Access Ramsey County Public Records

Minnesota Government Data Practices Act

The framework for Ramsey County public records is the Minnesota Government Data Practices Act. The general access rule sits at Minnesota Statutes § 13.03. Data collected, created, received, maintained, or disseminated by a government entity is public unless classified as not-public by statute, temporary classification, federal law, or rule. If an agency denies access, it must identify the statutory or federal basis.

Law-enforcement records have their own statute at section 13.82, including arrest, request-for-service, and warrant-index data. Criminal history data falls under section 13.87, and the BCA's public criminal history search runs under that section. Court records are governed by the Minnesota Rules of Public Access in addition to the Data Practices Act.

Types of Ramsey County Public Records

Ramsey County public records run across many county departments. Each department has its own request flow. The list below pulls the main categories together so a request lands at the right office on the first try.

• Court records — case files, dockets, hearings, orders, judgments. Through MCRO or the District Court Records office.
• Sheriff records — bookings, arrest data, warrants, incident reports, civil process.
• Vital records — birth, death, marriage certificates from Ramsey County Vital Records.
• Property records — deeds, mortgages, and tax records from county property offices.
• Licenses and permits — marriage licenses, business filings, and other county-issued permits.
• Administrative records — minutes, budgets, contracts, and policies from each county department.
• Open data — the ADC roster and other datasets published at opendata.ramseycountymn.gov.

How to File a Ramsey County Public Records Request

A request can be made in writing or in person. The Data Practices Act does not require a special form. The requester should identify the data clearly, name the timeframe, name the format, and provide contact information. Agencies must respond reasonably promptly. Fees may apply for copies, certification, and staff time when allowed by statute.

1. Identify the correct office: District Court for court files; Sheriff for arrest data; Vital Records for marriage and birth; department contact for administrative records.
2. Write a clear request that names the data, the timeframe, and the format you want.
3. Send the request by mail, email, or in person, depending on the agency's preferred channel.
4. Provide contact information so the agency can confirm receipt and ask follow-up questions.
5. Pay the cost of copies, certification, or staff time when required.
6. If access is denied, ask for the statutory or federal basis in writing.

Ramsey County Court Public Records

Court files in Ramsey County are searched through MCRO and obtained as certified copies from District Court Records at Room #72 of the main courthouse. The records office takes mail, phone, and in-person requests. Payment must be made before copies are released. The records page is at mncourts.gov find-courts/ramsey/court-records. The court records page on this site walks through MCRO's four tabs.

Federal Court Public Records for the District of Minnesota

Federal cases filed in Ramsey County go to the U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota, not the state District Court. The federal court's public records run through CM/ECF and PACER. PACER requires a free account and charges a per-page fee for most documents. The fee policy is at pacer.uscourts.gov. CM/ECF for the District of Minnesota is at ecf.mnd.uscourts.gov. The court's main page sits at mnd.uscourts.gov.

The federal district court is the federal-side anchor for the Ramsey County public records ecosystem.

CM/ECF is the electronic filing portal for federal cases.

CM/ECF feeds PACER and is part of the federal Ramsey County public records workflow.

Bankruptcy cases run through the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Minnesota at mnb.uscourts.gov.

The federal bankruptcy court is a separate Ramsey County public records source for personal and business bankruptcy filings.

Federal appeals go to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit at ca8.uscourts.gov.

The Eighth Circuit handles federal appeals from the District of Minnesota, which covers Ramsey County.

The PACER service center fee page is shown below.

PACER is the central federal records portal for Ramsey County public records on the federal side.

Ramsey County Sheriff Public Records

Sheriff records include incident reports, arrest data, the jail roster, warrants, and civil process records. Most of these run through the Sheriff's Office at 425 Grove Street, Saint Paul, MN 55101. The Sheriff's main page sits at ramseycountymn.gov sheriffs-office. Booking data are published as open data at opendata.ramseycountymn.gov. Active investigative data are not public under section 13.82.

For active warrants tied to the Sheriff's index, see the warrant records page. For jail bookings, see the inmate records page. For arrest records, see the arrest records page.

Ramsey County Vital Records

Vital records include birth certificates, death certificates, and marriage records. Ramsey County Vital Records at the Plato Building handles these requests. Divorce records, by contrast, are District Court files. The Vital Records office sits at 90 Plato Boulevard West, Saint Paul, MN 55107, phone 651-266-1333, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The marriage and divorce records page covers the application flow and fees.

Appealing a Data Practices Denial

If a Ramsey County office denies a public records request, the requester can ask for the statutory basis in writing. The Minnesota Department of Administration's Information Policy Analysis Division (IPAD) issues advisory opinions on data practices questions. A requester can also file a civil action in District Court. Court-record denials follow a separate path under the Minnesota Rules of Public Access. Internal appeals start with the responsible authority for the office that holds the data.

The general public-access rule is at revisor.mn.gov/statutes/cite/13.03. The criminal history statute is at section 13.87. The law-enforcement data statute is at section 13.82. Together those statutes carry most of the substance behind a Ramsey County public records request.

Ramsey County Open Data Portal

Ramsey County's open data portal at opendata.ramseycountymn.gov publishes datasets that meet the Data Practices Act standard for public release. The Adult Detention Center roster is the most-used dataset for Ramsey County public records research. The portal exposes the dataset metadata through Socrata APIs. Researchers can pull JSON or CSV directly from the data endpoints, subject to Socrata's rate limits.

The dataset metadata for arresting charges sits at opendata.ramseycountymn.gov.

Sample Ramsey County Public Records Request Fields

A clear request makes the agency's job easier and speeds the response. The Data Practices Act does not require a special form, but the structure below covers the typical request elements. Use plain language. Name the data, not a legal theory.

Ramsey County Public Records Fees

The Data Practices Act lets agencies charge reasonable copy fees, certification fees, and in some cases the cost of staff time. Court records follow the Minnesota Judicial Branch fee schedule. PACER charges per page for most federal documents, with a quarterly cap that triggers an automatic fee waiver. Vital Records charges by certified copy. Open data downloads are free.

Related Ramsey County Searches

For full court files, see the court records page. For Court Administration certified-copy details, see the Court Administrator page. For arrest data, see the arrest records page. For marriage and divorce records, see the marriage and divorce records page.