Minnesota Statewide Criminal Background Check
Order a real-time Minnesota statewide criminal background check for $20 per name. BCS Background Screening LLC searches the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension criminal history file and Minnesota Judicial branch (MCRO). The redundancy helps us collect criminal data from all 87 counties. Results return in real time, and a researcher reviews every record before you see it.
What a Minnesota statewide criminal background check gives you
Minnesota runs one central criminal history file, and the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension maintains it. Courts and prosecutors across all 87 counties report convictions to it. So a single name search reaches the whole state at once.
Our Minnesota search runs in real time against that file. In addition, a researcher reads every returned record and checks the identifiers. Consequently you receive a clean, readable report rather than raw repository text.
All 87 counties, one order
District courts statewide feed the same repository. Therefore one search covers Hennepin, Ramsey and every rural county together.
Real-time response
The search hits the state system while your order stays open. As a result, clear files usually post within minutes.
Researcher review on every hit
A person compares the name, the date of birth and the reported aliases. Look-alike records get flagged instead of forwarded.
Court-level detail on hits
Records arrive with the court file number, the charge, the plea and the sentence. You see the whole disposition, not a bare flag.
Built for FCRA and Minnesota rules
We deliver the search as a consumer report. Minnesota also lets the applicant request a copy, and we send it within 24 hours.
Flat $20, no state fee
Minnesota charges nothing for public conviction data. Accordingly, your price stays $20 per name with no access fee attached.
What the Minnesota repository reports — and what it leaves out
Minnesota treats criminal history as government data, and the Data Practices Act sets the public line. Convictions stay public for 15 years after the sentence is complete. However, several record types never appear at all.
Reported to the state file
- Felony, gross misdemeanor and misdemeanor convictions
- Conviction level, statute and disposition date
- Court name, court file number and controlling agency
- Prison bookings, custody agency and term
- Reported names, aliases and reported dates of birth
- Data reported from district courts in all 87 counties
Not available in the public file
- Arrest history, since arrests are not public data
- Convictions older than 15 years past sentence completion
- Juvenile records, which stay private under Minn. Stat. 299C.095
- Records sealed by expungement, including Clean Slate sealing
- Convictions from other states and federal court cases
- Many misdemeanor arrests that agencies never report
Because of those gaps, many Minnesota employers add a county criminal court search where the applicant has lived or worked. We can attach counties to the same order.
Minnesota publishes a free search. Here is why employers still order this one
The Department of Public Safety runs a free public criminal history site. Anyone may search it with a first name, last name and date of birth. Still, a free lookup and a compliant screening report are different things.
| Consideration | Free public site | BCS Background Screening LLC |
|---|---|---|
| Is it a consumer report under the FCRA? | No | Yes, with disclosure and adverse action tools |
| Who confirms the record belongs to your applicant? | You do | A researcher compares identifiers on every hit |
| Dispute and reinvestigation channel | None | Included at no charge |
| Copy to the applicant within 24 hours | Not offered | Handled for you under Minn. Stat. 13C.02 |
| County court add-ons on the same order | No | Yes, plus federal, MVR and verifications |
| Audit trail for an EEOC or FCRA file | Screenshot only | Stored report, ordered and timestamped |
One more practical point matters. The state warns that fingerprints alone guarantee a record belongs to a specific person. Therefore a name-based result always deserves a second look, and that review is exactly what you buy here.
How Minnesota courts feed the state file
Minnesota uses one trial court, the District Court. Ten judicial districts cover the 87 counties, and every district reports to the same statewide systems. That structure makes a true statewide search possible.
Where the public case portal stops
Minnesota Court Records Online publishes many district court records. Even so, it excludes civil commitment, domestic abuse, harassment and child protection files. Documents filed before 1 July 2015 often require a call to local court administration.
Employers should not treat a portal screenshot as a screening step. Instead, order the state search, then add counties when the role justifies deeper work.
How we confirm identity on a name-based search
A Minnesota name search matches on name and date of birth. Common names therefore pull records that belong to somebody else. Four steps keep those records out of your file.
