Minnesota Public Records

To get a copy of a will in Beltrami County, MN, contact the Beltrami County Probate Court (housed in District Court) at 619 Beltrami Avenue NW, Bemidji, MN 56601 (218-333-4120). Once a will is admitted to probate it becomes a public court record under M.S. §524.2-503. The MN Courts Public Access at https://publicaccess.courts.state.mn.us/ shows probate case filings. Certified copies of probated wills typically cost $14 plus $8/page at the Court Administrator. Minnesota Government Data Practices Act (M.S. §13) governs disclosure. Older wills may be at the Minnesota Historical Society at https://www.mnhs.org/. Sources: MN Public Access (https://publicaccess.courts.state.mn.us/), Beltrami County (https://www.beltramicounty.us/).

For an official criminal history report in Rochester, MN (Olmsted County), the Rochester Police Department Records Section at 101 4th Street SE, Rochester, MN 55904 (507-328-6800) issues local clearance letters. For statewide criminal history, the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension Public Criminal History at https://cch.state.mn.us/ provides free name-based searches. Fingerprint-based BCA checks cost $15 (private) or $33 (FBI included). Court records are at https://publicaccess.courts.state.mn.us/. Minnesota Government Data Practices Act (M.S. §13) governs disclosure. Sources: MN BCA (https://dps.mn.gov/divisions/bca/), Rochester PD (https://www.rochestermn.gov/police).

To view an accident report by number in Mankato, MN (Blue Earth County), contact the Mankato Department of Public Safety at 710 S. Front Street, Mankato, MN 56001 (507-387-8780), with online ordering at https://www.mankatomn.gov/. Standard fee is $5 per crash report. For state-trooper-issued reports, use the MN Department of Public Safety Driver and Vehicle Services Crash Records at https://dps.mn.gov/divisions/dvs/. Drivers involved, their insurers, and attorneys can obtain reports under MN Government Data Practices Act (M.S. §13). Sources: City of Mankato (https://www.mankatomn.gov/), MN DPS (https://dps.mn.gov/).

To get a criminal background check in Saint Cloud, MN (Stearns County), the St. Cloud Police Department Records Section at 101 11th Avenue North, St. Cloud, MN 56303 (320-345-4444) issues local clearance letters. For statewide criminal history, the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension Public Criminal History at https://cch.state.mn.us/ provides free name-based searches of public conviction data. Fingerprint-based BCA checks cost $15 (private) or $33 (FBI included). Court records are at https://publicaccess.courts.state.mn.us/. Minnesota Government Data Practices Act (M.S. §13) governs disclosure. Employment use must comply with the FCRA and Minnesota's ban-the-box law (M.S. §364.021). Sources: MN BCA (https://dps.mn.gov/divisions/bca/), MN Courts (https://publicaccess.courts.state.mn.us/).

To look up an arrest in Wright County, MN, the Wright County Sheriff's Office at 3800 Braddock Avenue NE, Buffalo, MN 55313 (763-682-7600) maintains a current inmate roster at https://www.co.wright.mn.us/sheriff. The Minnesota BCA Public Criminal History at https://cch.state.mn.us/ provides free name-based search of public conviction data. Court charges tied to arrests appear in the MN Courts Public Access at https://publicaccess.courts.state.mn.us/. Minnesota Government Data Practices Act (M.S. §13) governs disclosure. The Wright County Attorney's Office handles felony prosecutions. Sources: Wright County (https://www.co.wright.mn.us/), MN BCA (https://cch.state.mn.us/).

To look up a court case in Winona County, MN, use the Minnesota Courts Public Access at https://publicaccess.courts.state.mn.us/. Free name and case-number search returns Winona County District Court records (felony, misdemeanor, civil, family, probate, traffic, small claims). The Winona County Court Administrator is at 171 W. 3rd Street, Winona, MN 55987 (507-457-6385). Certified copies typically cost $14 plus $8/page. Minnesota Government Data Practices Act (M.S. §13) governs disclosure. Sealed/expunged records are excluded. Sources: MN Courts (https://publicaccess.courts.state.mn.us/), Winona County (https://www.co.winona.mn.us/).