St. Louis County Criminal Records

St. Louis County criminal records are maintained by the 6th Judicial District Court, headquartered in Duluth on the shore of Lake Superior. St. Louis County is the largest county by area in Minnesota at approximately 6,860 square miles, and Duluth is the county seat and the 4th largest city in the state. The county spans from the Wisconsin border in the east to the Iron Range and beyond. Criminal records here cover Duluth and dozens of smaller communities across this enormous county. You can search court records for free online, check the jail roster, or go in person to the courthouse in Duluth.

St. Louis County Sheriff and Duluth Police

The St. Louis County Sheriff's Office covers the vast unincorporated portions of this sprawling county. With more than 6,800 square miles to patrol, the Sheriff's Office spans a larger area than many states. The Sheriff runs the county jail in Duluth and handles law enforcement in rural areas throughout the county. Arrest data from the Sheriff is public under Minn. Stat. § 13.82. That means basic arrest data, including time, date, charges, and custody status, must be released on request. Contact the Sheriff's Office for older arrest records or incident data not available online.

Duluth is served by its own police department and operates separately from the Sheriff. The Duluth Police Department handles criminal cases within city limits. Duluth sits at the western tip of Lake Superior, sharing a port area with Superior, Wisconsin. The port is one of the largest freshwater ports in the world and draws a significant range of activity. Both the Duluth Police and the St. Louis County Sheriff are subject to the same public data rules under Minnesota law. Arrest records from either agency are accessible in the same way.

Both the St. Louis County Sheriff and Duluth Police operate under the same state data framework, with criminal records accessible through the DPS at dps.mn.gov and through the BCA.

How to Search St. Louis County Criminal Records

Minnesota Court Records Online (MCRO) at publicaccess.courts.state.mn.us covers the 6th Judicial District and gives free access to St. Louis County criminal cases filed after July 1, 2015. Search by name or case number to find charges, hearing events, and case status. Cases before that date require a written or in-person request at the Duluth courthouse. The MCRO system handles all case types, from misdemeanor citations to serious felony matters.

The BCA public criminal history system at chs.state.mn.us costs $8 and is the authoritative source for statewide conviction data. Under Minn. Stat. § 13.87, public conviction data covers the 15 years following sentence discharge. This search returns any St. Louis County conviction within that window, alongside convictions from other counties in Minnesota. Arrest data is not returned. The BCA agency website at bca.dps.mn.gov explains the full scope of the public criminal history search.

MCRO at mncourts.gov is the free starting point for St. Louis County court record searches covering Duluth and the rest of the county.

The Minnesota DOC public viewer at coms.doc.state.mn.us shows people in state prison or on supervised release from a state sentence. It is separate from the St. Louis County Jail. Use the DOC viewer for state-supervised individuals and the jail roster for local custody checks in St. Louis County.

6th District Court Criminal Cases

The 6th Judicial District Court handles all criminal filings for St. Louis County. The main courthouse is in Duluth. There are also court facilities in Virginia and Hibbing to serve the Iron Range communities on the western half of this massive county. Given the county's size, the district court operates across multiple locations. The Court Administrator manages official case files. Copy requests can be handled at the Duluth courthouse or the other locations depending on where the case originated.

Cases in St. Louis County range from Duluth city misdemeanor matters to serious felony prosecutions from Iron Range communities like Hibbing, Virginia, Eveleth, and Chisholm. The volume of criminal filings is substantial given the county's population. Certified copy requests cost more than plain copies. For records before July 2015 that are not available online through MCRO, contact the courthouse location that corresponds to where the case was filed. For most Duluth cases, that is the main courthouse on West First Street.

Criminal Background Checks in St. Louis County

The BCA criminal history search at chs.state.mn.us is the primary public tool for background checks in St. Louis County. The $8 search returns public conviction data under Minn. Stat. § 13.87 for the 15 years following sentence discharge. It covers felony, gross misdemeanor, and misdemeanor convictions from anywhere in Minnesota including Duluth and the Iron Range. Arrest records, juvenile cases, and expunged records are not returned.

People who believe their BCA record is wrong can contest accuracy through the BCA's dispute process at its main office in St. Paul. That right is built into the framework governing criminal history data. For fingerprint-based checks, which return federal data and out-of-state information in addition to Minnesota records, employers and agencies in the Duluth area should contact the BCA directly. The process for that level of background check is separate from the public self-service search at CHS.

Note: Given the size of St. Louis County and the range of communities it covers, checking both the BCA criminal history search and MCRO together gives the most thorough view of someone's criminal record in this county.

Expungement in St. Louis County

Expungement petitions in St. Louis County are filed at the 6th Judicial District Court in Duluth. Automatic expungement under Minn. Stat. § 609A.015 covers eligible cases without any petition from the individual. Enacted in 2023, this law requires the BCA to identify qualifying records and seal them. Eligible categories include dismissed charges, completed diversions, and certain convictions after a waiting period. No filing fee applies for automatic expungement.

For records not covered by automatic expungement, the petition process under Minn. Stat. § 609A.03 applies. This requires filing a petition at the Duluth courthouse, serving the prosecutor and all agencies holding the record, and attending a hearing at least 60 days after service. The judge weighs the benefit to the petitioner against public safety. The standard is clear and convincing evidence. Given the volume of cases in St. Louis County, petitioners in Duluth may face a longer wait for hearing dates than those in smaller rural counties. Expungement seals a record. It does not delete it. LawHelpMN at lawhelpmn.org has guides for people filing without a lawyer.

Predatory Offender Registry

St. Louis County follows the statewide framework under Minn. Stat. § 243.166 for predatory offender registration. People required to register do so with local law enforcement in the jurisdiction where they live. In Duluth, that means the Duluth Police Department or the St. Louis County Sheriff's Office depending on where the person resides. Address changes must be reported within five days. Annual in-person verification is required during the registrant's birth month.

Community notification for predatory offenders follows the risk levels under Minn. Stat. § 244.052. Level III offenders have their information posted publicly on the Department of Corrections website at mn.gov/doc. Given Duluth's size and the number of schools and organizations in St. Louis County, Level II and Level III notifications in this area can involve multiple agencies and community groups. The large geographic spread of the county also means that notifications in the Iron Range or the northern lake country may involve smaller communities and more targeted distribution.

Cities in St. Louis County

St. Louis County includes Duluth, the county seat and the 4th largest city in Minnesota. Duluth is the primary qualifying city for a dedicated page on this site.

Other communities in St. Louis County include Hibbing, Virginia, Eveleth, Chisholm, and Proctor. These cities do not meet our population threshold for dedicated pages. All criminal filings from these communities go through the 6th Judicial District Court at one of the St. Louis County courthouse locations.

Nearby Counties

St. Louis County borders several northern Minnesota counties and shares a border with Wisconsin to the east. Cases near county lines may fall under a neighboring jurisdiction.