How to Search Hennepin County Court Records
Hennepin County District Court cases are searched through Minnesota Court Records Online, known as MCRO. It is the public-view system for state district court files and works from any browser. MCRO has four search tabs: Case Search, Document Search, Hearing Search, and Judgment Search. Case Search finds cases by person name, business name, attorney name, full case number, citation number, or attorney bar number. Document Search pulls public documents tied to a case number. Hearing Search shows scheduled hearings. Judgment Search returns docketed money judgments by debtor name.
Before starting a Hennepin County Court records search, gather what you know: full party name, birth date if any, case number, citation number, or filing date range. Hennepin case numbers use county prefix 27 plus a case-type letter, year, and sequence, such as 27CR2520607. The MCRO terms screen requires you to accept the use rules before any search runs. Pending criminal, traffic, and petty misdemeanor cases with no conviction will not appear by name. Search those by case number when you have one.
- Open the MCRO Case Search page and accept the terms. Pick a tab: Name, Case Number, Citation Number, or Attorney.
- For a person name, enter last and first name. Use a trailing wildcard after two letters if the spelling is unclear. Do not combine Sounds Like with a wildcard.
- Open Additional Search Options and select Hennepin in the county list. Add date filed, date of birth, case category, or case status when the name is common.
- Click Search. Open a result row to review Case Details and the Register of Actions, including case title, parties, charges or claims, hearings, and disposition.
- For documents, use the MCRO Document Search tab by case number, or open documents from the case detail page.
- For an upcoming court date, switch to MCRO Hearing Search. A hearing date or range is required for name searches there.
- For money judgments, use MCRO Judgment Search by debtor person or business name, and filter to Hennepin County.
- For a certified copy, place a request with the Hennepin District Court Records Center. MCRO records are not certified.
The Minnesota Judicial Branch links to MCRO from its MCRO overview page, which lists the same four tabs and the rule that remote results are not the official record. The Hennepin Records Center page explains the local copy methods that pair with MCRO lookups.
The image below shows the MCRO Document Search tab pulled straight from the Minnesota Judicial Branch. A direct view of the tool can be seen at MCRO Document Search.
The Document Search tab is the fastest path when you already have a Hennepin case number and need filed orders, complaints, judgments, or notices. It will not return material in case types blocked from remote view, such as protection orders or civil commitment.
The Hennepin County Judicial System
Hennepin County District Court is the trial court of general jurisdiction for the county. It is the entire Fourth Judicial District. One county equals one district, which is unusual in Minnesota. The official Fourth District overview reports 63 judges, 12 referees, 582 staff, and five court buildings. The court processes about 40% of all Minnesota case filings, which makes it the state's largest trial court.
Leadership includes Chief Judge Kerry W. Meyer and Assistant Chief Judge Mark J. Kappelhoff. The Judicial District Administrator is Sara Gonsalves. Presiding judges for each division include Christian M. Sande for Civil Court, Hilary L. Caligiuri for Criminal Court, Amber M. Brennan for Treatment Courts, Theresa Couri for Family Court, Todd M. Fellman for Juvenile Court, and William H. Koch for Probate / Mental Health Court. Appeals from Hennepin District Court go to the Minnesota Court of Appeals in most cases, with discretionary review by the Minnesota Supreme Court.
Case flow: Minnesota District Court › Minnesota Court of Appeals › Minnesota Supreme Court
| Court | Jurisdiction | Case Types |
|---|---|---|
| Hennepin County District Court | Trial court of general jurisdiction, Fourth Judicial District | Criminal, civil, family, probate, juvenile, housing, traffic, conciliation, mental health |
| Minnesota Court of Appeals | Intermediate appellate court | Most appeals from district courts, many agency and local decisions |
| Minnesota Supreme Court | Court of last resort | Discretionary review, direct review for certain matters |
Minnesota does not use county courts at law, justice of the peace courts, or separate municipal courts for Hennepin County. City-issued traffic tickets and ordinance citations route into the District Court system through the Hennepin Criminal and Traffic Division and the Violations / Hearing Office. The build of the court here is unified at the state level, even though local divisions handle specific case types.
Hennepin County Courthouses
Courtrooms and administration offices sit in five buildings. Three are in downtown Minneapolis, and two are suburban regional centers. The Going to Court page lists the buildings, floors, security routing, and visitor tips. The Hennepin County Government Center is the main building, and it houses Civil Court, Criminal Court Division 1, Housing Court, Probate / Mental Health Court, and the District Court Records Center.
