Run a Free Minnesota Warrant Search (State & Local Agencies)

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Free Minnesota Warrant Search

Find out if you or someone else has a warrant out for their arrest in Minnesota, free of charge.

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Perform a Minnesota warrant search for free. Warrants are considered public records under the Minnesota Government Data Practices Act, and various tools and resources are available to access this information.

Having access to these records allows you to check for active and past warrants. The available tools outlined in this article can be used to check on yourself or on other people, whether to satisfy one’s curiosity or because of safety concerns about those wanted in your area.

While citizens can access this information for free, it’s important to know where to look. This article leads you through the process of requesting and accessing warrant information through various government agencies in Minnesota.

This resource was written by Attorney Robert Bailey Jr, who holds a Juris Doctorate from Widener University School of Law.

Are Warrants Publicly Viewable in MN?

Under the Minnesota Government Data Practices Act (MGDPA), warrants in Minnesota are considered public records.¹ This access is granted to ensure citizens can view information created and maintained by government agencies.

Before conducting a warrant search, it’s important to know the type you are looking for. There are various types of warrants (described in greater detail later in this article). It is also important to know that certain private or confidential information contained in warrants may fall under an exception and not be available to the public.

For example, information about children on a warrant may not be available. Also, information that could interfere with an ongoing law enforcement investigation (e.g., sensitive data contained within an active warrant) would not be available to the general public.

For available records, you can search for them online or in person. You can also make requests for public warrant information by phone or mail with various government agencies.

Information Needed To Check for Warrants in Minnesota

There are several ways to perform a Minnesota warrant check for free. However you search for warrant information, there is some basic information a citizen should have available to provide.

The most basic information every warrant search should have is someone’s name. Additionally, most searches will benefit greatly if you know where the person resides or where the warrant was issued (including the specific government agency that issued the warrant).

Other identifying information will also be helpful (e.g., date of birth, descriptive characteristics, criminal offense, etc.) depending on the method of your search and the government agency you are searching with. Minnesota has several online search tools for accessing free arrest warrant check information. Primarily this information is provided through sheriff’s offices, court records and jails.

There are several types of warrants in Minnesota, and you can find information on them at the state, county, and city levels. Below are several free options for searching for warrant information in Minnesota.

How To Conduct a Free Minnesota Warrant Search on Yourself or Someone Else

You can perform a Minnesota warrant search using the Online Court Record Search Tool provided by Minnesota’s Judicial Branch.²

This online tool can be used to search criminal case records that contain warrant information. A record seeker has the option to perform a statewide search or focus on a particular county.

To perform a name-based search, start by entering the person’s full name. You can check the “Sounds Like” option if you are unsure about the spelling. For the “case category” section, make sure that you only select “criminal” and uncheck all other options.

You can further narrow down your search results by setting a date range for either the offender’s date of birth or when the case was filed. Lastly, you can select whether you want to search active or inactive cases.

Note: If you have a case number, you do not have to go through this process and can enter the information and view that exact criminal case record.

Once you complete your search, you will be provided with summary information of matching criminal cases. Once you find the record you are looking for you can click on the “View Case Details” button. Now that you are viewing the complete online criminal case record, you want to navigate to the correct section.

To find warrant information, review both the “Hearings” and “Case Events” Sections. Both sections provide chronological information of everything that happened in a particular criminal case.

If a warrant were issued in that criminal matter, any related information would be listed here. If warrant information is listed in the case events section, there is a “View Document” button that can provide you with more detailed information.

Obtain Warrant Information in Minnesota at the County Level

Another way to conduct a warrant search is by looking for this information at the county level.

Searching at the county level may give you the opportunity to search case records in person and uncover additional information. You may also get additional assistance at the county level and have the opportunity to talk to someone who can answer any questions you may have.

Warrant information at the county level can typically be found through the Sheriff’s Office and County District Courts. To get a better understanding of how to perform this type of search, below are tools and resources for accessing warrant information in Minnesota’s three largest counties.

The most populated county in Minnesota is Hennepin County. To access Hennepin County warrant information online, you can start by looking through the sheriff’s office Most Wanted List.³

The Most Wanted List will provide you with the person’s name, mugshot and the reason for their active warrant. If you click on their name, you can get additional details about the warrant, identifying traits and a summary of the offender’s criminal history.

