Hennepin County Court Records
Hennepin County Court records are official records and documents that are created and maintained by a county court. County court records are important as they provide members of the public with various benefits such as legal documentation, background checks, historical information about lawsuits, and public transparency. The Hennepin County District Court creates court records when individuals file a case with them and holds these court records for future use. The county has two main kinds of county court records, which are:
- Civil court records
- Criminal court records
Civil records are legal documents related to civil proceedings or disputes between individuals, businesses, organizations, or government agencies. These records include court documents such as lawsuits, judgments, court orders, and other legal documents related to civil matters like contracts, deeds, and land titles. Criminal records are legal records or documents containing information about an individual's past criminal history. This will include every legal proceeding related to the case, even the type of criminal case (such as infractions, misdemeanors, or felonies) within Hennepin County, Minnesota.
Are Court Records Public in Hennepin County?
Yes, these records are considered a part of Hennepin County Public Records. In Hennepin County, court records are governed by Minnesota State law and the Minnesota Government Data Practices Acts (MGDPA). This law controls the accessibility of the Hennepin County Court records, enabling members of the public to access the court records. Moreover, members of the public may also face some restrictions in trying to access certain records which may contain sensitive information. Some types of court records that are restricted to the public include:
- Juvenile records
- Confidential records
- Expunged records
- Sealed records
What Do Hennepin County Court Records Contain?
In Hennepin County, Minnesota, the County Court records contain the following information:
The full names of the case parties
- Case number
- Case type
- Filing date
- Case caption
- Case category
- Case citation
- Case status
- Completion date
- Judgment date
- Attorney's name
- Judge's name
- Future scheduled actions
- Oral arguments time and date
- Docket details
- Hearing information
- Disposition details
- Briefs
Where to Conduct a Hennepin County Court Case Lookup
Court records are created when a judicial proceeding takes place, and they contain details on the court case. Inquirers can conduct a court case lookup at the following:
- Minnesota Court Records Online
- Hennepin County District Court
- Hennepin County Records Services
How to Conduct a Hennepin County Court Case Search
A county court case record search can be done online or in person at the District Court. Online inquiry can be done via the Minnesota Judicial Branch's online website known as MPA Remote. This online portal allows users to make inquiries for court records within Hennepin County and from other counties in Minnesota State.
On the website, the requester may search for case records using the name of either party related to the case, hearing date, or case number. It’s imperative to state that it’s not every kind of case that is available via the MPA Remote, and certain cases will require the inquirer to visit the court directly to get the records.
During working hours, requesters may visit the Hennepin County District Court in person to request the records of court cases. It's important to state that inquirers must know certain details of the case in question such as the case number, party name, and filing date to enable the search to go faster. Also, requesters can only access these court records on the District Court premises.
Furthermore, the court may charge fees for access to the court records. These fees may vary and are based on the amount of time needed to complete the request and the kind of records requested. Currently, the Hennepin County District Court charges an $8 feed for each uncertified copy and $14 for a certified copy.
Requesters may need to contact the Court ahead of time to confirm the prices and payment methods. This is important because members of the public requesting access to court records in Hennepin can make payments through check, money order, or credit card, and if they’re paying online, via MasterCard or Visa.
Hennepin County Civil Court Case Records
Hennepin County civil court cases are legal documentations that provide extensive detail on legal disputes between individuals or legal entities. These county court civil case records are available at the Hennepin County District Court. Some types of civil court cases the District Court in Hennepin County handles are:
- Contract disputes: These are lawsuits where a person has suffered loss, harm, or injury due to the actions of another individual.
- Employment disputes: These lawsuits involve disagreements concerning employment contracts, wrongful termination, discrimination, and workplace harassment.
- Probate and Real Estate Cases: These cases involve disagreements associated with the distribution of assets and property of a deceased individual.
- Consumer protection: These cases involve disputes regarding consumer misrepresentation, fraud, or deceitful business practices.
- Personal injury: These lawsuits involve injury or harm done to a person or their property due to the intentional actions or negligence of another party (person or legal entity).