Hennepin County Government Center
300 South 6th Street
Minneapolis, MN 55487
612-348-6000
Suburban hearings run at Brookdale Regional Center, 6125 Shingle Creek Parkway, Brooklyn Center, and Ridgedale Regional Center, 12601 Ridgedale Drive, Minnetonka. The court notes free parking lots at both. Juvenile Court hearings run at the Juvenile Justice Center, 590 Park Avenue South, Minneapolis. The jail roster maps suburban court appearances to RIDGEDALE and BROOKDALE labels, while downtown appearances show as DOWNTOWN.
Court display monitors at each building show party names, courtrooms, and judges for the day. The daily Court Calendar is also published online from the Going to Court page. Visitors who arrive at the Government Center can use the A-Tower checkpoint when the C-Tower checkpoint is busy, and then cross by bridge floors to the C-Tower courtrooms.
Types of Court Records Available in Hennepin County
Hennepin County Court records span every case type that the District Court handles. Each division produces its own filings, hearing notices, orders, and dispositions. Most public records are searchable in MCRO, but a few categories are blocked from remote view. The Rule 8 of the Rules of Public Access sets those remote limits.
- Criminal and traffic records: complaints, citations, warrants, bail orders, pleas, convictions, sentences, and probation conditions are searched in MCRO and at Hennepin Criminal Court.
- Civil records: lawsuits, contract disputes, tort claims, judgments, and name changes are filed in Civil Court at the Government Center.
- Family and divorce records: divorce, custody, paternity, child support, and protection orders are handled at the Family Justice Center.
- Probate, trust, guardianship, and conservatorship records: estates, wills, and protective proceedings are heard at the Probate / Mental Health Court.
- Traffic court records: citations, hearing notices, fines, and DWI cases route through the Hennepin Criminal and Traffic Division.
- Conciliation / small claims: lower-dollar money disputes are filed in the Conciliation Court on the 3rd floor of the Government Center.
- Housing records: eviction, rent escrow, and landlord-tenant disputes are heard in Housing Court at the Government Center.
Marriage licenses and certified marriage certificates are not court records. They are held by Hennepin County Service Centers and Vital Records. Divorce decrees, on the other hand, are family court records, and certified copies come from the District Court Records Center. Deeds, mortgages, liens, and other property documents are held by Hennepin Recorder and Registrar functions, separate from court files.
What Hennepin County Court Records Show
A Hennepin County Court record bundles header information, party data, the Register of Actions, hearings, and case-type-specific fields. The chart below walks through the most common fields that appear on a public case page. Items may shift by case type, and some fields are redacted on remote view.
| Field | What It Shows |
|---|---|
| Case Number | Hennepin prefix 27, case-type letters such as CR, CV, FA, PR, or JV, year, and sequence (e.g., 27CR2520607). |
| Case Title | State of Minnesota vs. defendant, plaintiff vs. defendant, or petitioner and respondent. |
| Filing Date and Status | Date filed, plus active, inactive, open, closed, disposed, judgment entered, stayed, or sealed. |
| Parties | Plaintiff, defendant, petitioner, respondent, debtor, creditor, ward, decedent, personal representative, guardian, or conservator. |
| Charges or Cause | For criminal: charge description, statute, severity. For civil: claim amount and cause of action. |
| Disposition | Outcome of a charge or case, such as plea, conviction, dismissal, judgment, or transfer. |
| Sentence or Judgment | Punishment, probation, fines, restitution, or money judgment amount with interest. |
| Documents | Public filings such as complaints, motions, orders, judgments, notices, and decrees. |
Public documents filed on or after July 1, 2015 are widely available in major and minor criminal and civil case types, plus formal probate, other probate, guardianship, conservatorship, and trust matters. Family case remote documents are limited to court-prepared orders, appellate opinions, and notices. Court-generated judgments, orders, and notices from July 1, 2005 to June 30, 2015 may also be available in eligible case types.
Public Access Laws for Hennepin County Court Records
Minnesota uses two overlapping systems. County and sheriff administrative records sit under the Minnesota Government Data Practices Act. Court records sit under the Rules of Public Access to Records of the Judicial Branch and judiciary statutes. The Hennepin Records Center and MCRO are the right route for court files. The county data practices portal is the route for non-court county records.
Key Minnesota Statutes and Rules:
Minnesota Statutes Chapter 13 sets out the Government Data Practices Act, which presumes that government data are public unless a statute, federal law, or temporary classification says otherwise.
Minn. Stat. § 13.03 is the core inspection and copy provision. Agencies must keep records arranged for convenient use and provide access to public data at reasonable times.
Minn. Stat. § 13.82 covers comprehensive law enforcement data. It classifies arrest, request-for-service, response, and investigative data.
