Reviewed and updated October 4, 2026 by the SearchSystems.net editorial team. Every office link on this page was opened and checked against the office's own website at review time.
Forest Lake is a city in Washington County, Minnesota, with about 21,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). Its public records are split between the city and the county. The city keeps police reports, council records and its own licenses and permits; court cases, jail bookings, deeds and vital records are county or state records. This guide names the Forest Lake offices SearchSystems verified, links to each one's own website and gives the phone number and address where the office publishes them. SearchSystems verified 2 city office pages for Forest Lake, every one opened and checked.
In this guide: City or county, Police records, City Hall, Records requests, Other cities and Questions.
City or county record: where Forest Lake records are kept
- Kept by the City of Forest Lake: police reports, council and board meeting records, ordinances and the city's own licenses and permits.
- Kept by Washington County or the state: court cases, jail bookings, deeds and property values and birth and death certificates. These are not city records; they are in the Washington County public records guide under court records, jail lookups, property records and vital records.
Forest Lake police reports and records
Incident reports, crash reports and the other records of the Forest Lake police are requested from the department's records unit, usually in writing or through an online form. Reports on open investigations and the names of victims and juveniles are usually withheld or redacted, and some states limit crash reports to the people involved and their insurers. The page below is the one SearchSystems verified for Forest Lake police records.
- Website: ci.forest-lake.mn.us/m/directory/employee?eid=57 (page title: Staff Directory, Police Reports)
- Phone: 651-439-9381
- Checked: September 25, 2026, the page answered.
Jail bookings and inmate lookups are usually handled by the county, not the city police. They are in the Washington County public records guide under jail and inmate lookups.
Forest Lake City Hall: departments, licenses and permits
Business licenses, building permits, code enforcement cases and the city's other records are kept by the department that issued them. The city's own website below lists its departments and how to reach them.
- Website: ci.forest-lake.mn.us/142/Contact (page title: Contact | Forest Lake, MN)
- Checked: September 25, 2026, the page answered.
Public records requests to Forest Lake
Minnesota public records law applies to the city government of Forest Lake. A record that is not posted online is requested from the office that holds it: the police records unit for police reports and the department that issued a permit or license for its records. A request that names a date, an address, or a report or case number is the easiest to answer.
Other cities and towns in Washington County
SearchSystems has a guide like this one for these other cities and towns in Washington County. The Washington County public records guide covers the records the county keeps for all of them.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is this the official Forest Lake website?
No. SearchSystems.net is an independent public records directory, online since 1997. It links to the official Forest Lake offices listed above, and the city's own website is ci.forest-lake.mn.us; SearchSystems does not hold records, charge for them or take requests.
How do I get a police report in Forest Lake?
Request it from the Forest Lake police records unit at ci.forest-lake.mn.us, phone 651-439-9381. Reports on open investigations and the names of victims and juveniles are usually withheld or redacted.
Where do I find court records or jail bookings for Forest Lake?
Forest Lake cases are heard by the courts that serve Washington County, and people arrested in Forest Lake are usually booked into the county jail. Both are covered in the Washington County public records guide on SearchSystems.
How do I request a public record from Forest Lake?
From the office that holds it: the police records unit for police reports and the department that issued a permit or license for its records. Minnesota public records law applies to city governments.