Public Records in Benton County
Benton County public records cover court cases, property documents, criminal history, and vital records held by county offices and state agencies in and around Foley, Minnesota. Most records are available to the public through free online tools or by visiting county offices in person. This page breaks down each record type in Benton County, tells you which office holds it, and explains how to search or request it.
Benton County Overview
Benton County Court Records
Court records in Benton County are filed with the 7th Judicial District Court. The Court Administrator's office is at 615 Highway 23, Foley, MN 56329, and can be reached at 320-968-5205. Civil, criminal, family, and probate cases are all managed through this office. Staff can help you identify case records, explain what documents exist, and tell you how to request copies.
You can search Benton County court records online at no cost through the Minnesota Court Records Online (MCRO) portal. The portal lets you search by name, case number, or citation. You can see case types, parties, filing dates, and basic docket entries for most public cases. Full document images are not available for every case through MCRO, but the case summary gives you what you need to determine whether to request copies from the court. MCRO is available any time, does not require a login, and covers all Minnesota counties including Benton.
Certified copies require a fee per page. In-person requests are generally processed faster than mail requests. Under Minnesota Government Data Practices Act, Chapter 13, court records are presumed public unless a specific law or court order restricts access. Juvenile records and certain sealed family matters are not open to general public requests.
Note: If you need certified copies of Benton County court records, call the court administrator's office first to confirm the fee and current processing times before mailing a request.
Benton County Property Records
Property records in Benton County are managed by two offices. The Assessor, at 320-968-5077, handles valuations and tax assessment data. The Recorder, at 320-968-5037, maintains deeds, mortgages, liens, and plat maps. The Recorder's office is at 531 Dewey Street, Foley, MN 56329. The Assessor's office can be reached at the same county government complex.
The county website at co.benton.mn.us has property search and GIS mapping tools available to the public. These tools let you look up parcel data, view ownership information, and check assessed values by address or parcel number. For certified copies of recorded documents like deeds or mortgages, you need to contact the Recorder's office directly. Staff can pull documents by party name or document number. Fees depend on the number of pages and whether you need a certified copy. Recorded documents go back many decades and are indexed in the county's system.
Property tax records and assessment notices are also public. If you are tracing ownership history for a parcel, the Recorder can help you compile a chain of title from the index.
Criminal History in Benton County
The most complete source for criminal records in Benton County is the statewide database maintained by the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension. A BCA criminal history search costs $8 per subject and returns conviction data from courts across all Minnesota counties. One search covers Benton County and every other county in the state.
Local arrest and incident records for Benton County are held by the Benton County Sheriff's Office at 320-968-7201. Arrest records are classified as public data under Minnesota Statute 13.82. This means the name of the person arrested, the time and place of arrest, and the charges are available upon request. More detailed incident reports may be available depending on whether the case is still under investigation. Contact the Sheriff's Records staff with as much identifying information as possible to get the right documents.
You can search the statewide Predatory Offender Registry online for free to see registered offenders in Benton County. This registry is maintained under Minnesota Statute 243.166 and is searchable by name or zip code. For people in state custody, the Department of Corrections inmate locator is also free and available online.
Vital Records in Benton County
Birth and death certificates for Benton County residents are issued by the state, not the county. The Minnesota Department of Health Vital Records office handles all certified vital record requests. You can apply by mail, in person at the MDH office in St. Paul, or through their online request portal. Fees are set by MDH and vary by record type.
Marriage licenses in Benton County are issued by the Court Administrator's office at 615 Highway 23, Foley. You apply in person, and a waiting period applies before the license is valid. After the ceremony, the completed license is filed with the court and reported to the state. Copies of marriage records can be requested from the court administrator or from MDH for older filings. Divorce records are part of the court case file and can be searched through MCRO or requested from the Benton County court office. Divorce and dissolution proceedings are generally public record unless sealed by a judge.
Note: Minnesota restricts certified birth records for 100 years and death records for 50 years, so eligibility to request a certified copy depends on your relationship to the person named in the record.
Accessing Benton County Public Records
Benton County public records searches are straightforward when you start with the right source. MCRO covers most court record lookups online and for free. The county GIS and property search tools cover land and parcel data. The BCA covers statewide criminal history. These three tools handle a large share of records requests without requiring a trip to Foley.
For records not available online, in-person visits to county offices are the most direct option. The court administrator is on Highway 23. The Recorder is on Dewey Street. Written requests should include the subject's full name, the specific record type, and a date range if known. Under the Minnesota Government Data Practices Act, government agencies are required to respond to data requests in a timely way and explain any denials. Fees for public data must be reasonable and based on actual reproduction costs. If you run into trouble with a records request, LawHelpMN offers free guidance on your rights under Minnesota law.
| Court Administrator | 615 Highway 23, Foley, MN 56329 |
|---|---|
| Court Phone | 320-968-5205 |
| Recorder | 531 Dewey Street, Foley, MN 56329 |
| Recorder Phone | 320-968-5037 |
| Assessor | 320-968-5077 |
| Sheriff | 320-968-7201 |
| Judicial District | 7th District |
The image below is from the Benton County official website, which has department contact pages, online property search tools, and links to county services used in public records requests.
The county website lists each department with direct contact information, which makes it easy to identify the right office before you visit or call.
A second county resource worth bookmarking is the community portal for Benton County. The screenshot below is from that site, which provides additional department links and public-facing county services.
Use either site as a starting point to find the right office for your Benton County records request.
Cities in Benton County
Benton County's largest community is Sauk Rapids, followed by the county seat of Foley. Other communities in the county include St. Cloud (partially in Benton County but primarily in Stearns County) and Rice. None of the cities located primarily within Benton County meet the 100,000-population threshold for a dedicated page on this site. For St. Cloud records, visit the St. Cloud public records page, as that city's records are handled through Stearns County.
Nearby Counties
Benton County is in central Minnesota and borders several other counties, each with separate courts and records offices.