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 between September 23, 2026 and October 2, 2026.
Pennington County, Minnesota, has about 14,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). Its court cases are filed in the Pennington 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: Pennington County public records, Pennington County arrest records, Pennington County warrants, Pennington County inmate search, Pennington County criminal records, Minnesota arrest records and Minnesota inmate search.
The Courts That Hear Cases from Pennington County
In Pennington County, the Pennington County District Court 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 Pennington County
The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at mncourts.gov/find-courts/pennington (page title: Pennington County District Court), a site that blocks automated checks (HTTP 403), so open it in a browser.
Statewide, Minnesota Court Records Online is the Minnesota Judicial Branch's free statewide case search.
The Minnesota court page SearchSystems verified is at publicaccess.courts.state.mn.us/CaseSearch.
What Reaches the Court from Pennington County
Together, the two agencies in Pennington County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 171 arrests to the FBI that year; the County Attorney decides which of those arrests become cases in the Pennington County District Court.
The County Attorney's page SearchSystems verified is at co.pennington.mn.us/index.php/services/attorney (page title: Attorney's Office), phone 218-683-7000, 141 Main Ave Thief River Falls, MN 56701, Mon - Fri 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m., 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 Pennington County guides take the kinds of file one at a time: Pennington County criminal records, Pennington County divorce records, Pennington County DUI and Pennington County property records.
Cities in Pennington County
Wherever in the county a case arises, it is filed in the Pennington County District Court.
SearchSystems has a guide to the offices of these cities in Pennington County, with the 2024 Census Bureau population; a city with its own court records guide opens there:
- Thief River Falls (8,779)
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I look up a court case in Pennington County?
Through Minnesota Court Records Online, the Minnesota Judicial Branch's free statewide case search.
Which court hears felonies in Pennington County?
The Pennington County District Court, which hears every civil, criminal, family, probate and juvenile case.
Who keeps the court records in Pennington 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 Pennington 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.