Fillmore County Criminal Background Check

A Fillmore County background check gives you access to criminal history records, court case files, and public records from this southeast Minnesota county along the Iowa border. Preston serves as the county seat, and the Sheriff's Office and District Court are both located there. The BCA criminal history database and the state court records portal are free online tools that cover most searches, and the county offices are available for certified copies and older records.

BCA Criminal History Search

The BCA Criminal History Search is the primary resource for a Fillmore County background check. The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension makes this database freely available online. You search by first name, last name, and date of birth. The system pulls up conviction records from Minnesota courts statewide. Fillmore County cases are included in the same statewide system as every other county.

Under Minnesota Statute 13.87, conviction records are public for 15 years after the sentence is discharged. Records outside that window are not shown. Arrests without a conviction are excluded from public view under the same law. This applies uniformly across all of Minnesota, including Fillmore County cases.

Run the search at chs.state.mn.us at no cost. Results cover the whole state, so you do not need to know what county a case was filed in to find it here. Fillmore County courts and law enforcement agencies report to the BCA regularly to keep the database updated.

The BCA Criminal History Search is a free statewide tool for finding Minnesota conviction records, covering cases from Fillmore County and every other county.

For an official certified background check, mail a notarized form and $15 to the BCA at 1430 Maryland Ave E, St. Paul, MN 55106. Processing takes around two weeks. The phone number is 651-793-2400. The certified document comes from the same BCA database as the free online search.

Note: A certified BCA check is the same data as the free search, but the $15 fee and notarized form are required for the official signed document.

Fillmore County District Court Records

The Fillmore County District Court is part of the Third Judicial District. The courthouse is at 101 Fillmore Street, Preston, MN 55965. Phone: 507-765-3356. The Court Administrator handles all case files, public records requests, and copy services. Fillmore County is a rural county, but its court system is fully connected to the statewide systems that make records accessible online.

Minnesota Court Records Online provides free public access to Fillmore County cases filed from July 2015 forward. Go to mncourts.gov/access-case-records/mcro and search by name or case number. The results include case type, party names, docket entries, and dates. Most criminal and civil records are viewable without any special access or fee.

The Minnesota Courts directory for Fillmore County lists the courthouse address, phone number, and links to online case search tools for the Preston location.

For records before July 2015 or certified document copies, contact the Court Administrator in Preston. Staff can search by name or case number and provide copies. The Remote Public Access system at pa.courts.state.mn.us shows docket-level data for Fillmore County cases and can be used to quickly check a case status without visiting the courthouse.

Under Minn. Stat. 13, government records in Minnesota are presumptively open. Court records in Fillmore County are subject to this public default. Sealed cases, juvenile files, and some restricted family matters are exceptions. Routine criminal and civil records are publicly accessible.

Fillmore County Sheriff's Office

The Fillmore County Sheriff is at 901 Houston Street NW, Preston, MN 55965. Phone: 507-765-3874. The Sheriff handles law enforcement for the county, including arrests, patrol, and jail operations. Under Minn. Stat. 299C.10, the Sheriff must fingerprint felony, gross misdemeanor, and targeted misdemeanor arrestees and submit those records to the BCA. This keeps Fillmore County arrests connected to the statewide criminal history database.

Arrest data in Fillmore County follows state-level access rules. Under Minn. Stat. 13.82, the time, place, charges, and final disposition of an arrest are public. Other parts of the arrest file may be restricted. Contact the Sheriff's Office directly to request specific arrest data and reference the Minnesota Government Data Practices Act.

Additional Background Check Resources

The Minnesota DOC Offender Locator is a free tool for checking whether someone is currently incarcerated or on supervised release in Minnesota. Access it at coms.doc.state.mn.us/PublicViewer. This tool shows current status only. Combine it with the BCA and MCRO searches for a fuller picture of someone's criminal background in Minnesota.

The Minnesota Judicial Branch website provides access to court records, case search tools, and court directory information covering Fillmore County and all other Minnesota courts.

Expungements affect what searches return. Under Minn. Stat. 609A, a Minnesota court can seal a criminal record. Once sealed, the record disappears from public databases like the BCA and MCRO. A clean search result may reflect a clean record or may mean any records present have been sealed. Law enforcement and certain licensing bodies retain access to sealed records after expungement.

For a complete overview of how Minnesota background checks work, visit dps.mn.gov/divisions/bca/Pages/background-checks.aspx. The page explains each type of check, who can request it, and what it covers. All of these tools and rules apply to Fillmore County records the same as anywhere else in the state.

Nearby Counties

Fillmore County is in the southeast corner of Minnesota. The counties below border Fillmore County and each manage their own background check records through local courts and the statewide BCA system.