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Access Case Records
Public Access to Case Records
of the Minnesota Judicial Branch
This site provides information on how to access public court case records and calendars, as defined under the Minnesota Rules of Public Access to Records of the Judicial Branch.
- Minnesota Online District (Trial) Case Records and Calendars:
Current System Status: MPA is unavailable each Sunday from 11:00am to approximately 2:00pm for system maintenance.
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Minnesota District Courts offer an online inquiry tool for statewide electronic case records and calendars, called MPA Remote, which stands for Minnesota Trial Court Public Access Remote view. MPA Remote is a public-view version of the Minnesota Court Information System (MNCIS), the computerized case management system used by Minnesota District Courts to track and manage cases and calendars. MPA Remote contains replicated public case data from MNCIS. Upon inquiry, MPA Remote displays case information for public viewing, including register of actions, calendars, judgments, and orders and notices prepared by the court. Internet Explorer is required to use this service. Please read our Policies, Notices, & Instructions and Frequently Asked Questions, located at right.
Online case inquiries are restricted by the remote access provisions of the Minnesota Rules of Public Access to Records of the Judicial Branch (see Rule 8, subd. 2). For example, street addresses and name searches for pre-conviction criminal cases are not available online, but are available at courthouse public access terminals, as described below under the heading "At the Courthouse." Electronic copies of documents filed by parties in district court also are not accessible online. The federal Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) also prevents us from displaying harassment and domestic abuse case types online, but these are available at the courthouse. Comment fields for all case types are not available online but are available at the courthouse.
To access this service, please click here to read and acknowledge the terms and conditions below.
- Minnesota Online Appellate Court Opinions & Case Records: The Minnesota Supreme Court and Court of Appeals offer online access to court opinions and case records through the public view of the Minnesota Appellate Courts Case Management System (P–MACS).
- At the Courthouse: Each Minnesota District Courthouse offers electronic access to statewide public case records through public access terminals. Each district courthouse also offers in-person counter access to locally-stored, public case records in paper form.
Courthouse public access terminals provide the most complete access to electronic district court case records, because they are not restricted by the remote access provisions of the Minnesota Rules of Public Access to Records of the Judicial Branch (see Rule 8, subd. 2). For example, street addresses and name searches for pre-conviction criminal case records are available at courthouse public access terminals, but not through the online case inquiry, as described above.
Required Acknowledgement for MPA Remote:
Please read and acknowledge these terms before using MPA Remote to access district court records:
- UNOFFICIAL RECORDS. The information available on MPA Remote is provided as a service and is not considered an official court record. The Minnesota Judicial Branch does not certify MPA Remote records or search results and is not responsible for any errors or omissions in the data found on MPA Remote. Certified civil judgment search results may be obtained from court administration.
- LIMITED CASE RECORD INFORMATION. Case records and calendars are displayed for all Minnesota District (Trial) Courts. The information available on MPA Remote is limited to district court case records and calendars that are publicly and remotely accessible under the Minnesota Rules of Public Access to Records of the Judicial Branch. Under these rules, not all publicly-accessible case records are remotely accessible. This means that certain publicly-accessible case records cannot be viewed online via the internet. For example, party address and name searches on criminal pre-conviction case records are publicly accessible and available at the courthouse, but not online. You WILL NOT be notified when such public data is restricted from online viewing. Electronic copies of public documents filed by parties also cannot be viewed online at this time. Please read Rule 8, subd. 2, for more information. The federal Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) also prevents us from displaying harassment and domestic abuse case types online, but these are available at the courthouse. Comment fields for all case types are not available online but are available at the courthouse.
- MPA SHOULD NOT BE USED FOR BACKGROUND CHECKS. Background checks should be conducted through the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension’s (BCA) Computerized Criminal History (CCH) system, which you can access online at https://cch.state.mn.us/, at their office located at 1430 Maryland Avenue East in St. Paul, or by calling 651-793-2400 for information. The BCA’s CCH system links prior criminal history through fingerprints to verify the identification of the individual. MPA Remote cannot provide this level of verification.
- CAUTION: NAME SEARCHES CAN BE UNRELIABLE. Use caution in evaluating MPA data, as the person for whom you have searched could have the same name, birth date, or other identifiers as another individual. Even if you believe your search has returned the correct match and the information appears to be about the person for whom you have searched, remember that:
- two or more people can have the same name and birth date; and
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- criminal offenders frequently use aliases, including the names of others.
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- YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE for understanding the meaning of the case record information that you view through MPA Remote and for the appropriate and lawful use of such information. If you have any questions regarding the meaning of case information on MPA Remote, please ask the local court administrator. You are also responsible for determining whether any case record information previously obtained from MPA Remote is still accurate, current, and complete.
- If you see any ERRORS on MPA Remote, please notify the court clerk of the corresponding district court.
- PLEASE READ OUR POLICIES, NOTICES, & INSTRUCTIONS for more information before using MPA Remote. This document is available through the link at the top of this page and at the top of each screen of the MPA Remote inquiry tool.
Please acknowledge that you have read and accept the above terms and limitations, and that you agree to use the MPA Remote website subject to such terms.
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