Lyon County Background Check Records
A Lyon County background check combines criminal history data from the Minnesota BCA with court case records held by the district court in Marshall, the county seat. Lyon County is in southwestern Minnesota, and its court handles criminal, civil, and family cases for the area. The free state online tools work well for most searches, and the courthouse in Marshall is open for in-person requests and certified copies.
Lyon County Overview
Minnesota BCA Criminal History Search
The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension maintains the state's public criminal history database. It is free, open to anyone, and available online at chs.state.mn.us. You search by name and date of birth. Results show conviction records from Minnesota courts, including those from Lyon County. No login is needed and there is no fee for the basic online search.
The BCA database shows conviction data within a 15-year window. Minnesota Statute 13.87 is the law that defines this limit. Records become public when a conviction occurs and stay public for 15 years after the sentence is discharged. After that, they drop off the public search. Arrests that did not produce a conviction are not shown. A blank result can mean no qualifying convictions, not necessarily no criminal history at all.
The free BCA Criminal History Search portal covers conviction records from courts across Minnesota, including Lyon County cases.
If you need a certified copy of a criminal history, the BCA mail process costs $15. Send a notarized request form to 1430 Maryland Ave E, St. Paul, MN 55106. Processing takes about two weeks. The BCA's phone number is 651-793-2400. This certified format is more formal than the online search and is used when you need a documented record rather than just a quick lookup.
Note: The free BCA online search covers the same conviction data as the mail-in certified check but does not come with official documentation or a notarized result.
Lyon County District Court
The Lyon County District Court is located at 607 W Main Street in Marshall, MN 56258. The phone is 507-537-6730. The court is part of Minnesota's Fifth Judicial District and covers criminal, civil, probate, and family cases. The Court Administrator's office keeps all case records and handles public requests for document copies.
| Address | 607 W Main Street, Marshall, MN 56258 |
|---|---|
| Phone | 507-537-6730 |
| Website | mncourts.gov - Lyon |
Minnesota Court Records Online (MCRO) gives free public access to Lyon County case documents from July 2015 forward. Search at mncourts.gov/access-case-records/mcro by name or case number. The results list case type, parties, and docket events, and many cases have attached documents available to view. For cases before the MCRO window, the older Remote Public Access portal at pa.courts.state.mn.us shows docket lines without documents.
The Minnesota Courts directory page for Lyon County lists courthouse contact details, hours, and links to online case search tools.
For older records not available online, contact the Lyon County District Court at 507-537-6730. Staff can search by name or case number and tell you the cost for copies. Some older files are paper-only. Plan ahead and call first if the case you need is more than 10 years old. Under Minnesota Statute 13, most court records are presumed public, so you do not need to explain why you are requesting access.
Lyon County Sheriff's Office
The Lyon County Sheriff's Office is at 611 W Main Street in Marshall, MN 56258. Phone is 507-532-3258. The Sheriff handles law enforcement across Lyon County and processes all arrests. Under Minnesota Statute 299C.10, the Sheriff must fingerprint anyone arrested for a felony, gross misdemeanor, or targeted misdemeanor. Those prints go to the BCA and become part of the statewide criminal history record for that individual.
Arrest records are partially public under Statute 13.82. The public portion includes the time and place of arrest, the charges filed, the name of the arresting officer, and how the case was finally resolved. Investigative files and the underlying case materials may not be public. If you want arrest records for a specific incident in Lyon County, submit a data request to the Sheriff's Office citing the Minnesota Government Data Practices Act.
The Sheriff's Office does not perform background checks for members of the public. That function belongs to the BCA and court systems. The local office feeds data into those systems through the fingerprinting process, so what they collect eventually shows up in statewide searches for cases that result in convictions.
MCRO and Online Court Access
MCRO is Minnesota's main public court portal. It replaced older paper-based lookups for recent cases and gives anyone with internet access a way to search court records across all 87 Minnesota counties. Lyon County is included. The portal is at mncourts.gov/access-case-records/mcro. You can search by party name, case number, attorney name, or judge. The results show party information, case type, and docket history.
The MCRO portal provides free online access to court documents from Minnesota courts, including the Lyon County District Court in Marshall.
Documents on MCRO include criminal complaints, sentencing orders, jury instructions, and many other filings. Not every document is available for every case. Restricted items, such as juvenile records or sealed orders, do not appear. But for a typical criminal case in Lyon County, you can usually find key documents without leaving your desk. Pair MCRO with the BCA search and the DOC Offender Locator for the most complete picture available through free public tools.
Note: MCRO searches cover cases across all Minnesota counties, so always filter by Lyon County to avoid sorting through statewide results.
DOC Offender Locator
Minnesota's Department of Corrections offers a free public Offender Locator at coms.doc.state.mn.us/PublicViewer. It shows whether someone is currently incarcerated, on supervised release, or under any active DOC supervision. You search by name, date of birth, or ID number. Lyon County residents who have served or are serving state sentences may appear here.
The tool shows current status only. It does not display completed sentences or past incarceration. For someone whose sentence is done and supervision ended, the search returns nothing. That is why this tool works best as a supplement to the BCA and MCRO searches rather than as a standalone check. All three free tools together give you conviction history, current DOC status, and case-level court records.
More details on how Minnesota's background check system works are available at dps.mn.gov/divisions/bca/Pages/background-checks.aspx. The page explains what each tool covers, who can request what, and what fees apply for different check types.
Communities in Lyon County
Lyon County includes Marshall, Tracy, Minneota, Taunton, and other smaller communities. Marshall is the county seat and largest city, but it does not meet the threshold for a dedicated background check page. All Lyon County criminal cases are handled by the district court in Marshall.
Nearby Counties
Lyon County is surrounded by several southwestern Minnesota counties, each with its own court and sheriff's office. Cases are filed where they occur, so search each county separately.