How to Search Minnesota Court Records (Start Here)

Minnesota court records are filed with the Court Administrator. The District Court (unified, 10 judicial districts) handles trial-level cases. Minnesota offers a statewide court search through Minnesota Court Records Online (MCRO), which covers most case types across all counties courts.

What this page covers: Minnesota state court case records — criminal, civil, family, and probate filings. What it does not cover: Federal court cases (those are on PACER) or sealed/juvenile records.

Where to start: Use Minnesota Court Records Online (MCRO) for online case search. If you need documents beyond docket information, contact the Court Administrator in the specific county where the case was filed.

Common mistake: Minnesota Court Records Online (MCRO) covers state courts only. Federal cases filed in Minnesota (bankruptcy, federal criminal, federal civil) require PACER — a separate federal system.

Trial court of general jurisdiction
There is also a federal trial court for Minnesota, which
Highest court
Minnesota Supreme Court
Statewide civil case search
Access Case Records
Statewide criminal docket search
Minnesota Court Records Online (MCRO)
Federal courts
Minnesota District Court | PACER: Federal Court Records
Number of counties
87 counties
Population
5,793,151
Households
2,306,000
Median Income
$84,313
Median Home Value
$286,800
SearchSystems Editorial
Edited by — Editor & Owner, SearchSystems.net. Public records professional since 1999. NAPBS founding member. Full bio & credentials.
Last reviewed: June 04, 2026 · Methodology: all Minnesota court URLs verified against the official .gov / state-judiciary publisher on the review date. 5 primary .gov / .uscourts.gov sources cited below.

Minnesota Court Records — Key Numbers (2024)

Minnesota publishes District Court Major Criminal Cases Filed data by category and year (drug, felony domestic assault, felony DWI, etc.).
Minnesota Judicial Branc
Court system
Statewide
2024
Latest fiscal year
Official .gov data
.gov
Primary source
Never data brokers
Free
Public access
Most case records
June 04, 2026
Last reviewed
By SearchSystems editorial
How to access court records — typical costs
Search online
$0
View docket entry
$0
Download document
$1
Certified copy
$5
Expungement filing
$50
Unit: USD typical fee. Fees and access policies vary by court; see Primary Sources below.

What Changed in 2026 — Minnesota Court Records

2026
Minnesota 2024 caseload report active
The Minnesota Judicial Branch publishes its current 2024 case filings, dispositions, and trends on the official statistics portal.
2026
Minnesota statewide case-access portal live
Minnesota Judicial Branch's public case-access portal continues to operate at publicaccess.courts.state.mn.us with statewide coverage.
2026
Latest Minnesota judiciary annual report
The most recent annual report from the Minnesota Judicial Branch is publicly available with full statistical addenda.
2026
Minnesota courts main directory
Minnesota's primary judicial-branch directory at mncourts.gov continues to be the canonical entry point for all state court matters.

The 4-Step Minnesota Court Records Pathway

1
Step 1 — Identify the court level
In Minnesota, civil and criminal trial cases sit in Minnesota Judicial Branch trial courts. Appellate matters go to the state's appellate courts.
2
Step 2 — Use the state case-access portal
Start at https://publicaccess.courts.state.mn.us/CaseSearch — the official public case-access for Minnesota.
3
Step 3 — Federal cases are separate
Federal cases involving Minnesota parties live on PACER (pacer.uscourts.gov), not the state system.
4
Step 4 — Sealed / expunged records
Records sealed or expunged under Minnesota law are NOT searchable on public portals. To verify, contact the originating court clerk directly.

Five Things People Get Wrong About Minnesota Court Records

❌ Myth: "Minnesota court records are on PACER."
✓ Truth: False. PACER only has federal cases. Minnesota state court records live on mncourts.gov.
❌ Myth: "All Minnesota case files are free."
✓ Truth: Partly true. Searching and viewing dockets is usually free. Downloading full documents or certified copies often costs $1-$5 per item.
❌ Myth: "Sealed = deleted in Minnesota."
✓ Truth: False. Sealed records still exist — they're just hidden from public search. The court clerk and law enforcement can still access them.
❌ Myth: "Third-party search sites are official."
✓ Truth: False. Only mncourts.gov and the linked official portals are authoritative for Minnesota.
❌ Myth: "Same-day filings show online immediately."
✓ Truth: False. Most Minnesota courts have a 24-48 hour processing lag before new filings appear in public search.

