Dakota County Court Administrator

Role of the Dakota County Court Administrator

The Court Administrator is the official local court records office for Dakota County District Court. The Minnesota Judicial Branch lists Maria King as Dakota County Court Administrator. The office is the right contact for certified court documents, calendars, civil and family motion dates, probate inquiries, juvenile questions, court-specific policies, and division contacts. Court Administration is part of the Minnesota Judicial Branch, while Dakota County Data Practices handles non-court county records.

Readers searching for a "Dakota County clerk of court" will land on the Court Administrator. The state page uses "Court Administrator," but the office performs the same records function that a clerk of court performs in other states. There is no separate elected county clerk for Dakota court records. The Dakota County Find Courts page publishes the division phone list and judicial officer roster for the county.

Dakota County Court Administration Locations

Court Administration windows operate at three Dakota County District Court locations. The Judicial Center in Hastings is the primary location. The Western Service Center in Apple Valley and the Northern Service Center in West St. Paul also handle service functions. All three operate during weekday business hours, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., excluding court holidays.

Dakota County Court Administration Division Phones

Court Administration uses division-specific phone numbers for routing. The list below is taken from the Minnesota Judicial Branch's Dakota page. For payments on fines, the MN Court Payment Center is 651-281-3219 in the metro and 800-657-3611 outside the metro.

Requesting Certified Copies from Dakota County Court Administration

MCRO records are not certified court records. For a certified Dakota County court document, the request goes through Court Administration. Certified copies are typically issued at the counter for present court files; older files may need to be pulled from records storage. Plan to bring the case number, an ID, and payment for any certified-copy fee that applies under Minn. Stat. 357.021.

1. Identify the case number, parties, and document needed.
2. Choose a counter: Judicial Center, Western Service Center, or Northern Service Center.
3. Confirm hours before traveling: 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, court holidays excluded.
4. Bring an ID and the case number; mail and phone requests are also accepted.
5. Pay the certified-copy fee per Minn. Stat. 357.021 at the counter.
6. For an older file, expect a longer turnaround while the file is retrieved.

Dakota County Court Administration Fees

Many court fees in Minnesota are set by Minn. Stat. 357.021. The Minnesota Judicial Branch publishes a court fees summary at mncourts.gov/help-topics/court-fees. Fee waivers are available for filers who cannot pay; the In Forma Pauperis process is described in the Judicial Branch help materials and forms library. The exact fee for a Dakota County certified copy or filing should be confirmed with Court Administration before payment.

Civil and Family Motion Scheduling in Dakota County

Dakota County has a local pre-filing step for civil and family motions. The official court page says a hearing date or motion date must be obtained from Dakota County Court Administration before motion paperwork is submitted. That avoids the common error of filing a motion without a hearing date and having the document returned for scheduling. Both Civil and Family Divisions use the same phone, 651-377-7900, for motion scheduling.

How to File a Dakota County Court Records Request

For a Dakota County court records request, the workflow is direct. Online public documents are free through MCRO Case Search and the related tabs. For certified court documents or older files not in MCRO, the request goes to Court Administration. For non-court county data, the request goes to the Dakota County Data Practices office under the Minnesota Government Data Practices Act, not Court Administration. The public records page walks through that workflow in detail.

Probate, Juvenile, and Specialty Contacts

Some Dakota County functions are tied only to the Judicial Center. The Probate Division, including Mental Health and Adoptions, sits at the Judicial Center and uses 651-377-7974. The Juvenile Division also sits at the Judicial Center and uses 651-377-7188. Jury service operates from the Judicial Center at 651-377-7970, with a 24-hour recording at 651-377-7170. Treatment courts (Adult Drug Court, DWI Court, Family Dependency Treatment Court, Juvenile Drug Court, Dakota/Carver Veterans Court) are scheduled by Court Administration in coordination with the relevant program team.

Court Administration vs County Data Practices

The split between court records and county records is the most common point of confusion. Dakota County Data Practices, under co.dakota.mn.us/Government/DataPractices, handles non-court county data. Court Administration handles court files. Court records follow the Minnesota Rules of Public Access; county data follows the Minnesota Government Data Practices Act. Each office can decline a request that is outside its scope and refer the requester to the correct office.

Related Dakota County Pages

For court case searches, see court records. For trial-court structure and judges, see District Court. For probate filings, see probate records. For non-court county data, see public records. For court calendars and dockets, see court dockets.