In the past, it was difficult to find Minnesota court records online. Court records are maintained by local, state and federal governments; therefore, it used to take a number of weeks before an individual was able to find the specific information he or she needed from Minnesota court records.

Today, it is easier than ever to locate court records for the state of Minnesota. All you have to do is go online to perform a preliminary search for free through thousands of cases to find the information you need in only a matter of minutes. In most cases, you can gain access to specific court documents for less than $30.

The official website of the Minnesota Judicial Branch provides information on accessing public court records in accordance with the Minnesota Rules of Public Access to Records of the Judicial Branch.

Accessing Appellate Court Records

The highest court in the state of Minnesota is the Supreme Court, which is often referred to as "the final guardian of the state constitution". Among the roles of the Minnesota Supreme Court is serving as the state's top appellate court.

To make the load a little lighter for the Supreme Court in November of 1983, the Minnesota Court of Appeals was created, providing a more deliberate and prompt review of appeals from state agencies, trial courts and local governments.

Online access is available to Minnesota court records for the Supreme Court as well as the Court of Appeals. The Minnesota Appellate Courts Case Management System makes it possible for the public to access case records and court opinions.

Accessing District Court Records

The district courts in Minnesota, which have general jurisdiction over all types of criminal and civil cases, is divided up into a number of different divisions in order to make the handling of cases easier. If you know the specific district court where the case in question took place, your search for Minnesota court records will be much easier.

The state of Minnesota consists of eighty-seven counties, which are served by ten different district courts. Each district court is divided into several departments, including family court, probate court, juvenile court, conciliation court, misdemeanor court and traffic court. Some counties in Minnesota also have specialty courts, such as drug court, mental health court, truancy court, community court and teen court.

An inquiry tool is available online through the Minnesota Judicial Branch, which makes it possible to perform an electronic search for court records all across the state. The Minnesota Trial Court Public Access Remote, or MPA Remote, allows the district courts in Minnesota to track and manage cases, while allowing public view of Minnesota court records.

Minnesota court records online inquiries are restricted by the provisions of the Minnesota Rules of Public Access to Records of the Judicial Branch, Rule 8 Subd. 2, which states, that the public shall not have remote access to data with regard to involved parties or their family members, witnesses (other than expert witnesses), jurors or victims of a criminal or delinquent act, including social security numbers, addresses, telephone numbers, financial records, etc.

Such information on Minnesota court records for traffic, criminal and misdemeanor cases is not available online, but may be obtained at the courthouse where the case was filed through public access terminals. In addition, court records are not available online for domestic abuse or harassment cases, in accordance with the federal Violence Against Women Act; however, these file too may be available at the courthouse where the case was filed.

All district courthouses in the state of Minnesota provide electronic access to statewide public court records. In addition, each courthouse also provides personal counter access to Minnesota court records that are stored locally in paper form.

• Minnesota State Court Districts

• Minnesota State Legislature