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. The jail figures are from the Vera Institute of Justice's Incarceration Trends data. 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). Every warrant for Dakota County comes from a judge of the Dakota County District Court, is served by whichever agency finds the person, and is recorded in the court file of the case it was issued in. This guide says who issues and serves warrants here, where a person arrested on one is held, how to check for one and how one is cleared.
This guide covers who issues warrants, who serves warrants, after a warrant arrest, checking for a warrant, clearing a warrant and common questions.
Related guides: Dakota County public records, Dakota County arrest records, Dakota County inmate search, Dakota County criminal records, Dakota County court records, Minnesota arrest records and Minnesota inmate search.
Who Issues Warrants in Dakota County
In Minnesota an arrest warrant is signed by a judge. For Dakota County that means the Dakota County District Court, which hears every civil, criminal, family, probate and juvenile case.
When a defendant misses a court date the judge issues a bench warrant, and either kind of warrant lives in the court file of the case, kept by the court administrator.
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.
Who Serves Warrants in Dakota County
The Dakota County Sheriff's Office and the agencies that report for Lakeville, Eagan, Burnsville, Apple Valley, Inver Grove Heights, Rosemount and five more cities serve warrants in Dakota County.
The Northfield Police Department is listed by the FBI across two counties including Dakota County, so its arrests are not broken out for Dakota County here.
A warrant issued in Dakota County is good anywhere in Minnesota, so it is served by whichever agency finds the person, in a traffic stop as often as at the door.
Together, the 12 agencies in Dakota County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 6,406 arrests to the FBI that year; arrests on warrants are counted among them, not separately.
Each agency and what it reported is in Dakota County arrest records.
Where a Person Arrested on a Warrant from Dakota County Is Held
A person arrested on a warrant and kept in custody goes to the county jail, whichever agency made the arrest. The jail, run by the Dakota County Sheriff's Office, held about 180 people on an average day in 2021 by the Vera Institute of Justice's count and has a custody page SearchSystems verified at dakotacountymn.gov/residents/public-safety-justice/jail/inmate-search, phone 651-377-7188. The Dakota County inmate search guide covers the jail in full.
A person arrested in Dakota County on a warrant from another county is held at the same jail until that county takes custody.
How to Check for a Warrant in Dakota County
Whether a warrant is out from Dakota County shows in four places:
- The court file of the case, through the court administrator at (651) 793-2400, since a warrant is recorded in the case it was issued in.
- Minnesota Court Records Online, the Minnesota Judicial Branch's free statewide case search, for a case whose register of actions shows a warrant.
- The County Attorney, phone 651-438-4438, which can say whether charges were filed; a warrant on a complaint follows the filing.
- The custody page of the Dakota County Sheriff's Office at dakotacountymn.gov, which shows people already arrested and booked, not open warrants.
Not one of the Dakota County pages SearchSystems verified (the sheriff's, the court's and the prosecutor's) is a list of open warrants, so a check means asking the court or the prosecutor about a case by name.
Clearing a Warrant from Dakota County
A warrant is recalled by the court that issued it, so clearing one from Dakota County starts with the court administrator at (651) 793-2400: the case goes back on the calendar and the judge recalls the warrant when the person appears.
A lawyer can often arrange the appearance in advance. The County Attorney's page SearchSystems verified is at dakotacountymn.gov/government/county-attorney, phone 651-438-4438.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I check for a warrant online in Dakota County?
Not from the Dakota County pages SearchSystems verified; none of them is a warrant list. Minnesota Court Records Online is the Minnesota Judicial Branch's free statewide case search, and a case whose register of actions shows a warrant is the record of it. The court file is the record of a warrant: ask the court administrator at (651) 793-2400.
Who serves warrants in Dakota County?
The Dakota County Sheriff's Office, and the agency that reports for the city where the person is found; an Minnesota warrant is valid anywhere in the state.
Where is a person arrested on a warrant in Dakota County held?
At the county jail, run by the Dakota County Sheriff's Office, if kept in custody.
How is a warrant from Dakota County cleared?
By appearing before the court that issued it; the judge recalls the warrant in court. The case is put back on the calendar through the court administrator at (651) 793-2400.
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.