Duluth Criminal Records Search

Duluth criminal records are maintained by St. Louis County District Court and the Duluth Police Department. Duluth is Minnesota's fourth-largest city with a population of about 90,000, and it sits on the western tip of Lake Superior in St. Louis County. The Duluth Police Department is the third-largest municipal police department in the state, with approximately 158 sworn officers. Criminal cases for Duluth are filed in St. Louis County District Court, and you can search them for free through Minnesota Court Records Online. For police reports and local law enforcement records, contact the Duluth Police Department directly.

Duluth Police Department and Criminal Records

The Duluth Police Department (DPD) is nationally recognized for its community policing programs and is the third-largest municipal police department in Minnesota. The department runs on a 2025 budget of about $29.2 million and staffs roughly 158 police officers along with 40 support staff. The DPD is divided into three main divisions: Patrol, Investigative, and Administrative. The department operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

The DPD's main website is at duluthmn.gov/police. That page links to department services and contact information. For records requests, contact the department through the main city line or visit the department in person. The DPD focuses on community policing and has built partnerships with local organizations to address crime prevention. If you need a police report, accident report, or other law enforcement record from Duluth, start with the main police page or contact the department directly.

St. Louis County Sheriff's Office also provides law enforcement services in the Duluth area, particularly for unincorporated parts of the county. The Sheriff's Office maintains arrest records, warrants, and a jail roster for the county. Both agencies work together on major cases. For county-level law enforcement records, the Sheriff's Office is a key resource alongside the DPD.

The DPD's community policing focus means it maintains close ties with neighborhood groups and city organizations throughout Duluth. The department's main page has links to current programs, department reports, and contact information for specific divisions. The screenshot below shows the Duluth Police Department main page.

The DPD is one of Minnesota's largest municipal police agencies, serving Duluth with a community-based approach to public safety.

How to Search Duluth Criminal Records

Minnesota Court Records Online (MCRO) is the free public search tool for court cases in Duluth. The system covers St. Louis County District Court. Search by name, case number, or citation at publicaccess.courts.state.mn.us. Results show party names, charge types, docket entries, and case status. Public documents filed after July 1, 2015 can be downloaded at no cost. No account is required for basic name searches.

For a statewide criminal history check, use the BCA Public Criminal History Search at chs.state.mn.us. The fee is $8 per search. You need the person's full name and date of birth. The BCA shows convictions for felonies, gross misdemeanors, and misdemeanors from across Minnesota, including Duluth and St. Louis County. It does not include arrest records that did not lead to a conviction, records from other states, or federal criminal data.

To get a Duluth Police Department report, contact the department through the city website or visit in person. Bring the report number if you have it, or provide the date, location, and names of parties involved. Copy fees apply for most police records. For court certified copies, visit St. Louis County District Court at 100 North 5th Avenue West, Duluth, MN 55802.

The screenshot below shows the Duluth city homepage, which links to police, records, and other city services.

The Duluth city website is the starting point for finding department contacts, police records, and other local government information.

St. Louis County Court Records for Duluth

All criminal cases in Duluth go through St. Louis County District Court. St. Louis County is the largest county in Minnesota by area, and its courthouse is located in downtown Duluth. The main courthouse address is 100 North 5th Avenue West, Duluth, MN 55802. You can reach the Court Administrator at 218-726-2460. The court is open Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

St. Louis County is part of Minnesota's Sixth Judicial District. The district covers St. Louis County along with several neighboring counties in northeastern Minnesota. Criminal cases from Duluth are among the most active in the district. Court records for Duluth cases are available through MCRO for free. For certified copies, you need to visit the courthouse or submit a written request by mail with payment included.

The Court Administrator's office can look up cases by name or case number. Bring the full name of the person and an approximate case filing year if you don't have the case number. Staff can pull the file and make copies on the spot. Call ahead at 218-726-2460 to confirm what you need and whether the specific records you want are available for public access.

Criminal Background Checks in Duluth

The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension runs the public criminal history database for all of Minnesota, including Duluth. You can search online at chs.state.mn.us for $8 per search. The BCA is based at 1430 Maryland Avenue East, St. Paul, MN 55106. In-person searches at the BCA office also cost $8. Bring the person's full name and date of birth for either type of search.

Under Minn. Stat. section 13.87, Minnesota makes criminal conviction data public for 15 years after sentence discharge. After that window closes, the conviction no longer appears in the public search. The BCA system shows felony, gross misdemeanor, and misdemeanor convictions statewide. Arrest-only records and juvenile records are not included. Federal court records are also outside the scope of the BCA search.

For law enforcement data from the Duluth Police Department, such as incident response records or arrest records, the framework is Minn. Stat. section 13.82. That statute says arrest data, booking photos, and response data are generally public. Active investigative data is confidential while the investigation is still open. Once closed, much of that data becomes available.

Note: Fingerprint-based background checks for licensed or regulated positions go through the BCA on a separate track and are more thorough than the standard $8 public name search.

Expungement in Duluth

Duluth residents seeking to seal a criminal record file petitions at St. Louis County District Court under Minn. Stat. section 609A.03. The petition must name all agencies that hold records about the case and must be served on each one. The court schedules a hearing, and the judge weighs the public interest against the petitioner's need to move past the conviction. If granted, records are sealed and the BCA updates its database accordingly.

Automatic expungement under Minn. Stat. section 609A.015 may apply to some Duluth cases without any action from the individual. The BCA reviews eligible records and seals them on its own. Cases dismissed, charges never filed, or stays of adjudication that were later vacated may qualify. The 2023 expansion of automatic expungement in Minnesota made more past cases eligible for sealing.

Legal aid in Duluth is available through Legal Aid Service of Northeastern Minnesota. They serve low-income clients in the Duluth area and handle some criminal expungement cases. The Sixth Judicial District also has self-help resources at the courthouse for people filing on their own. Minnesota's mncourts.gov website has expungement forms and step-by-step guides available at no cost.

Sex Offender Registry in Duluth

Minnesota requires people convicted of qualifying sex crimes and certain violent offenses to register as predatory offenders under Minn. Stat. section 243.166. The BCA manages the registry. Registrants must report their home address, work, school, and vehicle details. They verify in person during their birth month each year. Any address change requires notification within five days. Failure to register is a felony carrying up to five years in prison.

Risk levels under Minn. Stat. section 244.052 determine how widely an offender's information is shared. Level I stays within law enforcement. Level II information goes to schools, daycares, and organizations that serve likely victim groups near the offender's address. Level III offenders are considered the highest risk, and their name, photo, and address are posted publicly on the Department of Corrections Offender Locator at coms.doc.state.mn.us/PublicViewer.

To search for Level III offenders near Duluth, visit the Offender Locator and search by address or name. The search is free. For questions about a specific offender or concern about someone in your neighborhood, contact the Duluth Police Department or the St. Louis County Sheriff's Office.

County Resources

Duluth is the county seat of St. Louis County. No other qualifying cities are located in the immediate Duluth area. For full information on the county court system, sheriff resources, and other criminal records access, visit the St. Louis County page.

St. Louis County Criminal Records

Duluth is the county seat of St. Louis County, and all criminal cases in the city are filed in St. Louis County District Court. For detailed information on the county court, sheriff's office, and other resources, visit the St. Louis County criminal records page.

View St. Louis County Criminal Records