Red Lake County District Court
Red Lake County District Court is the trial court for cases filed in Red Lake County. The official court page states that it has original jurisdiction in civil, family, probate, juvenile, criminal, and traffic cases. Red Lake County is in Minnesota's Ninth Judicial District. The court is housed at the Red Lake County Courthouse, 124 Main Ave NW, P.O. Box 339, Red Lake Falls, MN 56750. The phone number is (218) 521-4050, fax is (218) 277-1462, and public business hours are Monday-Friday, 8:00 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
The local Court Administrator is Kathy Narlock. Court administration is the office to contact for certified copies, official court records, and questions about records that are not available through the online portal. Minnesota court administration differs from county executive offices. Red Lake County Recorder handles marriage licensing and certificates, while District Court handles court cases and decrees. Jail custody is also separate because Red Lake County uses Tri-County Community Corrections in Crookston rather than a courthouse jail.
That office split is the main practical point for Red Lake County District Court users. MCRO is the online starting point for many public case searches, but it is not the certified case record. The court administrator handles certified copies and official court-record questions. The Recorder handles marriage records. The sheriff and Tri-County Community Corrections handle law-enforcement and jail data. Sending a request to the right office saves time.
| Court or office | Role for Red Lake County | Address | Phone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Red Lake County District Court | Trial court for civil, family, probate, juvenile, criminal, and traffic cases | 124 Main Ave NW, P.O. Box 339, Red Lake Falls, MN 56750 | (218) 521-4050 |
| Ninth Judicial District | Regional judicial district for Red Lake County | District-wide administration through Minnesota Judicial Branch | See official district contacts |
| Minnesota Court of Appeals | Intermediate appellate review | Statewide appellate court | See mncourts.gov/courtofappeals |
| Minnesota Supreme Court | Highest state court and administrative authority | Minnesota Judicial Center, St. Paul | See mncourts.gov/supremecourt |
| Red Lake Falls County DWI Court | Specialty DWI court contact | 124 Main Ave NW, Red Lake Falls, MN 56750 | (218) 759-4378 ext. 194378 |
Red Lake County Court Jurisdiction
District Court is the central court level for Red Lake County. Official research did not locate a separate Red Lake County municipal court, justice court, county court at law, or standalone probate court. That means traffic citations, misdemeanor and gross misdemeanor cases, felony cases, civil matters, family cases, probate filings, juvenile matters, and many court hearings route through District Court once filed in the Minnesota court system.
District Court case categories appear in Minnesota Court Records Online as Civil, Criminal, Family, and Probate or Mental Health. Traffic cases can appear through case lookup or citation/payment systems depending on whether the citation is payable, requires appearance, or has been filed into MNCIS. Probate is a case category inside District Court rather than a separate local probate office. Divorce is a family case in District Court, not a Recorder record.
| Case area | Red Lake County venue | Access path |
|---|---|---|
| Civil | District Court | MCRO Case Search, Judgment Search, court administration for certified copies |
| Criminal | District Court | MCRO by case number when possible, court administration for official copies |
| Family and divorce | District Court | MCRO Family category and certified decree requests to court administration |
| Probate or mental health | District Court | MCRO Probate or Mental Health category, with added access limits |
| Traffic | District Court | MCRO, daily calendar, Web Payment System, and court administration |
Ninth Judicial District
Red Lake County is part of the Ninth Judicial District. Minnesota's court structure has three levels: District Courts, the Minnesota Court of Appeals, and the Minnesota Supreme Court. District Courts are trial courts. The Minnesota Judicial Branch fast facts page identifies those levels, and the local court page places Red Lake County within the Ninth Judicial District.
The Ninth Judicial District context matters for calendars, specialty courts, judge assignments, and regional court administration. The research file notes a Red Lake Falls County DWI Court and regional history with DWI courts opening in Norman, Polk, and Red Lake counties. The same regional pattern appears in corrections because Tri-County Community Corrections serves Norman, Polk, and Red Lake county jail needs through the Northwest Regional Corrections Center in Crookston.
