Ramsey County Criminal History Records
Ramsey County criminal history records are available through the Sheriff's Office in Saint Paul, the 2nd Judicial District Court, and several online tools that give free public access to arrest data and court cases. Ramsey County is the smallest county in Minnesota by area but the second most populous, covering the city of Saint Paul and surrounding suburbs. The county has more online tools for criminal records than most other Minnesota counties, including an active warrant search, a booking report roster, and a local criminal history lookup. This page walks through each resource so you can find what you need without making extra calls or trips.
Ramsey County Overview
Ramsey County Sheriff and Criminal History Tools
The Ramsey County Sheriff's Office is at 425 Grove St., St. Paul, MN 55101. The general phone is (651) 266-9333 and the jail line is (651) 266-9350. The Sheriff handles law enforcement for unincorporated parts of the county and operates the adult detention center. The office maintains records tied to arrests and bookings at the jail. More than most Minnesota counties, Ramsey County makes a lot of this data available online without needing to call or visit in person.
Under Minn. Stat. § 13.82, arrest data is public in Minnesota. This includes names, arrest times, charges, and the location of arrests. The Sheriff must release this information on request, with limited exceptions for active investigations or court-ordered restrictions. Ramsey County goes further than most by publishing booking reports and a warrant search tool online, giving the public direct access to data that other counties require a phone call or a visit to get.
The Ramsey County Sheriff publishes an Inmates In-Custody report updated every 30 minutes. The report at ramseycountymn.gov shows current inmates and those released within the past five days. It includes booking information and basic charge data. An open data version of the Adult Detention Center roster is also available at the county open data portal. Both are free and publicly accessible.
The Ramsey County Sheriff also operates a criminal history and arrest report lookup for Ramsey County-specific records. This tool at ramseycountymn.gov gives public access to local criminal history data held by the Sheriff's Office. This is separate from the state BCA system and covers records tied specifically to Ramsey County arrests.
| Office | Ramsey County Sheriff's Office |
|---|---|
| Address | 425 Grove St., St. Paul, MN 55101 |
| Phone | (651) 266-9333 |
| Jail Line | (651) 266-9350 |
| Booking Reports | Inmates In-Custody (updated every 30 min) |
| Open Data Roster | Ramsey County Open Data Portal |
| Local Criminal History | Sheriff Criminal History Reports |
| Sheriff Website | ramseycountymn.gov/sheriff |
The Ramsey County Sheriff's Office website is shown below. This is the main page for the department, with links to booking reports, the warrant search, and other criminal history tools.
Visit ramseycountymn.gov to access the Sheriff's Office and its public criminal history resources.
Active Warrant Search and Court Records
Ramsey County operates a free active warrant search at xnet.co.ramsey.mn.us. You can search by name to see if a person has an active arrest warrant in Ramsey County. This tool is directly managed by the Sheriff's Office and is one of the few county-level warrant search tools available in Minnesota. It is worth checking here before assuming a case is only in the state-level court system.
The 2nd Judicial District Court handles all criminal cases filed in Ramsey County. The courthouse is at 15 W Kellogg Blvd Room 72, St. Paul, MN 55102. The court phone is (651) 266-8237. Court records for Ramsey County are also accessible through the court's own records page at mncourts.gov/find-courts/ramsey/court-records. This is in addition to the statewide MCRO search tool, which covers Ramsey County cases along with every other county in the state.
Minnesota Court Records Online at publicaccess.courts.state.mn.us lets you search Ramsey County criminal cases by name or case number at no cost. Results include party names, charges, docket entries, and case status. Most adult criminal cases are available. Juvenile records and sealed cases are restricted. MCRO is usually the fastest way to check whether a person has a criminal case in Ramsey County without visiting the courthouse.
The Ramsey County active warrant search page is shown below. This tool is separate from MCRO and searches only Ramsey County warrants.
Use the Ramsey County Warrant Search to check for active arrest warrants by name.
The Ramsey County District Court page on the Minnesota Courts site is shown below. This page links to the court's contact information, services, and local records resources.
Visit mncourts.gov/Find-Courts/Ramsey for 2nd District Court contact details and services in Saint Paul.
The MCRO search portal is shown below. This is the statewide tool for searching Ramsey County and all other Minnesota county criminal cases online.
Access Minnesota Court Records Online to search Ramsey County criminal cases at no charge.
BCA Background Checks and State Criminal History
The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension manages the state's official criminal history database and collects records from courts and law enforcement agencies across the state, Ramsey County included. Two tools are open to the public. The free access site at cch.state.mn.us shows conviction data for most adults with a Minnesota criminal record. A certified background check costs $15 and is available through dps.mn.gov. Certified checks use fingerprints and return more complete results than a name-only search. For the most thorough criminal history check on a person with Ramsey County ties, a certified BCA check plus MCRO and the local Sheriff tools together give the fullest picture.
Under Minn. Stat. § 13.87, criminal history data held by law enforcement is classified as private in most situations. The BCA can release a person's own record to them on request. Third-party access is more limited under state law. The Minnesota Department of Corrections Offender Locator at coms.doc.state.mn.us is a separate tool for finding people in state prison or on DOC supervision. Both the BCA free tool and the DOC locator are publicly available at no cost.
Expungement of Ramsey County Criminal Records
Minnesota law allows people to petition to seal certain criminal records. Minn. Stat. § 609A.02 sets out who can apply and which types of charges or convictions are eligible for sealing. Expungement does not delete a record. It restricts who can access it. Law enforcement can still see sealed records in many cases, but public tools like MCRO and the Ramsey County Sheriff's arrest report lookup will no longer display the case. For people with Ramsey County records, this can matter when they want to put a past case behind them.
To start in Ramsey County, you file a petition at the 2nd District Court at 15 W Kellogg Blvd, St. Paul. The court looks at the charges, how much time has passed, and whether sealing the record serves the interest of justice. Waiting periods vary by offense type. Under Minn. Stat. § 609A.015, some cases qualify for automatic sealing without a petition. The court clerk in Saint Paul can help you determine which path applies. Ramsey County has legal aid organizations that assist with expungement, including Legal Aid Service of Northeastern Minnesota and Mid-Minnesota Legal Aid. The Minnesota Courts self-help center at mncourts.gov also has free guides and forms.
VINE Link and Inmate Notifications
VINE Link is a free national service for tracking inmate custody status at county jails and state facilities. You can search by name at vinelink.com to check whether someone is in custody at the Ramsey County Adult Detention Center or elsewhere in the state. VINE also lets you register for alerts when an inmate's status changes. Given that Ramsey County also publishes an up-to-date booking roster online, you have two solid options for checking custody status without calling the jail directly.
Cities in Ramsey County
Ramsey County includes the city of Saint Paul and several suburbs in the east metro area. Criminal cases for all cities in the county are filed with the 2nd Judicial District Court in Saint Paul.
- Saint Paul - County seat and Minnesota's capital city
Other cities in Ramsey County such as Maplewood, Roseville, Shoreview, and Arden Hills do not meet the population threshold for a dedicated city page on this site. All residents of those communities use the same county-level courts and Sheriff's Office listed above.
Nearby Counties
These counties border Ramsey County. If you need records from a neighboring area, check which county the incident occurred in before searching.