St. Louis County Court Records

St. Louis County court records are materials created in the course of criminal or civil litigation. They exist in various forms, including videotape/audiotape recordings, photographs, paperwork, and other relevant information materials. Common documents found in court records are transcripts, orders, indictments, petitions, motions, and verdicts. Court clerks are responsible for maintaining these records.

People search for Minnesota court records for various reasons, including genealogical and academic research, tracking the status of high-profile cases, and satisfying personal curiosity. Courts keep these records for documentation purposes, to aid judicial research and analysis, and for legal precedence.

Are Court Records Public in St. Louis County?

Yes. Per Section 13.06 of the Minnesota Government Data Practices Act (MGDPA), all records maintained by government agencies in the state are public. According to this act, court records constitute St. Louis County public records and are subject to inspection and reproduction by interested parties unless exempted by statute or temporary classification. Note that this act does not apply to judicial administrative records.

Furthermore, certain court records (information/documents) are non-public, as their disclosure could endanger a person, constitute an unwarranted invasion of a person’s privacy rights, or result in the violation of a court order. They include:

• Sealed documents.
• Records on a defendant who was proven innocent by the court.
• Dependency and juvenile delinquency records.
• Social Security numbers and other sensitive personal information.
• Dismissed warrants.

St. Louis County Court Records Search

Various resources exist for St. Louis County residents to utilize for court record searches, provided they have sufficient specifics of the case in question. They include:

• Locally stored case documents at the court clerk’s office
• Public access terminals at the courthouse
• Minnesota Court Records Online (MCRO) portal
• Third-party websites.

St. Louis County Court Records Search by Name

In most cases, requesting parties are required to know the first and last name of at least one case party when searching for court records. This applies to remote searches on dedicated websites as well as in-person searches at the court clerk’s office. On the MCRO website, users can find case records using an attorney’s name, business’s name, or person's name as search parameters.

Residents of St. Louis County who visit the courthouse are allowed to inspect records electronically through public access terminals. They may also inspect case records in paper form. Certain nominal fees apply for in-person searches at the courthouse.

St. Louis County Courts

St. Louis County has three separate courthouses, headed by chambered judges. It is the only county in Minnesota with this setting. The three courthouses are district courts and are located in Duluth, Hibbing, and Virginia.

St. Louis County District Court - Duluth
Duluth Courthouse
100 North 5th Avenue West
Duluth, MN 55802
Phone: (218) 221-7560

St. Louis County District Court - Hibbing
Hibbing Courthouse
1810 East 12th Avenue,
Hibbing, MN 55746- 1680
Phone: (218) 274-6007

St. Louis County District Court - Virginia
Virginia Courthouse
300 5th Avenue South
Virginia, MN 55792-2666
Phone: (218) 305-7021

St. Louis County Superior Court Case Search

St. Louis District Courts have legal jurisdiction in the county. These courts handle all kinds of criminal, civil, traffic, and juvenile case types. Appeals from district courts go to the Minnesota Supreme Court and Court of Appeals. See the next header for information on how to obtain records.

St. Louis County District Court Records

St. Louis County has three district courts located in three different cities — Duluth, Hibbing, and Virginia. The county’s district courts have general jurisdiction, meaning they can adjudicate all criminal, civil, juvenile, and traffic cases filed in the county. All records for cases filed in any of the district courthouses are available online via the Minnesota Court Records Online (MCRO) portal. This portal is searchable by business name, case number, person name, attorney name, attorney bar number, and citation number.

Documents not obtainable through the MCRO portal are those associated with delinquency, felony, harassment, domestic abuse, and public civil commitment. St. Louis County district courts also allow requesting parties to visit the courthouse to obtain non-confidential public records not available on the MCRO website.

St. Louis County Criminal Records

The Records Division of the St. Louis County Sheriff’s Office is responsible for maintaining all St. Louis County arrest records and criminal records. This office also has to make such records available to the public. However, certain criminal records are not public and are only visible to record subjects, their attorneys, and law enforcement officers. To obtain a St. Louis criminal record, one must complete a Data Request Form and submit it to any of the sheriff’s office locations.

Central Records Division
Duluth Courthouse
100 North 5th Avenue West, Room 103
Duluth, MN 55802
Phone: (218) 726-2340
Email: DSO.Records@StLouisCountyMN.gov

Hibbing Courthouse
1810 12th Avenue East
Hibbing, MN 55746.
Virginia Court House
300 South 5th Avenue
Virginia, MN 55792.

Criminal record searches are typically name-based. While criminal records are not generally public, interested parties may find relevant records remotely when they search any of the following online resources:

• St. Louis County jail roster
• Minnesota Criminal history
• Sex Offenders
• Sex Offenders.

St. Louis County Criminal Court Case Lookup

St. Louis County criminal court case records contain all important information related to criminal litigation in the county. They include verdicts, charges, transcripts, and arrest records. The county’s district courts handle all criminal cases and their clerks are responsible for processing, maintaining, and ensuring the public availability of all associated records.

Court clerks provide public computer terminals at their offices where interested individuals can search for cases. Requesting parties can also inspect physical copies of documents filed in criminal case litigations. For remote access, individuals can use the MCRO website. Visitors at the clerk’s office are advised to check the website of the involved courthouse for relevant visitation information and record request requirements/procedures.

In any case, a requestor must possess relevant case specifics to aid the search, such as case file number, defendant’s name, attorney name, citation number, or filing date range.