Case flow in Red Lake County follows the state trial-court model: citation or complaint filed in MNCIS › District Court case number assigned › hearings, filings, orders, or disposition entered › certified copies requested from court administration › appeal to the Minnesota Court of Appeals when a final appealable decision is challenged.
Red Lake County Court Calendar
Red Lake County hearing information can be searched through MCRO Hearing Search and the Ninth Judicial District county calendar resources. The research file identifies the Ninth Judicial District calendar page and a Red Lake County daily calendar PDF. The daily calendar is posted at 7:00 a.m. each business day and updated hourly. Printed calendars outside courtrooms or in public lobbies contain the most current daily calendar information.
The Red Lake daily public calendar sample showed Party Name, Hearing Location, Hearing Date, Time, Judicial Officer, Hearing Type, Connection Type, and Case Number. The sample inspected for June 24, 2026 showed a Zoom hearing location, Judicial Officer Timothy Tingelstad, a Motion Hearing, party connection type Defendant/Plaintiff, and case number format 63-F5-04-000061. Calendars do not include all matters handled each day. Confidential cases and cases not remotely accessible under Rule 8 are not posted.
| Calendar field | What it shows |
|---|---|
| Party Name | Name connected to the hearing when public. |
| Hearing Location | Courtroom or remote location such as Zoom. |
| Hearing Date and Time | Scheduled appearance date and time. |
| Judicial Officer | Judge or officer assigned to the hearing. |
| Hearing Type | Motion hearing, appearance, or other hearing label. |
| Case Number | Minnesota court case identifier. |
Red Lake County Remote Hearings
The Red Lake County court page links to statewide remote hearing information. The research file also notes operational evidence that Red Lake County uses Zoom for at least some hearings, based on the June 24, 2026 daily calendar sample. Remote hearing access depends on the court notice, calendar, case type, and judge or court administration instructions.
Minnesota Judicial Branch remote-hearing information states that recording or broadcasting remote proceedings is not authorized except as court rules allow. That point belongs in District Court content because remote hearings may feel informal to the public, but they are still court proceedings. A person with a Red Lake County remote hearing should use the connection information provided by the court, follow court rules, and check calendar updates close to the hearing time.
Note: Court calendars may change during the day, so public calendar data should be verified with court administration when timing is critical.
Red Lake County DWI Court
The Minnesota Judicial Branch treatment-court county listing identifies Red Lake in the Ninth District and names the Red Lake Falls County DWI Court. The listed contact is Chelsea McGlynn, Court Coordinator, 124 Main Ave NW, Red Lake Falls, MN 56750. The phone number is (218) 759-4378 ext. 194378. DWI courts are problem-solving courts for eligible impaired-driving defendants or offenders, using intensive judicial supervision, treatment, accountability, testing, and coordinated case management.
The captured official source does not publish Red Lake-specific graduation rates, participant counts, or detailed eligibility criteria. The research also notes no official Red Lake County veterans court, drug court, mental health court, family treatment court, juvenile treatment court, or reentry court page located in the official sources reviewed. District Court content should therefore identify DWI Court as the documented specialty court and avoid claiming other specialty programs exist locally without later official support.
Red Lake County Appeals and History
Appeals from final Red Lake County District Court decisions generally go to the Minnesota Court of Appeals, which the Judicial Branch describes as the error-correcting court for trial-court, agency, and local-government decisions. The Minnesota Supreme Court is the highest state court and handles appellate and administrative functions, with discretionary review or direct review in selected matters.
The courthouse history is unusually detailed. The Judicial Branch courthouse history page says the current courthouse was completed in 1911 on donated land at a cost of $37,070. It is Beaux Arts in style and was designed by Fremont D. Orff. The building has four corner pavilions, each with a small drum and dome. A larger central dome visible in older photographs was removed in the 1940s, leaving a square balustered platform. The attached jail was also removed, which connects the court building's history to the modern Tri-County jail arrangement.
The Minnesota Historical Society finding aid for Red Lake County District Court judgment dockets covers 1887-1982 and includes justice court records for 1890-1896. Those older judgment records can matter for historical research because modern MCRO is not the only path for old Red Lake County court records.