For additional warrant information, you can contact the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office at 612-348-3744. You can also talk to someone at their office at the address below:

Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office
Patrol Headquarters
9401 83rd Ave. North
Brooklyn Park, Minnesota 55445

Their Headquarters Office is open from 7:30 AM to 2:30 PM, Monday through Friday.

You can also request criminal case records from the Hennepin County District Court to search for warrant information. A record seeker can submit a Criminal Case History Search Request to the address below:⁴

District Court Records Center
Hennepin County Government Center
300 South Sixth St., #B100
Minneapolis, Minnesota 55487

The cost is $14 per name searched. You can also search through criminal records in person at the above address to look for information on warrants. They are open to the public Monday through Friday, from 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM.

For additional questions, you can contact the Hennepin County District Court Records Center at 612-348-3170. You can also contact the Hennepin County Public Safety Facility to inquire about whether someone has a warrant. You can call them at 612-348-5112 or go to the address below:

Hennepin County Public Safety Facility
401 S. 4th Ave.
Minneapolis, Minnesota 55415

Ramsey County is the second largest county in Minnesota. To find information on warrants here, you can start by using the Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office Arrest Warrant Search Tool.⁵

To use this tool, enter a subject’s last and first name and run your search. The search results will provide you with matching names along with their age, sex and race.

Click “View Details” to get warrant information. Warrant information includes the number, type (i.e., the reason for the warrant), date issued, charge and level of offense. In addition, you can find other descriptive information about the person and their bail information.

The Sheriff’s Office also has a Most Wanted List.⁶ For additional warrant information, you can contact the Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office at 651-266-9333 or go in person to the address below:

Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office
425 Grove St.
St. Paul, Minnesota 55101

A citizen can also look for warrant information through records held by the Ramsey County District Court Criminal & Traffic Division. For information on how to access warrant information, a record seeker can call them at 651-266-1999 or go to the address below:

Suburban Court
2050 White Bear Avenue
Maplewood, Minnesota 55109

The third largest county by population is Dakota County. Warrant information in Dakota County may be accessed online by the Sheriff’s Office Warrant Search Tool.⁷

You can search for warrant information by a person’s name and can include their date of birth as well. After getting a list of results, you can click on an offender’s name to view warrant information.

The Warrant information includes the number, date issued charge and charge level. You can also view descriptive information about the offender, aliases and a mugshot.

For additional information, you can contact the Dakota County Sheriff’s Office by email at sheriff@co.dakota.mn.us or by phone at 651-438-4700. You can also talk to someone at the address below:

Dakota County Sheriff’s Office
1580 Hwy. 55
Hastings, Minnesota 55033

You can also search criminal records for warrant information with the Dakota County District Court. You can contact the Criminal Division by email or phone at 651-377-7188. You can also talk to someone in person at the address below:

Dakota County District Court
Judicial Center
1560 Highway 55
Hastings, Minnesota 55033

Note: If you need to, you can perform a county-level search using the Minnesota Judicial Branch Case Search Tool. You can then use that information to conduct a warrant search with any of the record custodians outlined above.

Look Up Warrants Issued by Municipal Agencies in Minnesota

You can also find out if you have a warrant at the municipal level. Depending on the type and when the warrant was issued, this may be the only option in certain situations.

The most populated city in Minnesota is Minneapolis. To request warrant information, you can contact the Minneapolis Police Department at 612-673-3000.

The Minneapolis Police Department office hours are Monday through Friday from 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM. You can also submit a request online for available records containing warrant information.⁸ If you want to talk to someone at their office, they are located at the address below:

Minneapolis Police Department
City Hall
350 Fifth Street, Rm. 130
Minneapolis, Minnesota 55415

St. Paul is the second largest city in Minnesota by population. If a citizen wants to look up information in this city, they can do so through the St. Paul Police Department Records Unit. You can request records in person by going to the address below:

St. Paul Police Department
367 Grove St.
Saint Paul, Minnesota 55101

They are available for walk-in service Monday through Friday from 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM. The fee for copies is $0.25 per page.

You can also submit a request for warrant information online through the Saint Paul Data Practices Center. For additional questions on requesting warrant information, you can call the Records Unit at 651-266-5700.

