Search Plymouth Criminal Court Records

Criminal court records for Plymouth are not held at the city level. All criminal cases from Plymouth go through Hennepin County District Court in downtown Minneapolis, which is the court of record for the 4th Judicial District. The city has no criminal court of its own. Plymouth police handle arrests and create incident reports, but the court files, hearing records, and case documents are at the county courthouse. You can search Plymouth criminal court records free online through Minnesota Court Records Online, or visit the courthouse in person.

Hennepin County District Court

Plymouth is part of Hennepin County, so all criminal cases filed against Plymouth residents or arising from Plymouth arrests go to Hennepin County District Court. This is one of the busiest courts in Minnesota. It handles felonies, gross misdemeanors, and misdemeanors. The court is in the Government Center in downtown Minneapolis, roughly 10 miles east of Plymouth.

Public access terminals at the courthouse give you free on-site access to MCRO case records. The Court Administrator's counter handles copy requests during regular hours. No appointment is needed for a routine visit.

MCRO Online Case Search

The fastest way to find Plymouth criminal court records is through the Minnesota Court Records Online portal. Go to publicaccess.courts.state.mn.us and choose Hennepin County. You can also reach the portal from mncourts.gov/access-case-records/mcro. Search by full name or case number. Results show charges, court dates, case status, and dispositions for each case.

Case documents from July 1, 2015 onward are free to view and download. Earlier filings need a written request or an in-person visit. Hennepin County has a large criminal docket, so name searches may return several results. Use a date of birth or case number to narrow it down. The court calendar posts each morning and updates hourly.

MCRO Portal Screenshot

The Minnesota Court Records Online portal is the main tool for searching criminal court records from Plymouth and all other Minnesota cities.

MCRO covers all 87 Minnesota counties and is available at no cost for basic case searches. Documents filed from July 1, 2015 are available to view online.

Plymouth Police Department

The Plymouth Police Department is the city's law enforcement agency. It makes arrests, writes incident reports, and patrols the city. Police records are separate from criminal court records. A police report from the Plymouth PD is not the same as a court filing. You request police records from the police department directly, not from Hennepin County District Court.

For data held by the city, Plymouth follows the Minnesota Government Data Practices Act. The City Clerk handles data practices requests. Contact the clerk's office at plymouthmn.gov/departments/administrative-services-/city-clerk. The Hennepin County Sheriff also operates in the region at hennepinsheriff.org.

Getting Copies of Plymouth Court Records

To get copies of Plymouth criminal court records, start with MCRO for cases filed after July 1, 2015. Those documents are free to download. For certified copies, contact Hennepin County District Court. Certified copies are $14 each. Uncertified copies are free since July 1, 2023. Submit your request at mncourts.gov/help-topics/copy-request online, or by mail or in person at the courthouse.

When you request records by mail, include the case number, party name, and which documents you need. Physical copies take a few business days to process. Some older records may need to be retrieved from storage, which can take longer. Calling the court administrator's office first can help you confirm what's available and how long it might take.

BCA Criminal History Search

The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension offers a statewide criminal history search that covers Hennepin County cases from Plymouth. Each search costs $8. You provide the full legal name and date of birth. Results show conviction data from the past 15 years across all Minnesota counties. The BCA database is at dps.mn.gov/divisions/bca/Pages/criminal-history-search.aspx.

BCA results show only convictions. Dismissed charges and not-guilty verdicts don't appear. For a complete case history, including all charges regardless of outcome, search MCRO or go through Hennepin County District Court. BCA searches work well for a statewide summary, but MCRO gives more detail on individual cases.

Expungement of Plymouth Records

Expungement petitions for Plymouth criminal cases go to Hennepin County District Court. Minnesota has two paths for clearing records. Automatic expungement under Minn. Stat. 609A.015 applies to petty misdemeanors and cases closed without conviction in certain situations. For other offenses, you file a petition under Chapter 609A and appear at a hearing.

The Minnesota courts' guide at mncourts.gov/help-topics/criminal-expungement covers forms, deadlines, and eligibility. Legal aid organizations serving Hennepin County can help with petitions if you can't afford a private attorney. The Hennepin County courthouse self-help center is also a resource.

Minnesota Data Practices Act

Minnesota Statutes Chapter 13 governs access to government data in the state. Most criminal court records are public. But some data is private by law, including victim contact information in certain cases, juvenile records, and data that a court has ordered sealed. The full text of Chapter 13 is at revisor.mn.gov/statutes/cite/13.

This law applies to both court records and records held by the city of Plymouth. If a city department denies your records request, you can ask the city's data practices contact for clarification. The Data Practices Act gives you the right to challenge a denial and request an advisory opinion from the state's Office of Administrative Hearings.

Nearby Cities

These nearby cities in Minnesota also file criminal court records with their respective county district courts.