- Small claims cases: These cases involve suits between organizations or individuals for disputes that are $10,000 or below.
- Juvenile cases: These are lawsuits concerning children who are below the age of 18.
- Family law cases: These lawsuits involve family cases like divorce, child custody, child support, or adoption.
- Intellectual property cases: These are suits regarding issues related to trademarks, patents, trade secrets, and copyrights.
Requesters can obtain any of the above-mentioned cases in person or online at the Hennepin County District Court. The platform provides users easy access to civil records about most cases that occurred within the county.
Hennepin County Criminal Court Case Records
The Hennepin County Criminal Court case records are documents containing details about criminal cases of individuals that have been filed in Hennepin County-based courts. These records typically include the names of the parties in the cases (witnesses, defendants, and victims), the time/dates of the offenses, the charges filed, the outcomes of the legal proceedings, fines imposed, or sentences enforces. Inquirers may obtain records about the following kinds of criminal cases at the District court.:
- Infractions: These are much minor legal offense that is punishable by penalties like a fine, but doesn't require the chances of jail time.
- Misdemeanors: Misdemeanors are legal offenses or violations that are considered to be more serious than infractions but not as serious as felonies. Some of these crimes include disorderly conduct, petty theft, or even a simple assault.
- Felonies: These are the most serious kinds of legal offenses which can attract more severe punishments like imprisonment for more than a year, or even the death penalty.
In-person, Hennepin County criminal court case records are available at the County’s Government Center, which is at 300 South 6th St, Minneapolis, MN 55487.
Also, requesters may access the county court criminal records via the Minnesota Court Information System (MNCIS) online portal. Furthermore, it's worth highlighting that some county court records are restricted from the general public and to access them, users might need to pay an access fee. All requests for printed copies will come are varying prices.
How to Get Court Records Online for Free
Members of the public who are requesting access to some court records for free can do so by visiting the Minnesota Judicial Branch’s official website. To do this, the requester will need to select the “Access Case Records” option and tap on the “Hennepin” County option. After that, the individual must select the kind of court records they want to search for, such as criminal, civil, probate, or family records. When they’re done with that, the user will need to input the required information like the name of a party of the case or the case number then click on the search button. They should review the list of search results and select the records they want to view.
As stated earlier, not all county court records in Hennepin County are free. Some documents require a fee to access, whereas, some other documents, like juvenile cases, expunged cases, mental health, or adoption records may be restricted from public access for confidentiality reasons.
Considered open to citizens of the United States, court records are available through both traditional, government sources, and through third-party websites and organizations. In many cases, third-party websites make the search easier as they are not limited geographically or by technological limitations. They are considered a good place to start when looking for a specific record or multiple records. In order to gain access to these records, interested parties must typically provide:
- The name of the person listed in the record. Juveniles are typically exempt from this search method.
- The last known or assumed location of the person listed in the record. This includes cities, counties, and states.
While third-party sites offer such services, they are not government sponsored entities, and record availability may vary on these sites when compared to government sources.
Courts in Hennepin County
Below are the contact addresses, phone numbers, and websites of all the courts in Hennepin County:
Hennepin County District Court - Civil Filing Center:
Hennepin County Government Center,
A-1304, 300 South 6th Street,
Minneapolis, MN 55487
Phone: (612) 348-3164
Hennepin County District Court - Criminal Division:
Hennepin County Government Center,
C-11, 300 South 6th Street,
Minneapolis, MN 55487
Phone: (612) 348-2040
Hennepin County District Court - Family Court:
Hennepin County Family Justice Center,
110 South 4th Street,
Minneapolis, MN 55401
Phone: (612) 348-6000
Hennepin County Juvenile Court:
Hennepin County Juvenile Justice Center,
590 Park Avenue,
Minneapolis, MN 55415
Phone: (612) 348-8888
Hennepin County Housing Court:
Hennepin County Government Center,
300 South 6th Street,
Minneapolis, MN 55487
Phone: (612) 348-5186
