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Minnesota public records: who holds what

In Minnesota, deeds are recorded by the County Recorder in most places; birth and death certificates come from the State Registrar, MDH Office of Vital Records; and requests for other government records fall under the Minnesota Government Data Practices Act. Below: who holds every other record, what copies cost and the official link for each office.

Last checked against official sources on .

On this page
  1. Who holds what in Minnesota
  2. Public records law in Minnesota
  3. How Minnesota organizes its records
  4. Other records: background checks, voters, businesses, maps
  5. Counties in Minnesota
  6. Warnings from official sources
  7. Official copies vs look-alike sites
  8. Official directories
  9. Sources

Who holds what in Minnesota

The office that keeps each record, and the fee the law or the office sets for a copy. Open a record type for the full rules, ordering steps and older records.

RecordWho holds itCopy fee
DeedsCounty Recorder, and Registrar of Titles for registered land, by county1$102
Property recordsCounty Assessor, appointed by the county board, values property3—
Court recordsState district courts with a court administrator for each county, appointed by the district's judges4Certified copy $14; uncertified copy or viewing free5
Marriage recordsCounty office that issued the license6—
Divorce recordsDistrict court in the county that granted the divorce6Generally $147
Birth certificatesMDH Office of Vital Records and county vital records offices8$26 certified6
Death certificatesMDH Office of Vital Records and county vital records offices8$13 certified6
Probate and willsDistrict court (court administrator in the county)9Certified $14; uncertified free7

Public records law in Minnesota

Minnesota Government Data Practices Act (Minn. Stat. ch. 13) Read the law10

This law covers records that agencies hold, such as a county office's correspondence or a property file. Recorded deeds, vital records and court files usually have their own rules, set out in each record section.

Who can ask
Any person; no ID or stated reason may be required unless a statute authorizes it11
Response time
No fixed day count for public requests: 'appropriate and prompt manner'12
Copy fees
Inspection is free. Copies or electronic transmittal: the entity may charge actual costs of searching for and retrieving the data (including employee time) and of making, certifying and transmitting copies, but not for separating public from not public data; for 100 or fewer black-and-white letter or legal pages, no more than 25 cents a page12
If a request is refused
District court action to compel compliance, with costs and reasonable attorney's fees possible13
What is exempt
'Not public' covers data classified as confidential, private, nonpublic or protected nonpublic14
Official guide
Guidance comes from the Data Practices Office at the Department of Administration; advisory opinions are non-binding15
More on the Minnesota Government Data Practices Act
Presumption
Government data are presumed public unless a statute, federal law or temporary classification says otherwise10
Response time data subject
A data subject's request: immediately if possible, otherwise within 10 days, excluding weekends and legal holidays16
Inspection free
No charge to inspect12
Denials
A denial must cite the specific legal basis, and be certified in writing on request12
Appeal administrative
Or a complaint to the Office of Administrative Hearings, within two years, with a $1,000 filing fee or bond17
Appeal opinion
A person who disagrees with a determination may ask the Commissioner of Administration for a written opinion18
Courts
Courts are outside chapter 13; Supreme Court rules govern their records19

How to write a public records request

How Minnesota organizes its records

  • Assumed names are statewide. DBA filings go to the Secretary of State, so there is no county DBA search20
  • Registered land. Land registered under ch. 508 has a registrar of titles alongside the county recorder21
  • Vital records at any county. Birth and death certificates can be issued by any county from one statewide system22
  • Marriage licenses from the local registrar. Any county's local registrar can issue; the copy comes from the issuing county23
  • Tax Court sits in the executive branch. Not part of the Judicial Branch24

Other records: background checks, voters, businesses, maps

Criminal history checks

State repository
Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA), Department of Public Safety25
Public search
Minnesota Public Criminal History Search chs.state.mn.us26
What is public
Convictions, for 15 years after the sentence is completed25
Law
BCA conviction data public for 15 years after discharge; other criminal history data private27
Not included
Arrests, juvenile data, other states, federal data and older convictions are excluded27
More about criminal history checks
Fingerprint check fee
$10.00 per card28
Fee
$8.00 for yourself, Minnesota only28
Fee general
$15.0028
Fee FBI
$32 ($15+$17) as of June 8, 202628
Who may order
Own full record: BCA data request, or the notarized personal request or consent form. Public conviction data: free Public Criminal History website, and free in-person inspection at the BCA central office (Minn. Stat. 13.87)26
Notary
The consent or personal request form must be notarized26
Clean slate
Clean Slate seals many records automatically; others still need a petition25
Applicant notice
Anyone using the public website to check an applicant for employment, housing or credit must tell the applicant27

