Reviewed and updated October 9, 2026 by the SearchSystems.net editorial team. The arrest counts are the ones each agency reported to the FBI, as the FBI held them on October 8, 2026. Every office link was opened and checked against the office's own site on September 23, 2026.
Clay County, Minnesota, has about 67,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). Its court cases are filed in the Clay County District Court, and the file of each case, kept by the court administrator, is the public record of it. This guide says which court hears what, where to look a case up and who keeps the files.
This guide covers the courts, the records page, criminal cases, kinds of files, cities and common questions.
Related guides: Clay County public records, Clay County arrest records, Clay County warrants, Clay County criminal records, Clay County police reports, Minnesota arrest records and Minnesota inmate search.
The Courts That Hear Cases from Clay County
Court cases from Clay County are filed in the Clay County District Court, which hears every civil, criminal, family, probate and juvenile case.
Divorces go to the District Court, and the file stays with the court administrator.
The court administrator keeps the files, and a copy of anything in a file comes from that office, under the court's own rules rather than the Minnesota Government Data Practices Act.
Looking Up a Case from Clay County
The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at publicaccess.courts.state.mn.us/CaseSearch (page title: Case Search | Minnesota Court Records Online (MCRO)), phone (651) 793-2400, which answered when SearchSystems opened it on September 23, 2026.
Statewide, Minnesota Court Records Online is the Minnesota Judicial Branch's free statewide case search.
What Reaches the Court from Clay County
Together, the six agencies in Clay County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 1,261 arrests to the FBI that year; the County Attorney decides which of those arrests become cases in the Clay County District Court.
The County Attorney's page SearchSystems verified is at claycountymn.gov/1175/Attorney-Responsibilities (page title: Attorney Responsibilities | Clay County, MN), which answered when SearchSystems opened it on September 23, 2026.
The Kinds of Court Files
Criminal cases, divorces, traffic tickets and evictions all end up as files of these courts, and the file is what the public sees of each.
The other Clay County guides take the kinds of file one at a time: Clay County criminal records, Clay County divorce records, Clay County traffic tickets, Clay County DUI and Clay County property records.
Cities in Clay County
Wherever in the county a case arises, it is filed in the Clay County District Court.
SearchSystems has a guide to the offices of these cities in Clay County, with the 2024 Census Bureau population; a city with its own court records guide opens there:
- Moorhead (45,726)
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I look up a court case in Clay County?
The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at publicaccess.courts.state.mn.us/CaseSearch, phone (651) 793-2400. Statewide, Minnesota Court Records Online is the Minnesota Judicial Branch's free statewide case search.
Which court hears felonies in Clay County?
The Clay County District Court, which hears every civil, criminal, family, probate and juvenile case.
Who keeps the court records in Clay County?
The court administrator. Copies come from that office under the court's own rules.
Is there a statewide court case search in Minnesota?
Yes: Minnesota Court Records Online, the Minnesota Judicial Branch's free statewide case search.
Is this the official Clay County website?
No. SearchSystems.net is an independent public records guide, online since 1997. It links to the official county, court and state offices described above and does not hold records, charge for them or take requests.