and updates as cases move through the system. You can search by person name, business name, attorney name, bar number, case number, or citation number. Common names may return many results, so adding a date of birth helps narrow things down. The register of actions shows every filing, hearing, and order in a case. For criminal cases, this includes the charges, court dates, plea entries, verdicts, and any sentence imposed. The system is mobile-friendly and lets registered users track cases and download court documents.

The direct access portal for Minnesota Court Records Online serves all county courts statewide with both free basic searches and registered user document downloads.

Registration for full document access is free and lets you download public court filings from any of Minnesota's 87 county district courts.

Not every document in a criminal case file appears online. Juvenile records are excluded except for felonies committed by those aged 16 or 17. Domestic abuse cases before service of process, harassment cases, civil commitment records, and sealed or expunged records do not show up in MCRO. The Rules of Public Access to Records of the Judicial Branch list exactly which records courts must restrict. Rule 4 covers records not accessible to the public. Rule 8 addresses remote access limits, including restrictions on sharing personal data like Social Security numbers and home addresses. For older criminal cases filed before July 1, 2015, online availability is limited and you may need to contact the courthouse directly.

BCA Criminal History Search

The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension operates a state-level criminal history database separate from MCRO. This system holds arrest and conviction data collected from law enforcement agencies statewide. The fee is $8.00 per name search. You need the person's full first and last name and date of birth to run a search. Results come back right away. The BCA criminal history search page explains what the system contains and how to access it. In-person requests are accepted at 1430 Maryland Avenue East, St. Paul, MN 55106, Monday through Friday, 8:15 AM to 4:00 PM. The BCA phone number is (651) 793-2400. The online search tool at chs.state.mn.us gives public access to conviction data for up to 15 years from the date a sentence is completed, as defined under Minnesota Statute § 13.87.

The BCA criminal history search page details what the system contains and how to run a verified criminal history check for Minnesota.

The BCA is the central repository for all Minnesota criminal history data and serves both law enforcement agencies and members of the public.

Public conviction data in the BCA system includes the offense charged, the date of the offense, the court of conviction, the date of conviction, any sentence imposed, the level of conviction (felony or gross misdemeanor), and the name of the probation agency or place of confinement. Arrest information without a conviction is not public. Court data from cases that did not end in conviction is also restricted. Juvenile criminal history records are excluded from the public view. Any data more than 15 years past the sentence completion date drops out of public access. These rules come from Minnesota Statutes Chapter 13, which governs how the state handles criminal justice data.

The public criminal history search tool at chs.state.mn.us gives direct access to Minnesota conviction records for an $8 fee per name search.

Search results from the CHS system return immediately and cover the 15-year public window for felony and gross misdemeanor conviction data.

What Minnesota Criminal Court Records Contain

Minnesota criminal court records cover cases from petty misdemeanors up through felony charges. A felony is any crime punishable by more than one year in prison. A gross misdemeanor carries up to one year in county jail. Misdemeanor cases and petty misdemeanor cases make up the lower tiers. When any criminal case is filed in a Minnesota District Court, the clerk opens a file, assigns a case number, and begins recording every event that follows. The charges filed by the county attorney, pretrial motions, any bail or bond conditions set, hearing dates, plea entries, jury verdicts, and sentencing orders all become part of the official court record. For cases filed after July 1, 2015, many of these documents appear in MCRO and are available to anyone with an account.

Criminal court records are public data under Minnesota law. Some personal details within them may be redacted. Victim names and addresses are sometimes restricted. Social Security numbers and financial account numbers are removed under the rules governing remote access to court records.

A Minnesota criminal court record typically includes:

• Case number, filing date, and county of filing
• Defendant name, date of birth, and known aliases
• Charges filed, applicable statutes, and offense dates
• Bail or bond amounts and any release conditions
• Hearing dates, continuances, and court outcomes
• Plea agreements, trial verdicts, or dismissal orders
• Sentencing details, probation terms, and supervision agency

Requesting Copies of Criminal Court Records

Anyone can request copies of criminal court records from the District Court in the county where the case was filed. Three copy types are available. Uncertified copies are plain photocopies with no court seal. As of July 1, 2023, uncertified copies are free of charge. Certified copies carry the court seal and are needed for official use, such as clearing a background check or submitting records in legal proceedings. Certified copies cost $14 per document. Exemplified copies carry both the judicial officer's signature and the court administrator's signature and are used when records must cross state or international borders. Exemplified copies also cost $14 per document, or $28 if you need both exemplified and certified at the same time. These fees are set by Minn. Stat. § 357.021 and Court Operations Policy 506(b).

The copy request help page on mncourts.gov explains each copy type, the fee structure, and how to submit requests by mail, phone, or in person.

The Court Document Copy Request Form is available from any county court administrator or from the Minnesota Judicial Branch website at no cost.

Mail requests require the Court Document Copy Request Form sent with payment to the county court administrator where the case was filed. Checks and money orders are the standard payment for mail submissions. Many courts accept credit or debit cards by phone, which speeds things up when you have the case number ready. In-person requests at the court administration counter are often handled the same day. Processing time for mail requests depends on court volume and typically ranges from a few days to two weeks. Fee waivers are available for those who cannot afford the cost by filing an In Forma Pauperis petition showing proof of income.

The district court fee schedule on mncourts.gov lists current copy fees, filing costs, and all other charges for Minnesota district courts.

Fee schedules can change, so contacting the county court administrator before submitting a request is a good practice to confirm current costs.