Primary Sources (All .gov / Official)

Related Court Records Resources

Related Public Records
National view of this topic: All states: Court records
Sample Minnesota counties: Aitkin · Anoka · Becker · Beltrami · Benton

Court Records Databases

6 official Minnesota court records sources.

Court Records Criminal Records Wants & Warrants Vital Records Voter Records Licenses Recorded Documents Property Records

Court Records

Minnesota State Court System - Opinions and Orders / Minnesota State Law Library
Official Free
Slip opinions are released every Wednesday at 10:00 a.m. They are published in the Appellate Courts Edition of Minnesota Lawyer, on the Court's Website, and on Lexis and Westlaw. Later, they appear in the advance sheets of the North Western Reporter. Finally, they are published in the permanent ...
🌐 mn.gov
Minnesota Tax Court / Minnesota Tax Court
Official Free
The Minnesota Tax Court is a specialized, executive branch court specifically established by the Minnesota Legislature to hear only tax related cases. The Court's mission is to provide timely and equitable disposition of appeals of orders issued by the Commissioner of Revenue and local property ...
🌐 mn.gov
Minnesota Workers' Compensation Court of Appeals
Official Free
The Workers' Compensation Decisions (W.C.D.) on-line archive currently includes decisions issued by the court from 1999 through 2015. These decisions include both published and unpublished cases, but, as a general rule, do not include administrative orders. The case archive also includes Minnesota ...
🌐 mn.gov
Access Case Records
Official Free
Each Minnesota district courthouse offers electronic access to statewide public case records through public access terminals . Each district courthouse also offers in-person counter access to locally-stored, public case records in paper form.
🌐 mncourts.gov
MNB Professional Fees Applied For and Awarded
Official Paid
US Bankruptcy Court District of Minnesota · Professional Fees Awarded · Report Period: 02/01/2022 - 02/28/2022 · 09-32710 · Scott M. Bieniek · Recipient · Award Date · Fees Awarded · Expenses Awarded · Manty, Nauni Jo
🌐 ecf.mnb.uscourts.gov
PACER: Login
Official Paid
This site is maintained by the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts on behalf of the Federal Judiciary. PACER Service Center (800) 676-6856 pacer@psc.uscourts.gov
🌐 ecf.mnd.uscourts.gov

Minnesota Counties

87 Minnesota counties are indexed on SearchSystems.net — top 28 counties shown below. Browse the full directory or click any county for local court, sheriff, recorder and assessor links.

Hennepin Ramsey Dakota Anoka Washington St. Louis Stearns Olmsted Scott Aitkin Becker Beltrami Benton Big Stone

Frequently Asked Questions

Minnesota's trial courts publish case lookups through the Minnesota Judicial Branch. Start at mncourts.gov — most case dockets, filings, and hearing calendars are searchable by name, case number, or filing date. County-level clerks publish additional searches; see the cards below for direct county court links.

The Minnesota Judicial Branch operates Minnesota's official statewide judicial portal at mncourts.gov. Basic case lookups are typically free of charge; certified copies and bulk-data exports may incur a per-document or per-search fee. Federal cases for Minnesota residents are searched separately through PACER.

Trial courts in Minnesota handle the original filing of civil, criminal, family, probate, and traffic matters. Appellate courts review questions of law from trial-court decisions. The Minnesota Judicial Branch publishes the full court structure, judge rosters, and jurisdiction maps at mncourts.gov.

Online coverage varies by court and case type. Most Minnesota county courts have digitized records from approximately the late 1990s or early 2000s forward; older case files may require an in-person clerk visit or a written record request. Check the Minnesota Judicial Branch portal at mncourts.gov for each court's coverage window.

No. Minnesota courts redact or remove sealed, expunged, juvenile, and certain confidential records from public-facing searches as required by state statute and court rule. If a record was previously visible and has since been sealed, it will no longer appear in the Minnesota Judicial Branch portal. For verification you can contact the county clerk where the case was filed.