Adoption
Answer
Adoption records are part of the civil case files in the district courts. The court records of adoptions are arranged by civil case file number for the district court in the county where the adoption occurred. Typically adoptions took place in the county where the adoptive parents live. More information about Minnesota adoption records can be found in our Adoption Record Research Guide.
In Minnesota adoption records are closed for 100 years from the date of the adoption. To view closed adoption records you will need to get a court order for the records to be opened. This order must come from the county court of the county in which the adoption occurred. You can read more about adoption record restrictions here.
If the adoption is over 100 years old or you have obtained a court order for closed records, and are interested in viewing these adoption court records, you can visit the library to search our files. If you are unable to visit the library, you can submit a Court Record Research Request to request the adoption record.