Are Minnesota Criminal Court Records Public

Yes. Most Minnesota criminal court records are public under the Minnesota Government Data Practices Act, found at Minnesota Statutes Chapter 13. Section 13.03 gives anyone the right to inspect public government data without charge during normal business hours. Section 13.82 defines comprehensive law enforcement data, including criminal case records. Section 13.87 classifies conviction information as public for 15 years from the date a sentence is completed. The act treats all government data as public by default unless a specific statute marks it as private, confidential, or nonpublic. Criminal court records fall into the public category. You do not have to be a party to the case. You do not have to give a reason for your request. Any member of the public can walk into a courthouse and ask to see a criminal case file. The court administrator must respond within a reasonable time frame, typically 10 business days for complex requests.

Minnesota Statutes Chapter 13 on the Minnesota Office of the Revisor of Statutes website contains the full text of the Government Data Practices Act governing access to criminal records.

The MGDPA classifies all government data as public unless a specific statute designates it as private, confidential, or nonpublic data.

Some records within criminal case files are restricted. Juvenile records are confidential with limited exceptions for felony cases involving those aged 16 or 17. Mental health commitment records are sealed. Expunged or sealed records are not publicly viewable. Documents in active investigations are off limits. The Rules of Public Access to Records of the Judicial Branch list every restricted record type. Rule 4 covers records the courts must withhold from public access. Rule 8 governs remote access to electronic records and limits disclosure of personal data including home addresses and financial account numbers. Even when records are restricted from the public, law enforcement agencies retain access under separate authority.

The Rules of Public Access define which Minnesota court records are open to the public and which must be withheld under Supreme Court authority.

Rule 4 lists records not accessible to the public, and Rule 8 sets the boundaries for remote access to electronic court records statewide.

Minnesota Criminal Record Expungement

Expungement seals criminal court records from public view. It does not destroy the records. Law enforcement and certain government agencies can still access sealed records under their own authority. Minnesota law provides two types of expungement under Minnesota Statutes Chapter 609A. The first is automatic expungement, called Clean Slate, under Minn. Stat. § 609A.015. This covers dismissed charges after a case is filed, drug possession dismissals under § 152.18, and cases resolved in the petitioner's favor. Automatic expungement requires no petition and happens on its own. The second type is petition-based expungement for cases that ended in conviction or were resolved through a diversion program. A petition is filed with the court and served on any agencies that hold records about the case.

The expungement information page on mncourts.gov covers both automatic and petition-based expungement, lists the required forms, and explains where to get help filing a petition.

Self-help centers at the Hennepin County and Ramsey County courthouses provide free guidance on expungement petitions for those who do not have an attorney.

Waiting periods for petition-based expungement depend on how the case ended. Cases resolved in the petitioner's favor through acquittal or dismissal are eligible right away. Diversion program completions require a one-year wait. Petty misdemeanor or misdemeanor convictions require two years. Gross misdemeanor convictions need a four-year wait. Certain felony convictions listed under Minn. Stat. § 609A.02, subdivision 3 require five years. During the waiting period, the person must stay crime-free and pay all outstanding fines, fees, and restitution. The court weighs the public benefit of maintaining the record against the personal benefit of sealing it when deciding a petition.

Seven official forms are required for expungement petitions. Forms EXP101 through EXP107 cover the petition, affidavit of service, the order, notice of hearing, waiver of service, consent, and sealed record access request. All forms are free on the Minnesota Judicial Branch website.

Minnesota Statutes Chapter 609A contains all grounds, waiting periods, and procedures for sealing criminal records under Minnesota law.

Section 609A.05 states that employers have no duty to discover sealed records, which limits how expunged criminal cases affect future opportunities for those who qualify.

Self-Help Centers and Legal Resources

The Minnesota Judicial Branch runs Self-Help Centers at several courthouse locations. These centers are free and open to anyone who does not have an attorney. Staff can point you to the right forms, explain how the court process works, and help with expungement guidance. They are not attorneys and cannot fill out forms for you or give legal advice. The Hennepin County Government Center in Minneapolis and the Ramsey County Courthouse in St. Paul each host a self-help center. The 10th District also offers self-help services. A remote self-help line is available for many district courts at (651) 435-6535, Monday through Friday, 8:30 AM to 4:00 PM.

The Self-Help Centers page on mncourts.gov lists courthouse locations offering free assistance for people navigating Minnesota criminal court processes.

Self-help staff can explain forms and procedures for common matters including expungement, but they cannot represent you in court or provide legal strategy.

The Minnesota State Law Library sits in Room G25 at the Minnesota Judicial Center, 25 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., St. Paul, MN 55155. Phone is (651) 297-7651. Hours run Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM. The library holds public access terminals, legal research assistance, appellate court briefs, and historical court records not available online. LawHelpMN provides self-help guides for common legal questions at lawhelpmn.org. The Minnesota State Bar Association runs a lawyer referral service at (612) 752-6699 and through their attorney directory at mnbar.org. Mid-Minnesota Legal Aid serves the Twin Cities metro with free family and civil legal help for qualifying individuals at (612) 334-5970.

Browse Minnesota Criminal Court Records by County

Each of Minnesota's 87 counties has a District Court that handles criminal cases. The state is divided into 10 judicial districts. Select a county below to find local court contact info, addresses, search tools, and resources for criminal court records in that area.

The court directory at mncourts.gov lists contact information, addresses, and hours for all 87 Minnesota county courts across the 10 judicial districts.

Each county court page on mncourts.gov links to local copy request procedures, public calendars, and courthouse-specific resources for criminal case searches.

View All 87 Minnesota Counties

Criminal Court Records in Major Minnesota Cities

Minnesota cities do not keep their own criminal court records. Cases go to the District Court in the county where the crime occurred. Select a city to find which county court handles criminal cases for that area and what local resources are available.

View Major Minnesota Cities