The third largest city in Minnesota by population is Rochester. To perform a city-level warrant search, you can contact the Rochester Police Department.⁹ You can request criminal records to search for warrant information at either of the below addresses:

Law Enforcement Center
Police Department Window -Second Floor
101 SE Fourth St.
Rochester, Minnesota 55904

North Station
Records Window
4001 West River Parkway NW, Ste. 200
Rochester, Minnesota 55901

For additional questions on accessing warrant information through the Rochester Police Department, you can email them at LECRecords@rochestermn.gov or call them at 507-328-6811.

Locate Federal Warrants Issued in MN or Elsewhere in the U.S.

During the course of your search, you may have yet to find what you are looking for. At this point, you may need to search for a federal warrant. Performing a federal warrant search can be done in a couple of ways.

First, you can submit a FOIA request with the U.S. Marshals Services requesting warrant information. The U.S. Marshals Service is the primary government agency responsible for executing federal warrants.¹⁰ When making this type of request, consider seeking the advice of an attorney who specializes in dealing with federal criminal defense cases.

Alternatively, you can search through the Public Access To Court Electronic Records (PACER) Search Tool. While you can find federal warrant information using this tool, the service is not free.

Like searching online for state warrants, you can find the information you are looking for by performing a name-based search. Once you access a particular criminal record, federal warrant information can be found by searching through the Docket Sheet or History sections.

In addition to searching or requesting federal warrant information, you can also view fugitive and most wanted lists from various law enforcement agencies. Here are some examples:

Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) Top Fugitives: The DEA’s list of top fugitives includes a mugshot, a description of the person and the list of federal violations that have resulted in their being considered a top fugitive.

Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Most Wanted: The FBI provides a list of their ten most wanted fugitives with information about the person and background on why they are included on this list.¹¹

Department of Justice (DOJ Most Wanted: The DOJ provides a list of their fifteen most wanted fugitives. When you click on an offender’s name, you can get descriptive information about the person as well as the crimes they are wanted for.

Warrant Types in Minnesota & Their Meanings

There is more than one type of warrant in Minnesota.

Having an understanding of the various types of warrants can significantly aid you in conducting a Minnesota warrant lookup. One of the most commonly searched is the arrest warrant. In Minnesota, there are the following three separate categories of arrest warrants:

Complaint Warrant: This type of warrant is issued when a complaint is prepared by a city or county attorney’s office to bring charges against a particular person.¹² A complaint must provide sufficient evidence to establish that a person committed a particular crime.

Typically, this type of warrant is issued for the commission of a serious crime (e.g., a felony warrant). A felony is a type of crime that, if convicted, involves a sentence of at least one year. However, it may also be issued as a misdemeanor warrant if the person is a flight risk, their location is unknown, or they live in another state.

Bench Warrant: A bench warrant is issued when someone fails to show up for a court hearing or fails to follow a specific court order.

Probation or Parole Warrant: This type of warrant is issued when an offender under either of these types of supervision violates one of their conditions to remain on probation or parole.

Search Warrant: In addition to dealing with the arrest of offenders, Massachusetts also has a search warrant.¹³

A search warrant is issued when law enforcement can provide probable cause to a judge that there is a specific piece of property in a certain location that was used to commit a crime. The search warrant allows them to search a particular area and seize specific property.

Clearing Warrants Issued in Minnesota & Reporting Wanted Persons

During your research, you may discover outstanding warrants for yourself or someone you know. While you have a few options, one you shouldn’t take is ignoring it. If you find out someone you know has a warrant, take time to consider the seriousness of the matter.

If the warrant is for a felony, your best option may be to contact the law enforcement agency that is tasked with executing it. Taking matters into your own hands can be dangerous in this type of situation. You can also call the Minnesota Department of Corrections at 1-800-222-8477 to report information on wanted fugitives.^{14, 15}

If the warrant is for a missed court date or other less serious matter, consider telling the person directly in case they are unaware. Another option is to tell a family member or friend if you do not know the person well.

However, it’s time to take action if you find out that you have an active warrant. You should turn yourself in for arrest warrants, but not before consulting a criminal defense attorney to guide you through the process and advise you of your rights.

In addition, you want to let close family members know so they are prepared for whatever may happen. Lastly, if you want to be released from jail as quickly as possible, you should also contact a bail bond agent.

Warrant information can be a valuable tool for learning more about your current situation and that of others. With the resources provided in this article, you are now equipped and ready to perform a Minnesota warrant search.

Delve deeper into information on anyone in the state using the Minnesota free public information search tutorial (for access to vital records, background check reports, probationers, parolees, and more) and the MN arrest and criminal record lookup steps.