Minn. Stat. § 13.87 covers criminal history data and sets rules for BCA Public Criminal History Search.
Minn. Stat. § 13.90 covers judiciary data and confirms court records follow judicial branch rules, not the county portal.
Rules of Public Access to Records of the Judicial Branch are the master rule set on court records. Rule 8 governs remote access.
The big practical lesson is that what shows on MCRO is narrower than what shows at a courthouse public terminal. If a record does not appear online, it may be sealed, restricted, or simply not part of the remote-access set. Going in person to a terminal at the Government Center can fill gaps that the remote portal will not.
Records That Are Restricted or Confidential
Several Hennepin County court record categories are blocked from MCRO. Domestic abuse Orders for Protection and Harassment Restraining Order case types are not posted online because federal Violence Against Women Act rules restrict internet display. Civil commitment documents are not available on the remote portal. Child protection and Juvenile Delinquency Felony 16 cases are not part of MCRO and may be available only at courthouse terminals when the law allows.
Juvenile delinquency records are restricted under Minn. Stat. § 260B.171. Most juvenile cases are not viewable by the public. Adoption records are restricted under Minn. Stat. § 259.61. Expunged criminal records are sealed by court order or by automatic expungement under Minnesota Statutes Chapter 609A. Party street addresses and comment fields are not displayed on most remote case types, except that criminal sentencing condition comments may show.
To open a sealed record, a person normally needs party status, attorney status, statutory authority, or a judge's order. To seal an existing record, an eligible person can file an expungement petition with the Hennepin Criminal Court. Recent Minnesota laws created automatic expungement for certain cannabis records and Clean Slate categories, processed by the courts and BCA.
Specialty Courts in Hennepin County
Hennepin runs four named treatment courts in Criminal Court Division 1 at the Government Center. The Treatment Courts page describes how each panel reduces delays and pulls together prosecutors, defense counsel, probation, social workers, and treatment providers.
DWI Court is a voluntary, minimum 18-month post-conviction program for repeat impaired-driving offenders. It began in 2007 and uses intensive supervision, frequent testing, long-term chemical dependency treatment, judicial reviews, and community support. Judge Amber Brennan presides Thursdays at 2:00 p.m. and Fridays at 9:00 a.m. in Courtroom C-857. Veterans Court began in July 2010. It serves veterans charged with criminal offenses who have addiction, serious mental illness, or co-occurring disorders. Judge Amber Brennan presides Mondays at 9:30 a.m. and 10:15 a.m. in Courtroom C-857. Coordinator Grace Spearman runs the program with VA health care, Veterans Benefits Administration, County Veterans' Services, and volunteer mentors.
Criminal Mental Health Court is a voluntary 12-18 month program for defendants with serious mental illness or co-occurring disorders. It removes barriers and pulls in rapid access to treatment. The Model Drug Court tracks sobriety through treatment, frequent drug tests, court appearances, and a mix of sanctions and incentives. The Fourth District publishes Spring 2025 treatment court fact sheets and surveys with participant outcomes.
Hennepin County Sheriff and Jail
Sheriff Dawanna S. Witt was elected on November 8, 2022 and sworn in on January 3, 2023. The Hennepin County Sheriff jail roster lists people currently in custody and those released in the last seven days. The roster is updated hourly and pulls from the same database that the Sheriff's Office uses for booking. Records are kept for today and the prior 90 days. The roster runs under the public jail-register rule at Minn. Stat. § 641.05.
Two jail locations sit across the street from each other in downtown Minneapolis. The main location is inside the Public Safety Facility at 401 South 4th Avenue. The second is in City Hall at 350 South 5th Street. Both are just north of Government Plaza light rail station and are served by the METRO Blue Line and Green Line. Cash bail or bond can be posted 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at the Public Safety Facility in-custody records window. The jail cannot give change, has no cash machine, and does not accept checks, debit cards, or credit cards for cash bail.
The Hennepin County inmate records page has full roster details, sample profile fields, and the API field inventory. The warrant records page covers the Hennepin warrant helpline and steps for active warrants. The released inmates page has VINELink registration and the state and federal locators. The inmate population page tracks the live jail data dashboard from the Sheriff.
Marriage, Divorce, and Probate Records
Marriage licenses are issued by Hennepin County Service Centers, not by the court. Certified marriage certificates and divorce decrees follow different routes. Marriage certificates come from the County Service Centers. Divorce decrees come from the District Court Records Center. The marriage and divorce records page covers fees, forms, and steps. The probate records page covers estate, will, guardianship, and conservatorship filings at the Probate / Mental Health Court.
- Testator
- The person who made the will.
