Search Big Stone County Court Records
Big Stone County court records are searched through Minnesota Court Records Online, usually called MCRO. MCRO is the public statewide portal for Minnesota District Court records, not a county-run database. It has separate tabs for case search, document search, hearing search, and judgment search. For a Big Stone County Court case lookup, select Big Stone in the county/location controls when the search should stay local. If no county is chosen, the same name may return records from other Minnesota counties.
The official MCRO Case Search page allows name, case number, citation number, and attorney searches. Big Stone examples in official court-calendar material use case numbers such as 06-CR-25-56, 06-CO-26-22, and 06-PR-16-17. MCRO warns that pending criminal, traffic, and petty misdemeanor cases with no conviction may not appear by defendant name. Use a case number search when that warning might apply.
- Open MCRO and choose the search tab that matches the information available: name, case number, citation number, or attorney.
- Select Big Stone in the county/location list to limit results to Big Stone County District Court.
- Enter the required fields, such as first and last name, exact case number, or citation number.
- Review the case details, Register of Actions, hearing entries, and public documents if MCRO shows them.
- Contact Big Stone County Court Administration for certified copies, older files, or records that are not remotely available.
| MCRO field | How it helps in Big Stone County |
|---|---|
| Name | Search a person or business, then narrow by Big Stone County and filing date. |
| Case Number | Best for pending criminal, traffic, and petty misdemeanor cases that may not show by name. |
| Citation Number | Useful for traffic and payable citation matters tied to District Court. |
| Case Category | Filters civil, criminal, family, and probate or mental-health records. |
| Date Filed | Reduces broad name results, especially common surnames or older cases. |
The Minnesota Judicial Branch MCRO overview shows the same statewide access model that Big Stone County uses for public district court records.
That portal is the main starting point for Big Stone County court records, but it is not a certified-copy counter and it is not a criminal background check service.
Big Stone County District Court
Big Stone County District Court is the county's state trial court. Minnesota has a unified District Court system, and the Big Stone court has original jurisdiction in civil, family, probate, juvenile, criminal, and traffic cases filed in the county. No separate county court, justice court, or municipal court was located for Big Stone state trial-court records.
Big Stone County is part of the Eighth Judicial District. The district includes Big Stone, Chippewa, Grant, Kandiyohi, Lac qui Parle, Meeker, Pope, Renville, Stevens, Swift, Traverse, Wilkin, and Yellow Medicine Counties. Appeals from Big Stone County District Court generally go to the Minnesota Court of Appeals, with further review possible in the Minnesota Supreme Court.
| Court or office | Role for Big Stone County records | Contact path |
|---|---|---|
| Big Stone County District Court | Trial court for civil, family, probate, juvenile, criminal, and traffic cases. | 20 S.E. Second Street, Ortonville, (320) 849-7005. |
| Court Administration | Local counter, calendar, certified copies, and records questions. Court Administrator: Rachel Schmidt. | Same courthouse, fax (320) 839-2537. |
| Eighth Judicial District | District-level administration for the 13-county judicial district. | Judicial Branch district page. |
| Minnesota Court of Appeals | Reviews most final decisions from District Court. | State appellate court page. |
For a court-structure source, the Minnesota Judicial Branch court overview explains how the Supreme Court, Court of Appeals, and District Courts fit together.
The unified structure is the reason Big Stone County District Court appears across many record types rather than just one court-record category.
Big Stone County Court Contact
The courthouse is in Ortonville at 20 S.E. Second Street, Ortonville, MN 56278. District Court hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The county's general contact page lists the same courthouse area as 20 Second St SE and gives county office hours of Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Use the District Court hours for court counter needs and the county hours for county offices.
Big Stone County District Court
20 S.E. Second Street
Ortonville, MN 56278
(320) 849-7005
Monday-Friday, 8:00 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
Big Stone County Courthouse
20 Second St SE
Ortonville, MN 56278
(320) 487-1200
County offices Monday-Friday, 8:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m.
Big Stone County Law Library
20 2nd St. SE
Ortonville, MN 56278
(320) 487-1111
LexisNexis access is available only in the courthouse law library.
