Minnesota's Unified Court Administration
Minnesota operates a state-funded, unified Judicial Branch. The Minnesota District Court is the statewide trial court of general jurisdiction, and Hennepin County is the entire Fourth Judicial District. Hennepin does not have a separate elected district clerk or county clerk for court records. Court administration and the Records Center handle the clerk role. The administrative head is the Judicial District Administrator. The Hennepin County Court Administrator is Sara Gonsalves.
The unified system means that procedures, forms, and case-management technology are consistent across the state. MCRO is the statewide online portal. The Hennepin Records Center is the local in-person counter for the Fourth District. Other Minnesota counties have their own records counters but follow the same overall rules.
Hennepin District Court Records Center
The Hennepin District Court Records Center is in Room A250 on the Skyway Level of the Administration Tower in the Hennepin County Government Center. The Records Center is behind security screening. Visitors should use the A-Tower checkpoint when the C-Tower checkpoint is busy. The Court Contact Center at 612-348-6000 takes general calls during business hours, with Spanish service noted on the contact page.
The Records Center provides public access to court records online through MCRO, in person at public terminals and the counter, and by mail or drop box. The Skyway Level drop box near the Records Center accepts written requests and the Copy Request Form.
Hennepin District Court Records Center
Hennepin County Government Center
300 South 6th Street, Room A250
Minneapolis, MN 55487
612-348-6000
Mon-Fri 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Court Records Request Methods
The Records Center supports four common request methods. The online route uses MCRO for non-certified views. The in-person route uses public terminals and the counter. The mail route uses a written request or the Copy Request Form. Juvenile records follow a separate process through Juvenile Court at the Juvenile Justice Center.
- Online: MCRO at publicaccess.courts.state.mn.us for free remote access to many public records and documents.
- In person: Records Center counter and public access terminals at the Government Center, Room A250.
- Mail or drop box: written requests and the Hennepin Copy Request Form to the Records Center or in the Skyway Level drop box.
- Juvenile: contact Juvenile Court at the Juvenile Justice Center; juvenile records are separate and restricted.
The image below is the Minnesota Judicial Branch copy request forms page. It lists statewide copy request forms used to request court documents from any Minnesota district court, including Hennepin.
The Hennepin Copy Request Form lets a requester ask for a plain copy or a certified copy of a court document. The form is the same statewide template adapted for local use.
Hennepin Court Administrator Fees
The Records Center collects copy fees and certified copy fees according to the Minnesota Judicial Branch schedule. Plain copies are listed as no fee on the Hennepin Copy Request Form. Certified copies are $14 each. Other items, such as a transcript of judgment or a certified judgment search, have their own line on the fee schedule.
| Item | Amount | Source |
|---|---|---|
| View public court file at courthouse | No charge | Records Center |
| Plain copy of court document | No fee per Hennepin Copy Request Form | Records Center Copy Request Form |
| Certified copy | $14 each | Records Center |
| Transcript of judgment | $40 | District Court fee listing |
| Judgment search, certified per name | $5 | District Court fee listing |
Payment is by check or money order with mailed requests, or by drop box payment. Walk-in counter payment options match the Government Center's standard rules at the time of the visit. Fees can shift each year as the statewide fee schedule is updated.
Hennepin Copy Request Form Fields
The Hennepin District Court Copy Request Form is a one-page form that mirrors the statewide template. Filling it out fully cuts processing time. The table below covers the visible fields on the form.
| Field | Type | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Requester contact information | Text | Yes for processing | Name, address, phone or email. |
| Case number / court file number | Text | Yes if known | Hennepin case numbers often start with 27 and include case-type letter, year, and sequence. |
| Case party names | Text | Yes if no case number | Used to locate the file. |
| Document(s) requested | Text / checklist | Yes | Specify complaint, order, judgment, decree, register of actions, etc. |
| Certified copy requested | Checkbox | Optional | $14 each. |
| Plain copy requested | Checkbox | Optional | No fee per form. |
| Delivery option | Checkbox / text | Yes | Mail, pick up, fax or email if available. |
| Payment | Check / money order / drop box | Required for fees | Checks attached to written requests or form may be mailed or dropped at Skyway Level box. |
How to Request a Certified Hennepin Court Copy
A certified copy carries the Records Center stamp and signature. Outside agencies, including employers, immigration officials, courts in other states, and probate registrars in other counties, often need a certified copy rather than a downloaded MCRO PDF.
- Locate the case using MCRO Case Search.
- Write down the case number, party names, document type, and date of filing.
- Fill out the Hennepin Copy Request Form. Check the Certified Copy box.
- Calculate the fee: $14 per certified copy. Use a check or money order made payable to Court Administration.
- Deliver by mail, drop box, or in-person counter visit.
- Pick up at the counter or wait for mailing per the option chosen.
- Inspect the copy when received; contact the Records Center if any field is missing or unclear.
Note: MCRO terms expressly state that the Minnesota Judicial Branch does not certify MCRO records or search results. Certified copies must come from court administration.
MCRO and Courthouse Public Terminals
MCRO is the remote portal. It does not show every public record. Some records are only accessible at courthouse terminals. The Records Center has public terminals that let users read court files that are not posted on MCRO, where rules allow. Public terminals are useful for:
- Pending criminal, traffic, and petty misdemeanor cases that do not return by name on MCRO.
- Family case documents that are not posted remotely.
- Some Order for Protection or Harassment Restraining Order case information.
- Civil commitment case information not posted remotely.
- Older filings that pre-date the remote-document availability window.
Public terminals do not produce certified copies; they support reading and inspection. To leave with a certified copy, request one at the counter.
Juvenile and Restricted Records
Juvenile records follow a different process. The Copy Request Form cautions that juvenile records are separate and restricted. Most juvenile delinquency records are not viewable by the public. CHIPS and Juvenile Delinquency Felony 16 cases are not in MCRO. Access generally requires party status, attorney status, statutory authority, or a court order. Contact Juvenile Court at the Juvenile Justice Center for copies and procedural questions.
Other restricted categories include adoption records, sealed records, and Order for Protection / Harassment Restraining Order remote views. The Records Center can confirm the route for restricted records and the rules that apply.
County Service Centers Are Separate
The Court Administrator and Records Center handle court records. They do not handle marriage records, property records, or general county data. Marriage licenses come from Hennepin County Service Centers. Property records come from the Hennepin Recorder and Registrar. County data follows the Minnesota Government Data Practices Act, with requests routed through the county data practices portal.
A common mistake is to ask the Court Administrator for a marriage certificate or a deed. The Records Center can confirm which custodian holds the record and point the requester to the right office. Crossing systems wastes time, so it pays to ask before traveling downtown.
Court Contact Center and Help Resources
The Court Contact Center at 612-348-6000 is staffed during business hours, Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The contact page lists Self Help Centers as an email division, the Jury Office at 612-540-7436, and Fourth Judicial District HR separately at 612-348-2298. Spanish service is available; the court page reads "Se habla espanol."
For procedural questions that the Contact Center cannot answer, the Minnesota Judicial Branch Self-Help Center at mncourts.gov/selfhelp provides plain-language guides on family, expungement, eviction, conciliation, name change, fee waiver, and other matters. The Hennepin County Law Library at the Government Center holds form books, treatises, and procedural rules for pro se research. The Court Administrator's office is not a source of legal advice; for that, contact a lawyer.