1. Start with the SSN trace
The trace returns reported names, aliases and address history. So you learn which jurisdictions to search before you spend anything.
2. Match the reported identifiers
Minnesota returns reported names and reported dates of birth on each subject. Our researchers compare those fields against your applicant data.
3. Pull the court file when needed
Some hits need the district court record to confirm the person or the sentence. In those cases we order the county search and report both.
4. Give the applicant a real dispute path
Disputed records go back for reinvestigation at no charge. Minnesota also lets a person obtain their own record directly from the state.
Sample Minnesota statewide criminal report
Below is a full Minnesota statewide criminal background check, laid out the way your account displays it. Every name, date of birth and case number here is fictitious. The field names, the agencies and the record structure, however, match a live result.
Drugs — 1st Degree — Sale — 10 Grams or More — Cocaine / Heroin / Meth within a 90-Day Period
Commit to Commissioner of Corrections — Adult: 99 months
In plain terms: a first-degree controlled substance sale conviction, with a 99-month prison commitment and 923 days of credit for time served.
The Bureau of Criminal Apprehension record
Your account stores the state record behind the summary above. Read it whenever a hit needs a closer look, because it carries the reported names and the custody detail.
- Cortez, Ramon Elias
- Cortez, Ramon
| Disposition Date | Statute | Conviction Level | Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| 09/20/2025 | 152.021.1(1) | Drugs — 1st Degree — Sale — 10 Grams or More — Cocaine / Heroin / Meth within a 90-Day Period | Felony | — |
| Confinement Date | Statute | Details |
|---|---|---|
| 09/20/2025 | 152.021.1(1) | Drugs — 1st Degree — Sale — 10 Grams or More — Cocaine / Heroin / Meth within a 90-Day Period | — |
152.021.1(1) | Drugs — 1st Degree — Sale — 10 Grams or More — Cocaine / Heroin / Meth within a 90-Day Period
152.021.1(1) | Drugs — 1st Degree — Sale — 10 Grams or More — Cocaine / Heroin / Meth within a 90-Day Period
The Minnesota Judicial Branch case record
Court data adds the procedural history behind the conviction. Above all, it shows the charge as filed, the plea, the sentence and the costs.
| Status | Date | Time | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Warrant Status 1 | March 11, 2023 | 7:10 PM | Warrant Cleared by Warrant Office |
| Warrant Status 2 | March 11, 2023 | 1:56 PM | Issued Active |
Amount: $750,000.00
Drug Sale — 1st Degree Drug Sale
MN Correctional Facility, St. Cloud — 99 months
Report on 09/20/2025 at 1:30 PM
Credit for time served: 923 days
1. Supply DNA sample — 09/20/2025
2. Do not ship, transport, possess or receive a firearm or ammunition — 09/20/2025
| Fees | Amount |
|---|---|
| Fine | $50.00 |
| Law Library Fees | $3.00 |
| Controlled Substance | $50.00 |
| Criminal / Traffic Surcharge (once per case) | $75.00 |
| Grand total | $128.00 |
Sample notice: this report is an illustration. RAMON ELIAS CORTEZ does not exist. The case numbers, court file number, BCA case number, judicial officer names and address shown here are fictitious. Agency names and statute citations appear so the format reads true to a live Minnesota result.
Minnesota rules your hiring team must follow
Minnesota regulates screening more tightly than most states. Our full breakdown lives on the Minnesota background screening laws page. Meanwhile, four rules shape almost every Minnesota order.
Ban the box applies to private employers
Minn. Stat. 364.021 has covered private employers since January 1, 2014. You may not ask about criminal history until the applicant is selected for an interview. Where no interview happens, wait for the conditional offer. The Commissioner of Human Rights enforces it.
The applicant may request a copy
Minn. Stat. 13C.02 requires a check box on your disclosure. If the applicant checks it, the screening company must send the report within 24 hours. We handle that delivery for you automatically.
