Duluth Court Records
Duluth court records are filed and kept at the St. Louis County District Court on 5th Avenue West in downtown Duluth. Duluth is the largest city in the 6th Judicial District, which covers St. Louis, Carlton, Cook, and Lake counties in northeastern Minnesota. You can search Duluth court cases online for free through the Minnesota Court Records Online system. For copies of case documents, the 6th District runs a centralized Copy Center at the Lake County Courthouse in Two Harbors. The St. Louis County public records portal also offers access to county-level data, including law enforcement records maintained by the Sheriff's Office.
Duluth Overview
St. Louis County District Court in Duluth
The St. Louis County District Court in Duluth is the main trial court for the city. It handles civil, criminal, family, probate, juvenile, and traffic cases for Duluth and surrounding areas in St. Louis County. The courthouse is at 100 N. Fifth Avenue W., Duluth, MN 55802. Court Administrator Jenny Miller oversees the operations at this location. The 6th Judicial District also has courthouses in Hibbing and Virginia for other parts of St. Louis County.
The phone number for the Duluth courthouse is (218) 221-7560. Free public parking is available in a surface lot near the building and on nearby streets. The MN Courts website at mncourts.gov/find-courts/duluth.aspx lists current contact information, hours, and services. The courthouse has a public access computer where you can look up case records at no charge. Weekly court calendars are posted as searchable PDFs on the court's website so you can check hearing schedules before coming in.
| Court | St. Louis County District Court - Duluth |
|---|---|
| Address | 100 N. Fifth Avenue W. Duluth, MN 55802 |
| Phone | (218) 221-7560 |
| Hours | Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM |
| Court Administrator | Jenny Miller |
| Website | mncourts.gov/find-courts/duluth.aspx |
The MN Courts page for Duluth lists courthouse contact details, the court administrator, and links to services for accessing Duluth court records.
Note: The 6th District covers a large geographic area in northern Minnesota, and St. Louis County alone has three courthouses. Make sure you contact the Duluth location specifically when asking about cases filed in the city.
How to Search Duluth Court Records
Minnesota Court Records Online (MCRO) at publicaccess.courts.state.mn.us is the free statewide case search tool. It covers all St. Louis County District Court cases, including those from the Duluth courthouse. Search by person name, case number, citation number, or attorney. Results show party names, filing dates, case type, docket entries, and current status. Public documents from cases filed after July 1, 2015 can be downloaded in PDF format at no cost.
Older records have limited online availability. Cases from July 2005 to June 2015 show judgments and court-generated orders. Records from before 2005 typically require an in-person visit or a written request. For restricted case types such as civil commitment, domestic abuse, and juvenile delinquency, you must contact the courthouse directly. The public access terminal at the Duluth courthouse gives you access to the full MNPAC system, which shows more detail than MCRO online.
Searching for Duluth cases is the same process as searching any Minnesota court case through MCRO. The 6th District covers multiple counties, so when you search by name, results may include cases from St. Louis, Carlton, Cook, or Lake counties. Narrow your search using the case type or date filters if you get too many results.
Court fines and fees can be paid online at webpay.courts.state.mn.us. A $2.34 convenience fee applies to online and phone payments. The Court Payment Center phone number is (651) 281-3219 for metro cases, or 1-800-657-3611 outside the metro. Mail payments go to Minnesota Court Payment Center, P.O. Box 898, Willmar, MN 56201.
Requesting Copies of Duluth Court Records
The 6th Judicial District uses a centralized Copy Center to process all copy requests for Carlton, Cook, Lake, and St. Louis counties. This center is located at the Lake County Courthouse, 601 3rd Ave, Two Harbors, MN 55616. The phone number is (218) 595-5001, Option 3. You can also email requests for civil court records to 6thCentralCopy@courts.state.mn.us. More information on the request process is at mncourts.gov/Find-Courts/Sixth-Judicial-District/Copy-Requests.