Note that criminal case information related to any of the following is typically non-public:

• Criminal cases where the defendant was found to be factually innocent.
• Sealed cases/expunged cases.

Get St. Louis County Civil Court Records

St. Louis County civil court records are documentation of all civil litigations adjudicated within the county’s judicial system. Civil cases fall under the jurisdiction of the county’s district courts and include domestic, probate, juvenile, marriage dissolution, and personal injury matters. Court clerks maintain related records and provide means by which interested parties can access them.

Requestors should visit the relevant court clerk, use public access terminals at the courthouse, or use the MCRO online tool to find records. To aid the identification and retrieval of the desired record, a requesting party must possess relevant case specifics of the record in question, such as the name of the plaintiff or defender, an attorney named in the case, or the case number.

St. Louis County Family Court Records

St. Louis County District Court clerks document all family court cases filed in their courthouses. Records are available both online and in person at clerks’ offices. Family law cases include domestic violence, legal separation, marriage annulment, child support, adoption, divorce, and spousal support. Non-confidential family case records are obtainable on the MCRO website for a fee. To inspect records in person, requesting parties may visit the concerned courthouse Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 pm. Records related to the following types of family matters are not public:

• Domestic violence
• Adoption
• Mental health
• Confidential agreements
• Child custody evaluations.

St. Louis Dissolution of Marriage Records

Marriage dissolutions in St. Louis fall within the jurisdiction of the county’s district courts, and the associated records maintained by their respective court clerks. They include all legal proceedings that result in the termination of marriage contracts, such as divorces and annulments.

Dissolution of marriage records are public and are subject to inspection by interested parties. To inspect these records, visit the clerk’s office at the court where the case in question was filed with details about the case, such as party first and last name, and case number. Requesting parties may have to show a means of identification or pay certain nominal fees to access records.

St. Louis County Marriage and Divorce Records

Per Minnesota Statutes Chapters 13 & 517, marriage records are public information. St. Louis County marriage records are available on the Minnesota Official Marriage System. Certified copies of marriage records are available at $9.00 per page, payable via credit cards. Interested parties should fill out a St. Louis County Marriage Certificate Request Form and submit it via mail to

St. Louis County Recorder
P.O. Box 157
Duluth, MN 55801-0157.

Divorces are handled by the county’s district courts. The clerk of a court that granted a particular divorce maintains a repository of the related records and makes certified copies available upon request at the courthouse. Plain copies are obtainable through the MCRO site. To find records, a requester must possess the names of any of the marriage parties. Other relevant details that can simplify the search process include case number and filing date range.

St. Louis Birth and Death Records

Birth and death records are classified as St. Louis County vital records. However, only select individuals may obtain certified copies of these records. St. Louis County birth certificates, for instance, are only available to individuals with tangible interests. Otherwise, they can only be obtained by the person named on the certificate or their parents. Other than individuals with tangible interests, St. Louis County death certificates are only obtainable by the parents, siblings, trustees of trusts, spouses, and successors of the certificate’s subject.

Third parties can only view original certificates upon presentation of an authorizing court order. Both types of records are obtainable from the County Recorder’s office. While original certificates are non-public, the attending officer at the recorder’s office may provide the requesting party with basic information about a person’s birth or death. For birth certificates filed between 1859-1900 in St. Louis County, the Duluth Public Library provides an online birth certificate index for this purpose. People check St. Louis County birth records for various purposes, including genealogical research.

St. Louis County Probate Court Records

St.Louis County district courts have jurisdiction over probate matters. All associated court records can be obtained from the court clerk’s office at any of the courthouse locations in the county or on the MCRO website.

St. Louis County District Court - Duluth
Duluth Courthouse
100 North 5th Avenue West
Duluth, MN 55802
Phone: (218) 221-7560

St. Louis County District Court - Hibbing
Hibbing Courthouse
1810 East 12th Avenue,
Hibbing, MN 55746- 1680
Phone: (218) 274-6007

St. Louis County District Court - Virginia
Virginia Courthouse
300 5th Avenue South
Virginia, MN 55792-2666
Phone: (218) 305-7021

St. Louis County Property Records

In St. Louis County, various agencies are responsible for recording, indexing, maintaining, and providing public access to records for real properties in the County. They include the Register and Registrar of Titles, the County Assessor, and the Auditor. Interested residents of St. Louis County may visit any of these offices to request information on any property located within their jurisdiction. Record documents obtainable during a property record search include deeds, plats, liens, judgments, and mortgages.

The aforementioned offices maintain websites for remote access to records. The Real Estate Recording website maintained by the County Recorder requires certain fees–ranging from $1 to $15–depending on the number of document pages and whether or not the requested pages are certified. All fees are payable through credit cards. The property search websites provided by the County Assessor and Auditor are accessible for free and are searchable using address and parcel ID.

St. Louis County Court Records Online

The MCRO website is the only court-operated website for county-wide access to court records. Cases filed at the Minnesota Court of Appeals and Supreme Court are available through the Minnesota Appellate Courts Case Management System (P-MACS). However, court records may also be found on third-party websites.

These websites are operated by private information service providers and are typically commercial. Despite their commercial nature, there are free options, such as minnesotacourtrecords.us. Third-party resources gather information from government-operated information repositories and cover several jurisdictions and courthouses. Popular search parameters used on these sites include party names and case numbers. Since these websites depend on original sources to stay updated and accurate, users are advised to verify obtained information against official sources.