Steele County Court Records

According to the Minnesota State Law Library, Steele court records are documents generated in the course of a judicial proceeding within the county's judicial district. Steele County court records include court orders and decisions, pleadings, and papers submitted by the parties to the case, such as briefs, petitions, and case statements.

Are Court Records Public in Steele County?

Yes, court records in Steele County are public as per the Rules of Public Access to Records of the Judicial Branch. According to the rule, all Minnesota court and court administrator records are assumed to be available for public access or copying at all times. Custodians of these records may make them available to interested and eligible members of the public. However, state regulations or court orders may restrict some court data from public access. Some of the court records that are exempt from public disclosure include:

• Court records identifying a victim who is a minor
• Photos With Nudity or Sexual Content
• Juvenile Protection Case Records
• Administrative warrants
• Any wills that were deposited for protection while the testator was alive.
• Juvenile appeal records
• Records of race profiles of a jury
• Domestic abuse and sexual harassment records

Persons with Steele County criminal court and arrest records can also have them expunged per state laws to restrict public access.

Steele County Court Records Search

Interested persons can perform Steele County court records search at the following places and using these tools:

• At the Steele County Court administrator's office
• Using the Minnesota online court records search tool
• By using Third-party websites

Steele County Courts

The county court system consists of only one court, the Steele County District Court. This district court has the original jurisdiction over every civil, family, probate, juvenile, criminal, and traffic case filed in Steele County. The district court can be found at the following location:

Steele County Courthouse
111 East Main Street
Owatonna, MN 55060
Phone: (507) 686-7012
Fax: (507) 451-1265

Steele County Criminal and Civil Records

Interested individuals can find Steele County criminal and civil records at the district county courthouse and the office of the district county court administrator. The district court administrator's office receives and responds to requests for civil and criminal records in person, through mail, and by telephone.

The administrator's office can provide Steele County criminal records from law enforcement agencies that have been used as evidence in a case, including arrest records, incident reports, and accident reports. Some examples of civil court records available at the office include land and tenancy dispute records, divorce records, and monetary judgments.

To make a request in person, individuals need to visit the county court, complete the court records request form, and submit it. Staff at the office will provide applicants with the correct request form for the type of record they need. Additionally, applicants can call the court administrator's office to check on the availability of the records that they need before coming to pick them up at the office.

Online search options for Steel County criminal records include:

• Minnesota District (Trial) Court Case Search portal: This portal can be used to search for any public Steele County court records. A search can be done using a case number and the person's name on the court document.
• Steele court case calendar: This calendar can be used to search for Steele County court case details and documents associated with each case.

The fees associated with requesting court records are outlined in the Steele court fees schedule.

Steele County Marriage Records

Certified copies of Steele's marriage records can be obtained at the county recorder's office. This office facilitates the recording of marriage certificates and acquiring marriage licenses by offering marriage services. This includes Steele marriage certificates and marriage licenses for marriages anywhere within the county. The county recorder is also able to search for marriage records from other counties through the Minnesota Official Marriage System (MOMS). Marriage records are public records that anyone can access. The county recorder allows requests for records in person and through telephone. To make a request, persons must visit the recorder's office and provide the name of any married persons on the record.

Steele County Divorce Records

Steele County divorce records provide information on every divorce proceeding filed at the county district courts. These records can be obtained from the county court administrator's office. Steele County divorce records available to interested persons include divorce decrees, divorce verification documents, and a list of divorce filing indexes. Divorce records are requested from the court administrator's office by completing a records request form. The request form should include:

• The date of the divorce filing
• The names on the divorce decree
• The date the divorce decree was issued

Steele County Birth Records

Birth records in Steele County are vital documents available at the Steele County Recorders Office. The agency offers certified copies of birth certificates of people born in Steele County, Minnesota. To receive a certified birth certificate, the applicant must have a legitimate interest with a valid identity, or the birth must be their own.

Applications can be submitted by mail, email, or walk-in. If the application is being mailed or emailed, it must be signed before a notary public. Customers who come in person can wait to sign the application until they arrive at the county recorder's office. Certified copies of Steele County birth records cost $26, and additional copies cost $19.

Steele County Death Records

Steele County death records are categorized as vital records and can also be obtained at the county recorder's office. The Steele County Recorders Office maintains all death certificates issued in the county, which helps with demographic and public health data. Any request for a Minnesota death certificate that happened in any Minnesota county during or after 1997 can be processed by Steele County. The county recorder's office is the sole place to access death records issued in Steele County before 1997. A death certificate costs $13, and more copies that are bought at the same time cost $6.

Steele County Probate Court Records

Steele County Probate Court records are maintained at the probate unit of the Steele District Court. The probate court is a department within the district court that deals with matters such as:

• Gathering, cataloging, and evaluating the deceased's possessions.
• Safeguarding the assets of the estate.
• Settlement of the deceased person's debts.
• Distributing the residual assets to the rightful owners under the law.

Most probate court records are confidential and only available to those listed in the probate documents. Individuals can request probate court records by visiting the court administrator. Requestors must provide a valid ID to request court records at the probate court.

Steele County Property Records

Steele County property records are maintained by a combination of the Steele County Assessor Office, the county property tax department, and the register of titles. Each department creates and maintains specific types of Steele County property records, which can be found at the Steele County recorders' office. The recorder's office keeps track of and indexes documents about real estate in the county, including property tax records, plats, maps, mortgages, liens, and deeds.

Persons interested in finding Steele County property records can visit the recorder's office in person or via mail.

Steele County Court Records Online

Third-party websites like Minnesotacourtrecords.us provide another way to search for Steele County court records online. Third-party websites are privately owned databases that can access different types of county court and public records. However, while these sites are a convenient alternative to containing court records from official custodians in person or via mail, most aggregate sites operate independently of government resources. Thus, their records are more likely to be inaccurate or outdated when compared to official repositories.