Carlton County Criminal Records

Carlton County criminal records are held by the District Court and the Sheriff's Office in Carlton, the county seat of this northeastern Minnesota county covering 875 square miles with roughly 35,700 residents. Criminal records include court case histories, jail roster data, and arrest information from the Sheriff's Office. The county jail is run under the same roof as the Sheriff at 317 Walnut Avenue in Carlton. Carlton County has a Treatment Court program and specific procedures for warrant inquiries. This page covers how to search Carlton County criminal records through MCRO, the BCA, and local offices.

Carlton County Sheriff's Office

Sheriff Kelly Lake leads the Carlton County Sheriff's Office at 317 Walnut Avenue, PO Box 530, Carlton, MN 55718. The main phone is 218-384-3236, fax 218-384-9183. Office hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00 am to 4:00 pm. The Sheriff's Office handles patrol operations, investigations, warrant service, and jail oversight for the county. One important note: the Carlton County dispatch does not provide warrant information to the public. To check on a warrant, call 218-384-9586 directly, or visit the courthouse on the 4th floor during business hours.

The Carlton County Jail is at the same address, 317 Walnut, PO Box 530, Carlton, MN 55718. The jail direct line is 218-384-4560, fax 218-384-9185. Visitation hours differ by gender. Male inmates have visits from 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm. Female inmates have visits on Tuesdays and Saturdays from 6:30 pm to 10:00 pm. Holiday visits are permitted on Christmas, New Year's, Thanksgiving, and Easter. Visits are 30 minutes maximum with up to two visitors. Inmates get one free phone call after booking. The jail roster shows last name, first name, age, arresting agency, arrest date and time, charges, bail, and release date.

Under Minn. Stat. § 13.82, Carlton County arrest data is public.

The Carlton County website at co.carlton.mn.us provides links to the Sheriff's Office, court administration, and other county resources for Carlton County criminal record access.

Searching Carlton County Criminal Records

Minnesota Court Records Online (MCRO) at publicaccess.courts.state.mn.us is the free tool for Carlton County court case searches. Enter a name or case number to find district court records. Cases filed after July 1, 2015 are available online at no charge. Court-authored documents from July 2005 through June 2015 are also searchable. No login is required for basic searches. You can view registers of action, hearing schedules, and downloadable PDF documents for qualifying cases.

For in-person access or certified copies, visit the Carlton County Courthouse in Carlton. Use mncourts.gov/Find-Courts for current hours and contact information. Carlton County's Treatment Court program handles certain qualifying cases differently, so some case types may have different levels of public access. For warrant checks, call 218-384-9586 or stop by the courthouse 4th floor during business hours rather than calling dispatch, which does not handle those requests.

The BCA at bca.dps.mn.gov runs a $8 conviction search covering all Minnesota felony, gross misdemeanor, and misdemeanor convictions in the past 15 years. Minn. Stat. § 13.87 governs what's public. Carlton County convictions will appear in those results within the applicable window. The DOC Offender Locator at coms.doc.state.mn.us/PublicViewer shows people currently in state custody from Carlton County cases.

Carlton County District Court Records

Carlton County District Court sits at the Carlton County Courthouse. All criminal cases in the county are filed here. MCRO provides free online access to public documents and registers of action for cases after July 2015. The register of actions is the most useful starting point. It shows every event in a case from initial filing through final disposition. You can also search by case number if you already have one. Documents download as PDFs at no cost.

Carlton County has a Treatment Court that handles alternative dispositions for qualifying defendants. These cases may involve different types of records and different access rules depending on how the case is structured. The Court Administrator can tell you what is and is not publicly accessible for a specific Treatment Court matter. Standard restricted case types, including juvenile, domestic abuse, and sealed matters, are not available through MCRO.

Note: MCRO documents are not certified copies. For legal proceedings, contact the Carlton County Courthouse to request certified copies from the Court Administrator.

Minnesota Criminal History Search

The BCA's Criminal History Search at bca.dps.mn.gov is available for $8 and covers all Minnesota conviction data in the state repository. The BCA office is at 1430 Maryland Avenue East, St. Paul, MN 55106, phone 651-793-2400. The search returns felony, gross misdemeanor, and misdemeanor convictions for the 15 years after sentence discharge under Minn. Stat. § 13.87. Carlton County convictions will appear in those results alongside any other Minnesota convictions the person has. The BCA maintains the statewide repository under Minn. Stat. § 299C.46.

The BCA public search excludes arrests without convictions, juvenile records, federal cases, out-of-state records, records older than 15 years from sentence discharge, and anything expunged or sealed. Subjects who believe BCA data about them is inaccurate can challenge it under Minn. Stat. § 13.04.

Expungement in Carlton County

Carlton County residents can pursue expungement through the District Court in Carlton. Automatic expungement under Minn. Stat. § 609A.015 applies to cases that ended without a conviction. The BCA identifies those records and processes the expungement automatically. For convictions, a petition under Minn. Stat. § 609A.03 is required. The petition must be served on the Carlton County Sheriff's Office, the BCA, and all other agencies holding related records. Each has 60 days to respond or object.

If the court grants expungement, the record is sealed from public view but remains accessible to law enforcement. The waiting period depends on offense level. Two years for misdemeanors, four years for gross misdemeanors, and five years for most felonies from the end of the sentence. LawHelpMN at lawhelpmn.org offers free resources for self-represented petitioners in Carlton County. Predatory offender registration under Minn. Stat. § 243.166 is not affected by expungement of other records.

Predatory Offender Registry

Predatory offenders in Carlton County register with the Sheriff's Office under Minn. Stat. § 243.166. Registration requires providing current address, vehicle information, phone numbers, and employment or school location. Annual in-person verification is required during the birth month, and address changes must be reported within five days. Failure to register is a felony. Community notification levels are assigned under Minn. Stat. § 244.052. Level III offenders in Carlton County are publicly searchable through the DPS at dps.mn.gov. Level II triggers notification to local schools and facilities. Level I stays within law enforcement.

Cities in Carlton County

No major cities in Carlton County meet our population threshold for dedicated pages. Criminal records for all Carlton County residents are handled through the District Court in Carlton.

Nearby Counties

These counties share borders with Carlton County. Cases near county lines may be filed in a neighboring court district.