The day has finally (sorta) arrived! Minnesota Court records, with the actual documents on file with the Court, are now online (kinda). The new system is called Minnesota Court Records Online (MCRO) and can be accessed here.
The “sorta/kinda” part is due to the system being rolled out in three phases. We are in Phase 1. Right now, you need to know the Court Case File Number to search. You can always search by party or attorney name (not very well) at MNCIS (the former online Minnesota court records cite with only docket entry info and not actual filings online) to find the Court Case File Number and then go back to MCRO to access the particular documents in a court file with the Court Case File Number you obtained from MNCIS .
The court records only go back to July 1, 2015 (except Orders and Court notices which go back to July 1, 2005) and include public court documents for civil and criminal cases; public Formal Probate, Other Probate, Guardianship and Conservatorship, and Trust cases; public orders, appellate opinions, and notices prepared by the court in public Family cases and in paternity cases after paternity has been established. No docket info is available yet but it is planned to be rolled out in Phase 2 later this year. Phase 3 will include advanced searching, including searching court calendars and judgment data. Phase 3 should be rolled out in 2022.
What will not be available at any planned time in the future (although public data) are search warrants, and public documents in public Civil Commitment, Domestic Abuse, Harassment, Delinquency Felony, and Child in Need of Protection or Services (CHIPs) cases. The full Minnesota Rules Of Public Access To Records Of The Judicial Branch can be found by clicking that link.
Right now access is free but it will not be next year when the complete system is online.