Clean Slate seals records automatically
Minn. Stat. 609A.015 took effect on January 1, 2025. Qualifying records seal after two to five years, depending on offense level. Sealed records leave the public file, and employers may not consider them.
Two clocks limit what appears
Minnesota keeps conviction data public for 15 years after sentence completion. Separately, the FCRA blocks non-convictions after seven years, and that block lifts at a $75,000 salary.
This page explains general rules and does not give legal advice. Ask your employment counsel before you build or change a screening policy.
How to order your Minnesota search
1. Open your account
Finish the online application and our credentialing review. Open an account in minutes, with no setup fee.
2. Time the question correctly
Wait until the interview selection or the conditional offer. Then give a stand-alone FCRA disclosure carrying the Minnesota copy check box.
3. Enter the name and date of birth
Select State Criminal Search, choose Minnesota, then submit. Add counties, a federal search or motor vehicle records to the same order.
4. Review the result
Clear files post in real time, and records post after researcher review. Afterward, download the PDF or push results into your applicant file.
Every BCS Background Screening LLC account includes optional Multiple Authentication Factor (MAF) sign-in. It adds a second identity check for your users.
Minnesota statewide criminal background check pricing
Pricing stays simple, and it prints on every invoice. You pay per name searched, with no contract and no monthly minimum.
| Item | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Minnesota statewide criminal search | $20.00 | Flat, per name searched, real time |
| State access fee | $0.00 | Minnesota charges nothing for public conviction data |
| SSN trace and address history | $10.00 | Included free with every search package |
| County criminal court search | $18.00 | Plus court fees, where a district court file needs review |
| Setup, minimums and contracts | None | Order one name or a thousand |
Minnesota statewide criminal background check FAQs
What is a Minnesota statewide criminal background check?
It is a name and date-of-birth search of the criminal history file held by the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension. District courts in all 87 Minnesota counties report convictions into that file. Therefore one order covers the whole state instead of a single courthouse.
How much does a Minnesota statewide criminal background check cost?
BCS Background Screening LLC charges a flat $20 per name. Minnesota adds no state access fee, because public conviction data carries no charge. No setup fee, contract or monthly minimum applies either.
How long does a Minnesota search take?
The search runs in real time against the state system. Clear files typically post within minutes. A returned record waits for researcher review. If a hit needs court confirmation, we tell you before the order closes.
What records does the Minnesota criminal history file include?
It holds felony, gross misdemeanor and misdemeanor convictions reported by Minnesota courts. Each entry carries the statute, the conviction level, the disposition date and the court. Prison bookings, custody agency and term appear where the subject served a state sentence.
What does the Minnesota statewide search leave out?
Arrest history stays out, since arrests are not public data in Minnesota. Convictions drop off 15 years after the sentence is complete. Juvenile records remain private under Minn. Stat. 299C.095, sealed records never appear, and out-of-state and federal cases fall outside the file entirely.
Minnesota offers a free public criminal history search. Why order this one?
A free lookup is not a consumer report. So it carries no FCRA disclosure, no adverse action tools and no dispute channel. You also verify identity yourself. Our search adds researcher review, court follow-up, the Minnesota 24-hour copy duty and a stored audit trail.
When may a Minnesota employer ask about criminal history?
Not on the application. Minn. Stat. 364.021 bars the question until the applicant is selected for an interview. Where no interview occurs, wait for the conditional offer. The Minnesota Department of Human Rights enforces the rule, and penalties escalate with employer size.
Does the applicant receive a copy of the Minnesota report?
Only if they ask for one. Minn. Stat. 13C.02 requires your disclosure to carry a check box for that request. When the box comes back checked, the screening company must send the report within 24 hours. We handle that step automatically.
Run your first Minnesota search today
Open an account, submit a name, and read the result in real time. Our team in Coral Gables answers the phone when a record needs a second look.
(800) 661-0278 • support@usabackground.com • Our quality review team works 24/7/365
Drugs — Conspiracies, Prohibited Acts and Penalties (152.096.1); Minimum Fines, Controlled Substance Offenses (609.101.3)