Sex offender registry

Official registry
Level 3 and public notification: coms.doc.state.mn.us/…29
Operator
Department of Corrections publishes public-notification registrants30
Registry not public
The BCA's registry is not public, with two exceptions31
Non compliant site
Non-compliant registrants over 16, more than 30 days out of compliance: por.state.mn.us/OffenderSearch.html31
Risk levels
Level 1, 2 or 3; Level 3 is the highest risk29

Inmate and jail lookups

State prisons
MNDOC Locator coms.doc.state.mn.us/PublicViewer32
Delay
New sentences may take several business days to appear32
Fugitives
Active DOC fugitives list33

Voter records

Public or restricted
Restricted: registered Minnesota voters only, for elections, political activity or law enforcement34
What it contains
Name, address, year of birth, voting history; phone if the voter gave one35
Excluded
No date of birth, Social Security, license, ID or passport numbers35
Fee
$46 statewide; $30 any area within the state34
Payment
Check, money order or exact cash; no credit cards34
More about voter records
How
Written form to the Secretary of State, filled within 5 business days36
Inspection
County auditors and the Secretary of State must offer free inspection35
Inspection condition
ID and a written statement of permitted use are required first35
Safety withhold
A voter can have their name withheld for safety35

Business names (DBA)

Assumed names (DBA)
Assumed names are filed with the Secretary of State, not the county20
Search
Business Filings Online (MBLS) mblsportal.sos.mn.gov/Business/Search37
Assumed name fee
$30.00 by mail; $50.00 in person or online38
Renewal
Annual renewal required, no fee39
Copy fee
$3.00 by mail or in person; $13.00 online38
More about business names (dba)
Certification
Additional $5.00 per certification38
Good standing
$5.00 by mail or in person; $15.00 online38

Liens and UCC filings

UCC filings
Secretary of State central filing system, in most cases40
UCC county
Fixture filings, as-extracted collateral and timber go to the mortgage recording office40
Search
UCC / Tax Liens Online mblsportal.sos.mn.gov/Secured/SearchUCC41
Name lookup
Debtor name look-ups need an account and subscription, and are not certified42
Search fee
$20 per name43
More about liens and ucc filings
Certified search
The Standard Search is the certified search44
Copy fee
$3 per file number, plus $5 per certification43
Filing fee
$2045
Federal liens
Real property: county recorder. Personal property: Secretary of State for corporations and partnerships; otherwise county recorder46
State tax liens
County recorder or Secretary of State47
Tax lien search
Name look-up results are not usable in court48
Mechanics lien
Lien ends 120 days after the last work unless recorded49
Judgments
Docketed money judgments can be searched by debtor in MCRO50

GIS and parcel maps

State GIS portal
Minnesota Geospatial Commons gis.data.mn.gov51
Parcel data
Quarterly compilation from 59 opt-in counties, not all 8752
Parcels limit
County websites stay the authority52
Boundaries
Not for boundary decisions52

Historical and genealogy records

Archives
Minnesota Historical Society holds the State Archives53
Holdings
State and local government records including vital records54
Search
Minnesota People Records Search mnhs.org/search/people55
Births
Indexed 1900-1934, plus about 2,700 pre-1900 records53
Deaths
Certificates 1908 to 2001, death cards 1904 to 190756
More about historical and genealogy records
No certified
MNHS gives no certified copies54
Researchers right
Statute gives historians and genealogists full access to public data12

Counties in Minnesota

8 counties with a full guide

Each guide lists the office for every record type, the official online searches, copy fees, phones and hours.

All 87 counties

Names in bold open our guide. Names with an arrow go to the county's own website, where the US Census Bureau lists one and it opened when we checked.57

Warnings from official sources

  • Real Estate Deed Solicitation Scams. Mailers ask upwards of $90 for a deed copy; the county charges far less (Minnesota Attorney General)1
  • Business Compliance Solicitation Scams. Official-looking mailers imply a business must pay to comply (Minnesota Attorney General)58
  • Mail Solicitations. The office never sends renewal notices by mail (Minnesota Secretary of State)59
  • Deed Fraud Resource. County recorder warns on forged deeds, especially vacant land (St. Louis County)60
  • Property Alert. Example of a free county alert when a document is recorded on a property (Anoka County)61

Official copies vs look-alike sites

A certified copy comes only from the office that holds the record; reports and "research copies" sold by commercial sites are not issued by any Minnesota office. How to tell an official record source from a paid look-alike.

Official directories

Lists that name the office in every county.

Sources

Every fact above links to the official page it comes from; all 62 sources were checked on November 4, 2026. Fees and rules change, so check the office's own page before you pay or travel.