You can send requests by mail, email, or phone. When submitting a request, include the case number or the full names of the parties and the approximate filing year. This helps staff locate the file faster. Certified copies of court records cost $14 per document statewide. Contact the Copy Center to confirm current fees and turnaround times before sending your request.
For in-person access, visit the Duluth courthouse at 100 N. Fifth Avenue W. The public access computer there connects to MNPAC, which allows you to view case records on-site. Staff can also help you submit a copy request directly at the courthouse if you prefer not to deal with the Copy Center separately.
Note: Routing copy requests through the centralized 6th District Copy Center rather than the courthouse itself tends to be the most efficient method for getting documents by mail or email.
Duluth Law Enforcement Records
The St. Louis County Sheriff's Office maintains law enforcement records for the county, including Duluth. The Sheriff has offices in Duluth, Hibbing, and Virginia. For public records requests related to law enforcement, the starting point is the St. Louis County public records page at stlouiscountymn.gov/departments-a-z/public-records. That page explains what records are available and how to request them.
St. Louis County public records cover sheriff's office data, county administrative records, and other government data subject to the Minnesota Government Data Practices Act. Law enforcement data falls under Minnesota Statute 13.82, which defines what law enforcement information is public. This includes arrest data, call-for-service summaries, and incident data. Some data is classified as private and is not available to the general public.
The St. Louis County public records page is the main portal for requesting law enforcement records, county data, and other government records tied to Duluth and the surrounding area.
The St. Louis County Sheriff's Office page is at stlouiscountymn.gov/departments-a-z/sheriff. The sheriff serves all of St. Louis County, which is the largest county by area in Minnesota. For Duluth-specific police records, the Duluth Police Department may be the better starting point depending on what you are looking for. Duluth PD is a separate agency from the Sheriff and handles incidents within city limits.
Criminal History in Duluth
The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) at chs.state.mn.us is the best source for a full statewide criminal history check. The free public Criminal History Search (CHS) portal shows convictions from all 87 Minnesota counties, including St. Louis County cases from the Duluth courthouse. The BCA is in St. Paul at 1430 Maryland Ave East.
The BCA system covers more than any single county can provide because it aggregates data from all courts in the state. For Duluth-specific arrest history, you may want to submit a public data request through the St. Louis County Sheriff or the Duluth Police Department directly. Those local records show contacts within their specific jurisdiction and may include data not captured in the statewide system, such as incidents that did not lead to charges.
The Minnesota Judicial Branch self-help center can help with general questions about criminal records access. Call (651) 435-6535, Monday through Friday, 8:30 AM to 4:00 PM. This line covers all districts, including the 6th Judicial District in Duluth.
Note: Under Minnesota Statute 13.87, certain criminal history data is classified as public, but arrest records without a conviction may be restricted depending on how the case was resolved.
Duluth Parking Citations
Parking violations in Duluth are managed through a dedicated city citation portal. If you received a parking ticket in Duluth, you can pay it or look it up at duluthparking.com/pay-citation. The portal accepts credit and debit cards. Search by citation number or license plate. Late fees may apply to delinquent tickets, and the appeal process is also handled through the city's parking management system. Parking violations are separate from court cases filed in St. Louis County District Court, though unpaid tickets can eventually result in court action.
For traffic violations that were issued through law enforcement and filed in court, those appear in MCRO under your name or citation number. Traffic cases go through the St. Louis County District Court system and are separate from parking tickets handled by the city.
Nearby Cities
Duluth is the largest city in the 6th Judicial District. Other cities in the region, including Hibbing, Virginia, and Cloquet, do not have their own court records pages on this site. All cases in those cities also go through the St. Louis County or Carlton County District Courts in the 6th Judicial District.
St. Louis County Court Records
Duluth is the largest city in St. Louis County, and all Duluth court cases go through the St. Louis County District Court. The county page covers the full court system for St. Louis County, all courthouse locations, and public records access options across the region.