Lake County Public Records
Lake County public records are maintained by county offices and state agencies along the North Shore of Lake Superior. Court filings, property documents, criminal history, and vital records are all accessible through official Minnesota sources, and this guide covers the offices, phone numbers, and online tools you need to find what you are looking for. Most records are public under Minnesota law, and many can be found online without a formal request.
Lake County Overview
Lake County Court Records
Court records in Lake County are filed with the 6th Judicial District Court. The Court Administrator's office is at 601 3rd Avenue, Two Harbors, MN 55616. You can call them at 218-834-8330. The office handles civil, criminal, family, and probate matters. Staff can help you identify case types and explain what documents are available for a given case and what copies will cost.
The Minnesota Court Records Online (MCRO) portal is the best free tool for searching Lake County court records. You can look up cases by name, case number, or citation number. The system shows case types, filing dates, hearing schedules, and basic docket information. No account is needed for a basic search. MCRO does not show every document in a case file, but it tells you what was filed and when, which is often enough to confirm whether a case exists and what its status is. For full document access, you may need to visit the courthouse or submit a written request.
Certified copies of court documents carry a per-page fee set by state law. Same-day processing is available in person when staff allow. Mail requests take longer. Under Minnesota Government Data Practices Act, Chapter 13, most court records are open to the public unless sealed by a judge. If a record is restricted, the court must tell you why it cannot be released.
Note: Juvenile and certain family court records in Lake County are confidential by law and are not available to the general public without a court order.
Lake County Property Records
Property records in Lake County are split between two offices, both at 601 3rd Avenue, Two Harbors, MN 55616. The County Assessor, reachable at 218-834-8317, handles property valuations and tax assessment data. The County Recorder at 218-834-8335 maintains recorded documents including deeds, mortgages, liens, easements, and plat maps. Both offices are open during regular county business hours.
Recorded documents in Lake County go back many decades and are indexed by party name and parcel number. The Lake County official website provides links to online GIS mapping tools where you can search by address or parcel ID to pull up ownership information, assessed values, and parcel boundaries. The Recorder's office can provide certified copies of recorded documents for a per-page fee. Ownership history and chain-of-title research can be done by visiting the Recorder or by requesting documents by mail if you know the document details you need.
Tax records are also public in Lake County. If you want to check whether taxes are current on a property, or find out the tax parcel number for a piece of land, the Assessor's office is the right contact. This kind of research is common for title work, real estate purchases, and legal disputes involving real property.
Criminal History in Lake County
The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) maintains a statewide criminal history database. A BCA criminal history search costs $8 and returns conviction records from across Minnesota, not just Lake County. This is the most reliable source for checking an individual's statewide record, and results include felonies, gross misdemeanors, and some misdemeanor convictions.
For local arrest records and incident reports, contact the Lake County Sheriff's Office at 218-834-8385. Sheriff records are largely public under Minnesota Statute 13.82, which requires law enforcement agencies to release certain data including the name of the person arrested, the date and location of arrest, and the charges. Not all details in an incident report are public, so it helps to be specific about what you need when you make a request.
The state's Predatory Offender Registry, maintained under Minnesota Statute 243.166, lets you search for registered offenders by name or location. Searches are free online and include offenders living in Lake County. The Minnesota Department of Corrections inmate search is also free and shows people currently held in state correctional facilities.
Vital Records in Lake County
Birth and death certificates for events in Minnesota are issued by the Minnesota Department of Health Vital Records office. These records are not stored at the county level. You must request them from MDH directly, either online, by mail, or in person at the state office in St. Paul. Fees apply and vary by record type and delivery method.
Marriage licenses in Lake County are issued by the County Court Administrator's office at 601 3rd Avenue, Two Harbors. Once a ceremony is complete, the officiant returns the license to the court. Copies of marriage records can be requested from the court office or from MDH for older records. Divorce decrees are court records and are filed with the Court Administrator in Two Harbors. You can search for divorce case information through MCRO and request certified copies from the court office. Staff can tell you the current fee for copies when you call or visit.
Note: Birth records in Minnesota are restricted for 100 years and death records for 50 years. Only eligible parties can obtain certified copies during those periods.
How to Access Lake County Public Records
Most Lake County public records can be reached in one of three ways: online through state and county portals, in person at the county offices in Two Harbors, or by submitting a written request. For court records, MCRO is the fastest online option. Property records are searchable through the county GIS tools. Criminal history goes through the BCA. Vital records come from MDH.
If the record you need is not online, visit the county offices at 601 3rd Avenue in Two Harbors during regular business hours. Staff can help you identify the right office and tell you what to bring or what information to include in a written request. Under the Minnesota Government Data Practices Act, any government agency must respond to a records request within a reasonable time and must explain in writing if a request is denied. If you need help navigating a records request, LawHelpMN provides free guidance and referrals for low-income residents.
Fees for public records in Lake County vary by type. Court copy fees, recorder document fees, and vital record fees each follow separate schedules. There is no single flat fee across all record types. Ask the relevant office what the current fee is before submitting a request.
| Office | Lake County Court Administrator |
|---|---|
| Address | 601 3rd Avenue, Two Harbors, MN 55616 |
| Phone | 218-834-8330 |
| Sheriff | 218-834-8385 |
| Assessor | 218-834-8317 |
| Recorder | 218-834-8335 |
| Judicial District | 6th District |
Below is a screenshot from the Lake County official website, which lists county departments and contact information for public records requests.
The Lake County website at co.lake.mn.us links to county departments and GIS tools and is a good starting point if you are not sure which office holds the records you need.
Cities in Lake County
Lake County is a largely rural county along the Lake Superior shoreline. Two Harbors is the county seat and the largest community in the county, but it does not meet the 100,000-population threshold for a dedicated city page on this site. Other communities include Silver Bay, Beaver Bay, and Schroeder. None of these cities have dedicated public records pages here.
Nearby Counties
Lake County borders several other Minnesota counties, each with their own courts and records offices.