  1. Real Estate Deed Solicitation ScamsMinnesota Attorney General
  2. Minn. Stat. 357.18 County recorderMinnesota Revisor of Statutes
  3. Minn. Stat. 273.061 County assessorMinnesota Revisor of Statutes
  4. Minn. Stat. 485.01 Court administratorMinnesota Revisor of Statutes
  5. Minn. Stat. 357.021 Court administrator feesMinnesota Revisor of Statutes
  6. Available Records and ServicesMinnesota Department of Health
  7. Copy RequestsMinnesota Judicial Branch
  8. About the Office of Vital RecordsMinnesota Department of Health
  9. Minn. Stat. 524.1-302 Subject matter jurisdictionMinnesota Revisor of Statutes
  10. Minn. Stat. 13.01 Government dataMinnesota Revisor of Statutes
  11. Minn. Stat. 13.05 Duties of responsible authorityMinnesota Revisor of Statutes
  12. Minn. Stat. 13.03 Access to government dataMinnesota Revisor of Statutes
  13. Minn. Stat. 13.08 Civil remediesMinnesota Revisor of Statutes
  14. Minn. Stat. 13.02 DefinitionsMinnesota Revisor of Statutes
  15. Opinion LibraryData Practices Office, Minnesota Department of Administration
  16. Minn. Stat. 13.04 Rights of subjects of dataMinnesota Revisor of Statutes
  17. Minn. Stat. 13.085 Administrative remedyMinnesota Revisor of Statutes
  18. Minn. Stat. 13.072 Opinions by the commissionerMinnesota Revisor of Statutes
  19. Minn. Stat. 13.90 Judiciary exemptMinnesota Revisor of Statutes
  20. Minn. Stat. 333.01 Commercial assumed namesMinnesota Revisor of Statutes
  21. Minn. Stat. 508.31 Registrar's bondMinnesota Revisor of Statutes
  22. Directory of County OfficesMinnesota Department of Health
  23. Minn. Stat. 517.07 Marriage licenseMinnesota Revisor of Statutes
  24. Minnesota Tax Court
  25. Minnesota Public Criminal History SearchMinnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension
  26. Background checks: PublicMinnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension
  27. Minn. Stat. 13.87 Criminal history dataMinnesota Revisor of Statutes
  28. Background check feesMinnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension
  29. Community NotificationMinnesota Department of Corrections
  30. Public Registrant SearchMinnesota Department of Corrections
  31. Predatory Offender RegistryMinnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension
  32. MNDOC LocatorMinnesota Department of Corrections
  33. Search for Individuals and FugitivesMinnesota Department of Corrections
  34. Registered Voter List RequestsMinnesota Secretary of State
  35. Minn. Stat. 201.091 Registration listsMinnesota Revisor of Statutes
  36. Registered Voter List Request formMinnesota Secretary of State
  37. Business Filings Online (MBLS)Minnesota Secretary of State
  38. Business Filing & Certification Fee ScheduleMinnesota Secretary of State
  39. Minn. Stat. 333.055 Term of certificateMinnesota Revisor of Statutes
  40. Minn. Stat. 336.9-501 Filing officeMinnesota Revisor of Statutes
  41. How to Search UCC Lien FilingsMinnesota Secretary of State
  42. UCC / Tax Liens Online (MBLS)Minnesota Secretary of State
  43. Uniform Commercial Code (UCC) Fee ScheduleMinnesota Secretary of State
  44. UCC Standard & Limited Search RequestsMinnesota Secretary of State
  45. Minn. Stat. 336.9-525 FeesMinnesota Revisor of Statutes
  46. Minn. Stat. 272.481 Place of filingMinnesota Revisor of Statutes
  47. Minn. Stat. 270C.63 Liens for state taxesMinnesota Revisor of Statutes
  48. How to Search Tax Lien FilingsMinnesota Secretary of State
  49. Minn. Stat. 514.08 Mechanic's lien statementMinnesota Revisor of Statutes
  50. Minnesota Court Records Online (MCRO)Minnesota Judicial Branch
  51. Minnesota Geospatial CommonsState of Minnesota (MnGeo)
  52. Parcels, Compiled from Opt-In Open Data Counties, MinnesotaState of Minnesota (MnGeo)
  53. Vital Records: Birth RecordsMinnesota Historical Society Library
  54. Vital Records: OverviewMinnesota Historical Society Library
  55. Minnesota People Records SearchMinnesota Historical Society
  56. Vital Records: Death RecordsMinnesota Historical Society Library
  57. Government Units List 2026US Census Bureau
  58. Business Compliance Solicitation ScamsMinnesota Attorney General
  59. Mail SolicitationsMinnesota Secretary of State
  60. Deed Fraud ResourceSt. Louis County, Minnesota
  61. Property AlertAnoka County, Minnesota
  62. District (Trial) CourtsMinnesota Judicial Branch