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.
Dakota County, Minnesota, has about 453,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). Its court cases are filed in the Dakota 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: Dakota County public records, Dakota County arrest records, Dakota County warrants, Dakota County inmate search, Dakota County criminal records, Minnesota arrest records and Minnesota inmate search.
The Courts That Hear Cases from Dakota County
Court cases from Dakota County are filed in the Dakota 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 Dakota County
For Dakota County, SearchSystems opened and checked the court records page for the county 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 Dakota County
Together, the 12 agencies in Dakota County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 6,406 arrests to the FBI that year; the County Attorney decides which of those arrests become cases in the Dakota County District Court.
The County Attorney's page SearchSystems verified is at dakotacountymn.gov/government/county-attorney (page title: County Attorney), phone 651-438-4438, which answered when SearchSystems opened it on September 23, 2026.
The Kinds of Court Files
The court file is one record with several readers: a criminal case from the arrest to the sentence, a divorce from the petition to the judgment, a traffic ticket from the citation to the conviction the court reports to the Minnesota Driver and Vehicle Services, and an eviction or a lien on land.
The other Dakota County guides take the kinds of file one at a time: Dakota County criminal records, Dakota County divorce records, Dakota County traffic tickets, Dakota County DUI and Dakota County property records.
Cities in Dakota County
Wherever in the county a case arises, it is filed in the Dakota County District Court.
SearchSystems has a guide to the offices of these cities in Dakota County, with the 2024 Census Bureau population; a city with its own court records guide opens there:
- Lakeville (77,971)
- Eagan (67,240)
- Burnsville (64,864)
- Apple Valley (55,272)
- Inver Grove Heights (36,226)
- Rosemount (30,581)
- West St. Paul (21,920)
- South St. Paul (20,590)
- Mendota Heights (11,542)
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I look up a court case in Dakota 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 Dakota County?
The Dakota County District Court, which hears every civil, criminal, family, probate and juvenile case.
Who keeps the court records in Dakota 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 Dakota 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.