The Big Stone County contact page also lists county facilities and business hours.
That county contact source is useful when the record is not a Judicial Branch case file, such as county administration, family services, or highway department data.
Big Stone County Court Record Types
Big Stone County court records include civil actions, conciliation cases, evictions, money judgments, criminal cases, family matters, probate cases, juvenile cases, and traffic citations. The case category filter in MCRO includes Civil, Criminal, Family, and Probate or Mental Health. Traffic may appear through citation and criminal or petty misdemeanor channels depending on the charge and case status.
Court records are not the same as all public records in Big Stone County. Marriage licenses and certified marriage certificates are handled by the Big Stone County Recorder. Divorce decrees are District Court records. Sheriff records, jail inquiries, and warrant questions start with the Sheriff's Department unless the issue is clearly a court case or court hearing.
- Civil records: complaints, summonses, motions, orders, judgments, evictions, and conciliation claims.
- Criminal records: complaints, charges, hearings, pleas, warrants, disposition, sentencing, and probation events.
- Family records: dissolution, custody, parenting time, paternity, child support, and orders for protection.
- Probate records: estates, wills, personal representatives, guardianship, conservatorship, and mental-health category records.
- Traffic records: citations, payable offenses, DWI or criminal traffic, fines, hearings, and failure-to-appear events.
The county department directory is the official local source for offices such as the County Attorney, Sheriff, Recorder, and county administration.
Department routing matters because the Court Administrator, Sheriff, County Attorney, and Recorder do not hold the same files.
Big Stone County Court Access Rules
Big Stone County court records are Judicial Branch records, so the Minnesota Rules of Public Access govern case-record access. County executive-branch records, such as many sheriff or county administration records, use the Minnesota Government Data Practices Act and the county's Chapter 13 data practices policy. The right channel depends on who keeps the record.
Key access rules:
Rule 4 says court case records are generally accessible unless a rule, statute, or court order restricts them.
Rule 8 controls inspection, copying, bulk distribution, and remote access to court records.
Minn. Stat. § 13.03 governs public access to government data outside the Judicial Branch.
Minn. Stat. § 13.87 governs criminal-history data and supports BCA public criminal history access.
The Big Stone County public data policy says a public requester should describe the data sought, state whether they want inspection, copies, or both, and refer to Chapter 13. The county cannot require a person to identify themself or explain why they want public data. Court case access, however, still follows Judicial Branch rules rather than the county policy.
The Judicial Branch access case records page ties MCRO and public-access rules together for Minnesota court users.
Use that statewide access page when the question is about a court file, remote document availability, or case records in MCRO.
Restricted Big Stone County Court Records
Some Big Stone County court records will not be open online even when a case exists. Juvenile delinquency and juvenile protection access can depend on case type, offense, age, party status, and court order. Adoption records are confidential under Minnesota law unless release is authorized. Mental-health commitment records and confidential information forms may be withheld or partly redacted.
Expunged and sealed records are also outside ordinary public search. Minnesota chapter 609A governs many expungements, including petition-based sealing. BCA materials noted in the research also describe cannabis and Clean Slate updates that may remove certain criminal-history records from BCA CHS, while some court files still require a court order. If MCRO does not show a record, that absence is not proof that no case exists.
- Register of Actions
- The chronological docket-event list for a case.
- Disposition
- The outcome of a case or charge.
- Expungement
- Sealing of qualifying records under statute or court order.
- Certified copy
- An official copy authenticated by court staff for legal use.
Big Stone County Sheriff Records
The Big Stone County Sheriff's Department is at 11 SE 2nd Street, Suite 101, Ortonville, MN 56278. The official page lists phone (320) 839-3558, emergency 911, weekday hours of 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and weekend hours of 8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. with a note that weekend hours may vary. The department list names Mark Brown as County Sheriff.
No official Big Stone County online jail roster or active-warrant database was located in the official sources. Inmate and custody checks should use the sheriff's phone line, Minnesota VINE for custody notifications, and the Minnesota DOC locator when the person is under state prison or supervised-release jurisdiction. Warrant questions may require the sheriff, Court Administration, or an MCRO case-number search.
