Rochester MN Background Check
Rochester is Minnesota's third-largest city and the county seat of Olmsted County. Background check searches in Rochester draw on the BCA statewide criminal history database, Olmsted County District Court records, and records held by the Rochester Police Department and Olmsted County Sheriff. This page covers all the major public record sources you can use to run a background check in Rochester, including online tools, in-person options, and mail requests.
Rochester Overview
BCA Criminal History Search
The BCA criminal history search is the broadest starting point for any background check in Rochester. The free online tool is at chs.state.mn.us. It covers felony and gross misdemeanor convictions from courts across all of Minnesota, including Olmsted County. You search by name and date of birth. No account or fee is needed for the online search.
Under Minnesota Statute 13.87, conviction records are public for 15 years from the date of conviction. That 15-year window is the standard you work with. Cases that ended in acquittal, dismissal, or a finding of not guilty are not included. The BCA gets its data from court systems, so it reflects what courts have reported. If a case was filed in Olmsted County but has not yet been resolved, it may not yet appear in the BCA database. For pending cases, check MCRO directly.
The BCA also offers fingerprint-based checks through a formal submission process. These go through state and FBI databases and are more comprehensive than the online name search. For most general public record purposes, the online tool is the right place to start. Fingerprint checks are used for licensed roles and regulated positions that require a higher level of verification.
The Minnesota DPS background check page explains the types of checks available through the BCA and how to access each one for Rochester and other Minnesota cities.
Rochester Police Department and Olmsted County Sheriff
The Rochester Police Department is located at 101 4th Street SE, Rochester, MN 55904. Their main phone number is 507-328-6800. You can find them online at rochestermn.gov/government/departments/police-department. The Olmsted County Sheriff's Office shares the same address and phone number, as both agencies operate from the same facility. The sheriff handles law enforcement in areas outside Rochester city limits, while the police department covers the city itself.
Local arrest records from the Rochester Police Department are public under Minnesota Statute 13.82. Public arrest data includes the name of the person arrested, the date, the charges filed, and the arresting agency. Police reports are available under Minnesota's Government Data Practices Act, though portions of active investigations or records involving protected data may be withheld. To request records, contact the Records Unit directly. Have the subject's full name and date of birth ready, and note the approximate date of the incident if you have it.
Olmsted County District Court
All district court cases in Rochester are filed at Olmsted County District Court, located at 151 4th Street SE, Rochester, MN 55904. That is just one block from the police building. The court phone number is 507-328-7600. Their page on the Minnesota courts site is at mncourts.gov/Find-Courts/Olmsted.aspx. The court handles felony, gross misdemeanor, misdemeanor, civil, family, and probate cases.
Court records form the foundation of most criminal background checks. A charge filed in Olmsted County District Court that leads to a conviction becomes part of the BCA criminal history database. Active cases, pending charges, and recently filed matters may appear in court records before they show up in the BCA. Certified copies of court documents cost $14 per document and can be requested from the clerk's office. Juvenile records are sealed. Expunged records are removed from public access under court order.
Minnesota Court Records Online
MCRO is the free public portal for Minnesota court records at mncourts.gov/access-case-records/mcro. You can search by name across all 87 counties, including Olmsted. MCRO shows case index information, charge descriptions, hearing dates, and case status. Most basic searches are free. Document images may carry a small fee. MCRO is especially useful for finding pending or recently filed cases that have not yet reached the BCA conviction database.
The BCA public criminal history search is the primary statewide tool for finding conviction records in Rochester and across Minnesota.
MPA Remote Access
Minnesota Public Access Remote gives paid subscribers deeper access to court records than MCRO provides. Log in at pa.courts.state.mn.us. MPA Remote includes document images and full charge histories for cases in all Minnesota counties. There is a subscription fee. Legal professionals and frequent users tend to use it. For a single one-time search, start with the free MCRO tool first.
DOC Offender Locator
The Minnesota Department of Corrections maintains a free public Offender Locator at coms.doc.state.mn.us/PublicViewer. This tool shows people currently in a Minnesota correctional facility or under active DOC supervision such as supervised release or probation. It does not show people who have finished their sentence. If you want to know whether a specific person is currently in state custody or under DOC supervision, use this tool. Results are updated regularly but may not reflect the most current changes in real time.
Data Practices Act and Expungement
Minnesota's Government Data Practices Act governs what records are public and what stays private. Statute 13.82 makes arrest data public, and Statute 13.87 makes conviction data public for 15 years. Both apply fully in Olmsted County. Arrest data becomes public at the time of booking. Conviction data remains public until the 15-year window closes or until a court grants expungement.
Expungement under Statute 609A allows a court to seal a person's criminal records from public view. If expungement is granted, all agencies, including police, courts, and corrections, must seal their records. After expungement, the record will not appear in standard public searches, including the BCA database. This means a background check may not reflect a person's full history if some records have been expunged. The process requires a petition to the court, and not all offenses are eligible.
Mail Requests to the BCA
Background check requests can be submitted by mail to the BCA at 1430 Maryland Avenue E, St. Paul, MN 55106. The fee is $15 per name. Include full name, date of birth, and a check or money order payable to the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension. Processing takes approximately two weeks. Call 651-793-2400 with questions about mail requests.
DHS Background Studies
Some roles in Minnesota require a Department of Human Services background study under Statute 245C. These studies are required for people in direct contact with children or vulnerable adults in licensed care settings. They are not the same as a general public record search. The DHS study covers a broader set of disqualifying offenses and uses a separate submission process. If a DHS study is required, it must be completed through the DHS system rather than through the BCA public tool.
Nearby Cities
Rochester sits in southeastern Minnesota and is the only qualifying city in Olmsted County. The nearest cities with background check pages are in the Twin Cities metro area, which is about 90 miles to the northwest.