- Executor or Personal Representative
- The person named in a will or appointed by the court to manage an estate.
- Intestate
- Dying without a valid will.
- Guardianship
- A court appointment to make personal decisions for an incapacitated person.
- Conservatorship
- A court appointment to manage another person's finances.
A will cannot be presented for probate until the decedent has been dead for five days. Small estate collection by affidavit is allowed under Minn. Stat. § 524.3-1201 when statutory requirements fit the estate. Divorce filers must show 180 days of Minnesota residency and a Hennepin venue link to file in Hennepin Family Court.
Hennepin County Court Records Fees
Most court record fees are set by Minnesota Judicial Branch schedules. Hennepin uses the statewide fee list with a few local items. The Records Center Copy Request Form lists per-copy fees, plus add-ons for certified judgment searches and transcripts of judgment. Marriage license fees are set at the county.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| View public court file at courthouse | No charge to inspect |
| Plain copy of court document | No fee per Hennepin Copy Request Form |
| Certified copy | $14 each |
| Transcript of judgment | $40 |
| Judgment search, certified per name | $5 |
| Marriage record certified copy | $9 |
| Marriage license, regular | $125 |
| Marriage license, reduced with premarital education | $50 |
Pay by check or money order with mailed requests, or drop a payment in the Skyway Level drop box near the Records Center. Fees are nonrefundable once a certified copy or marriage license is issued. Probate filing fees are set by the Judicial Branch fee page and can shift each year.
How to Interpret Hennepin County Court Records
A jail roster booking is not a conviction. A criminal charge is not a finding of guilt. A money judgment can be active even after partial payments. Read the Register of Actions, the disposition events, and the orders before drawing a conclusion. Charges can be amended, dismissed, or pled down. Courts log each change with a docket entry.
Common docket abbreviations include CR for criminal, CV for civil, FA for family, PR for probate, JV for juvenile, HG for housing, and CO for conciliation. The 27 prefix tags Hennepin. Status labels such as Active or Inactive in MCRO can shift between case types. An Inactive criminal case may be disposed. An Inactive civil case may have a judgment entered. An Inactive probate matter may have closed administration. Read the events themselves rather than the status alone.
Hennepin County Money Judgments and Liens
Civil judgments are docketed in the Hennepin District Court and become searchable through MCRO Judgment Search. The portal pulls docketed money judgment details by debtor name and lets users filter by Hennepin and by Active or Inactive judgment status. Certified judgment searches and certified judgment copies come from court administration; the MCRO version is not certified for use in collection or enforcement.
The shot below shows the Judgment Search tab. The live tool is at MCRO Judgment Search.
A docketed judgment can become a lien on real estate that the debtor owns in the county. Satisfactions of judgment are also entered in the docket once a debt is paid. Bring the case number, debtor name, and judgment date when asking the Records Center for a certified copy.
Accuracy and Record Limitations
MCRO data lag courthouse data by a short period because the public-view system pulls from the court's internal system. The Minnesota Judicial Branch states clearly that MCRO is a service and is not the official court case record. A downloaded PDF or screenshot is not certified. A user who needs a certified copy must request one from court administration. Errors should be reported through the Court Contact Center at 612-348-6000.
Note: Always confirm dates, dispositions, and bail amounts with the originating Hennepin court office before acting on MCRO output for housing, employment, or legal decisions.
History of Hennepin County Courts
Hennepin County was organized in the 1850s, and Minneapolis grew into the county seat. Today the Government Center anchors a downtown court complex with five buildings used by the Fourth Judicial District. The court has a small Court History Museum on the skyway level of the Government Center, with banners and artifacts about Hennepin County legal events. Sheriff Witt launched the public jail data dashboard as part of a current transparency initiative, and the Hennepin County Attorney's Office created a Conviction Integrity Unit in July 2024 to review past prosecutions.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I search Hennepin County court records online?
Use MCRO Case Search. Pick the Name, Case Number, Citation Number, or Attorney tab. Expand Additional Search Options and select Hennepin to narrow results. MCRO results are not certified; use the Records Center for official copies.
What does a certified court copy cost in Hennepin County?
The Records Center charges $14 for each certified copy. Plain copies are listed as no fee on the local Hennepin copy request form. Other items, such as a transcript of judgment at $40 or a certified judgment search at $5 per name, have their own line on the fee schedule.
Why can't I find a pending criminal case by name?
MCRO terms state that pending criminal, traffic, and petty misdemeanor cases with no conviction will not return by defendant name. Search by case number, citation number, or by attorney. Court administration can confirm a case number if you are a party.
More on the Hennepin County Court Records FAQ page.