Where can I find instructions on how to use MPA Remote to inquire about case records?
User instructions and important notices for MPA Remote are available through a Help link at the top of each screen of the MPA Remote inquiry tool.
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Which web browsers work with MPA Remote?
Internet Explorer is recommended to use this service. Firefox and Safari will be supported at a later date.
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Is MPA Remote free of charge?
Yes. MPA Remote is made available to the general public, free of charge.
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What hours is this service available?
MPA Remote is available 24/7 except during scheduled or emergency maintenance.
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What kinds of cases are available on MPA Remote?
Criminal, traffic, petty misdemeanor, civil, family, and probate case information is available on MPA Remote.
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Who do I contact if I have questions about the content of online case records?
YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE for understanding the meaning of the case record information that you view through MPA Remote and for the appropriate and lawful use of such information. If you have any questions regarding the meaning of case information on MPA Remote, please contact a
court clerk in the corresponding district court. For example, if you have questions about a district court case record from Anoka County, please contact the Anoka County Court Administrator's Office. You are also responsible for determining whether any case record information previously obtained from MPA Remote is still accurate, current, and complete.
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Who do I contact to report ERRORS in online case records?
Please contact a
court clerk in the corresponding district court. For example, if you identify an error in a district court case record from Anoka County, please contact the Anoka County Court Administrator's Office.
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What are the Minnesota Rules of Public Access to Records of the Judicial Branch?
The
Minnesota Rules of Public Access to Records of the Judicial Branch are established by the Minnesota Supreme Court and govern public access to all types of records of the Minnesota Judicial Branch. Rule 4 is dedicated to "Accessibility to Case Records" and Rule 8 is dedicated to "Inspection, Copying, Bulk Distribution and Remote Access" to public records.
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Are case records on MPA Remote considered the official court record?
No. The information available on MPA Remote is provided as a service and is not considered an official court record. The Minnesota Judicial Branch does not certify MPA Remote records or search results and is not responsible for any errors or omissions in the data found on MPA Remote. Certified civil judgment search results may be obtained from court administration.
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Can I view all district court case records on MPA Remote?
No. Case records and calendars are displayed for all Minnesota District (Trial) Courts. The information available on MPA Remote is limited to case search results, registers of action, civil judgments, and court calendars for publicly accessible district court case records, as defined by Rule 4 of the
Minnesota Rules of Public Access to Records of the Judicial Branch. Electronic copies of public documents are not available at this time through MPA Remote.
Minnesota Court Records Online provides online access to many public district court documents.
Remote Access Restrictions: For privacy reasons, the information available on MPA Remote is also limited to remotely accessible information under Rule 8, subd. 2 of the Minnesota Rules of Public Access to Records of the Judicial Branch. Under this rule, publicly accessible case records available on the MPA Courthouse service (on court public access computers) are not all remotely accessible through MPA Remote on the internet. For example, party street address and name searches on criminal, traffic, and petty misdemeanor pending criminal case records are publicly accessible and available on the MPA Courthouse service, but not on MPA Remote. The federal Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) also prevents us from displaying harassment and domestic abuse case types on the internet, but these are available through the MPA Courthouse service. Comment fields for all case types also are not available on MPA Remote but are available through the MPA Courthouse service. Additionally, electronic copies of public documents are not currently available through MPA Remote, but are available through the MPA Courthouse service for some cases. Minnesota Court Records Online provides online access to many public district court documents.
You WILL NOT be notified when public data is unavailable for any of these reasons as you are conducting searches in MPA Remote.
Please read the online
Notices & Instructions for important details.
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Should I use MPA Remote for background checks?
No.
MPA SHOULD NOT BE USED FOR BACKGROUND CHECKS. Background checks should be conducted through the
Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension’s (BCA) Minnesota Public Criminal History Search (CHS) system, which you can access online at
https://chs.state.mn.us/, at their office located at 1430 Maryland Avenue East in St. Paul, or by calling (651) 793-2400 for information. The BCA’s CHS system links prior criminal history through fingerprints to verify the identification of the individual. MPA cannot provide this level of verification.
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Are name searches reliable?
No. Please use caution in evaluating MPA Remote data, because the person for whom you have searched could have the same name, birth date, or other identifiers as another individual. Even if you believe your search has returned the correct match and the information appears to be about the person for whom you have searched, remember that:
- two or more people can have the same name and birth date; and
- criminal offenders frequently use aliases, including the names of others.
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How often are case records updated on MPA Remote?
The case data on MPA Remote is updated continually. As soon as the court administrator enters the data into the statewide case management system, it is available on MPA Remote.
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What does "Level of Sentence" mean when displayed in the Register of Actions?
Effective June 1, 2009, Level of Sentence is a new automated feature that calculates and displays the level of sentence on a case based on the sentence imposed by the judge and entered into the case management system. The automation is calculated on the sentence elements and the provisions set forth in
M.S. 609.13 and
Minn. R. Crim. P. 23.02, and as further described in our
Level of Sentence Fact Sheet. The Level of Sentence is displayed on cases sentenced on or after June 1, 2009. For cases sentenced prior to June 1, 2009, the Level of Sentence is not automatically calculated and displayed but should be manually interpreted based on
M.S. 609.13 and
Minn. R. Crim. P. 23.02, and as further explained in our
Level of Sentence Fact Sheet.
For sample screen images and a complete discussion on how to read and interpret the Register of Actions and Level of Sentence on a case, see Register of Actions - Level of Sentence (available in the Interpreting Search Results help topic) in
MPA Remote Online Help.
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Why doesn't the party street address display on the Register of Actions or Judgment?
The
Minnesota Rules of Public Access to Records of the Judicial Branch do not allow the street address of any party to a case to be displayed on the Internet. However, this information is available at the courthouse public terminals.
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What does "converted pending activity" mean in the Register of Actions for a case?
When the Minnesota District Courts converted (moved) cases from TCIS (the former case management system) to MNCIS Odyssey (the new case management system), this "converted pending activity" label was used to identify pending case activities that were converted from TCIS to MNCIS Odyssey. Therefore, it is an indicator of the point in time when a case was converted; it has no meaning relative to the facts of the case. The conversion of cases from TCIS to MNCIS Odyssey did not happen at the same time for all district courts in Minnesota. Instead, the 87 district courts were phased in over the period of several years.
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How do I perform a search?
See
Selecting Location and Type of Search in MPA Remote Online Help.
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How do I perform a Criminal/Traffic/Petty Case Records search?
See
Criminal/Traffic/Petty Case Records Searches in MPA Remote Online Help.
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How do I perform a Civil, Family & Probate Case Records search?
See
Civil, Family & Probate Case Records Searches in MPA Remote Online Help.
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How do I perform a Judgment search?
See
Judgments Searches in MPA Remote Online Help.
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How do I perform a Court Calendar search?
See
Court Calendar Searches in MPA Remote Online Help.
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What do my search results mean?
See
Understanding Search Results in MPA Remote Online Help.
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Can I pay my fine using MPA Remote?
No, this site is provided solely as a method for searching and viewing all publicly accessible district court case records. To make online fine payments for payable traffic and petty misdemeanor (including parking) cases in participating district courts, please see
Pay Fines.
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