Big Stone County uses Smart911 emergency alert notifications, but no official sheriff or police mobile app was located for inmate or warrant lookup.
The District Court and sheriff channels often connect after arrest, but booking status, charges, and case disposition are separate record questions.
Big Stone County Marriage Divorce Probate
Marriage, divorce, and probate records split across offices. The Big Stone County Recorder handles marriage licenses and certified marriage certificates. Marriage records date back to 1881, and the county marriage page lists a $125 license fee effective July 1, 2025, a $50 reduced fee with qualifying premarital education, and a $9 certified marriage certificate fee.
Divorce decrees are District Court records, not Minnesota Department of Health records. Probate is handled in the Probate Division of District Court, not a separate probate courthouse. Probate cases can be searched in MCRO by name or case number with the Probate or Mental Health category selected. A probate case-number example from official calendar material is 06-PR-16-17.
| Record | Big Stone County custodian | Access route |
|---|---|---|
| Marriage license | Recorder | MOMS application and in-person county issuance. |
| Marriage certificate | Recorder | Certified copies only if the license was issued in Big Stone County. |
| Divorce decree | District Court | MCRO search and Court Administration certified-copy request. |
| Probate estate file | District Court | MCRO Probate or Mental Health category and Court Administration. |
Big Stone County Court Fees
Copy and filing fees come from the statewide Minnesota District Court Fees schedule. Big Stone County Court Administration can confirm which fee applies to a local request, but the official schedule identifies the main copy charges used for civil and criminal proceedings. Fee waiver information is available through the Judicial Branch fee waiver page.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Certified copy of an instrument from a civil or criminal proceeding | $14 |
| Exemplified and certified copy | $28 |
| Exemplified and uncertified copy | $14 |
| Uncertified copy of an instrument | $0 |
| Certified screen print from case-management system | $14 |
| Scanning fee | $25 per 50 pages or part |
Note: Filing fees, citation fines, and probate fees vary by case type, so verify the current category before paying.
Big Stone County Court History
The Judicial Branch courthouse history gives Big Stone County more record context than many small counties. The county was established on February 20, 1862, but early legal matters were attached to Renville County and then handled by Stevens County before Big Stone's organization stabilized. That matters for very old court and genealogy research.
A courthouse building burned in 1885, and a store building was used until a new courthouse was built the next spring. The current courthouse was built in 1902, designed by Fremont D. Orff, and built by D.H. Olsen. The history page describes light tan brick, Ortonville granite, and a blend of Romanesque and Classical formal features.
The official history page includes Big Stone County courthouse information and imagery.
The courthouse history helps explain why some older records may require office contact rather than an online search.
Big Stone County Appeals
Most final decisions from Big Stone County District Court move to the Minnesota Court of Appeals. The Court of Appeals reviews final trial-court decisions, agency decisions, and local-government decisions. The Minnesota Supreme Court is the court of last resort and also manages statewide judicial administration.
The Court of Appeals source identifies the appellate review path for ordinary District Court cases.
Appeal records are not filed at the local recorder or sheriff. They follow the appellate court system after the District Court decision.
The Minnesota Supreme Court page is the high court source for the state judiciary.
Supreme Court review is separate from local certified-copy requests at Big Stone County Court Administration.
Big Stone County Court Records FAQ
Where do Big Stone County court records start?
Start with MCRO for public Minnesota District Court case records. Choose Big Stone County when the county selector is available, then use name, case number, citation number, or attorney search.
Who is the local court records contact?
Big Stone County Court Administration is the local court contact. The Judicial Branch page lists Court Administrator Rachel Schmidt, phone (320) 849-7005, and the courthouse address in Ortonville.
Is there a Big Stone County jail roster online?
No official online Big Stone County jail roster was located in the reviewed county sources. Call the Sheriff's Department, use Minnesota VINE for custody status, or use the DOC locator for state prison and supervision records.
Are marriage records court records?
No. Big Stone County marriage licenses and certified marriage certificates are handled by the Recorder. Divorce decrees are District Court records.
Can MCRO be used for background checks?
MCRO itself warns not to use it for background checks. Use the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension Public Criminal History Search for official public criminal-history lookup.
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