The Minneapolis City Attorney's Office

• Represents the following parties in civil matters:
  • The City of Minneapolis, its elected officials and staff
  • City departments, independent boards and commissions
• Prosecutes criminal cases involving adults who commit the following types of crimes in the City of Minneapolis:
  • Petty misdemeanors
  • Misdemeanors
  • Gross misdemeanors

The Hennepin County Attorney's Office

• Prosecutes felony criminal cases
• Handles all cases involving juvenile offenders (under 18 years old)

Contact the Hennepin County Attorney's Office

More Information

For felony criminal prosection call 612-348-5550

For juvenile prosecution call 612-348-7916

See examples of misdemeanors and felonies

Typical misdemeanor offenses include: 

• Simple assault – domestic or non-domestic
• Disorderly conduct
• Trespassing
• Consuming alcohol in public
• Driver’s license or insurance violations
• Driving under the influence of alcohol
• Loitering with intent
• Possession of drug paraphernalia in public
• Violation of an order for protection or a harassment/restraining order
• Theft or damage to property where the value of the stolen or damaged property is less than $1,000
• Careless or reckless driving and most petty traffic offenses

Typical felony offenses include:

• Robbery
• Terroristic threats
• Motor vehicle theft
• Theft or damage to property where the value stolen or damaged is over $1000
• Assault with a dangerous weapon
• Criminal sexual conduct
• Child neglect
• Burglary

No. The Minneapolis City Attorney's Office does not represent individuals in private legal matters and cannot provide any legal advice to individuals.

Go the Self Help Center on the 2nd level of the Hennepin County Government Center, located at 300 South Sixth Street in Minneapolis.

• There are limited appointments available. To schedule an appointment call 651-478-8757 or visit the State Court website.   
• They will help fill out the appropriate paperwork.

If you are unable to visit the Self Help Center, please see the Judicial Branch website for step by step instructions on applying for a harassment restraining order. 

Read about harrassment/restraining orders.

Here are the steps you can take if you are a victim of a crime and want to:

• Provide input
• Get an update on the status of a case

To find out if charges have been filed:

• Call 311 about misdemeanors
• Call 612-348-4003 about felonies and crimes by juveniles

To find the next court date for a case:

• Call the Hennepin County Clerk of Court at 612-348-2040, or
• Use the case number to check the court calendar

Contact Minneapolis 311 and provide them with:

• Your contact information
• The police report (CCN) number

Call 311

If you call about a domestic case involving your current or ex-spouse or boyfriend/girlfriend, we will refer you to the Domestic Abuse Service Center. Examples of domestic cases, include:

• Assault
• Violation of a restraining order or order for protection
• Domestic abuse no contact order
• Interference with a 911 call

Contact the Domestic Abuse Service Center at 612-348-5073

If you call on a non-domestic case — including a case involving a family member such as a parent, sibling or child — we will refer your information to the Minneapolis City Attorney Office. 

• An attorney will review the report and make a charging decision within 60 days
• You will be notified in of the decision in writing 

Call the Domestic Abuse Service Center at (612) 348-5073.

A domestic order for protection is a Court order that a victim of domestic abuse by a family or household member can apply for to prohibit that person from having any contact with the victim and to prohibit future acts of domestic abuse.  In order to apply for an order for protection, your relationship to the person whom you are seeking the order against must be as a:

1. spouses and former spouses;

2. parents and children;

3. persons related by blood;

4. persons who are presently residing together or who have resided together in the past;

5. persons who have a child in common regardless of whether they have been married or have lived together at any time;

6. a man and woman if the woman is pregnant and the man is alleged to be the father, regardless of whether they have been married or have lived together at any time; and

7. persons involved in a significant romantic or sexual relationship.

All reports of criminal activity must be made to a law enforcement agency, such as the Minneapolis Police Department. For crimes that have already occurred, please contact Minneapolis 311 or (612) 673-3000. For crimes in progress or an emergency, call 9-1-1.
 
If the police responded but did not make a police report, you must go to the police precinct and request that a police report be written. The Minneapolis City Attorney’s Office cannot pursue criminal charges without a police report.

If the case is currently charged, discovery requests must be made to the Minneapolis City Attorneys Discovery Clerk Paralegal. If you are represented by an attorney, the request must be made by your attorney. Your attorney must have filed a Certificate of Representation with the court in connection with the case. The request may be mailed to the attention of our discovery clerk paralegal at our address 350 South 5th Street – Room 210, Minneapolis, MN 55415 or faxed to (612) 673-3649 or emailed to criminal.discovery@minneapolismn.gov. If it is over ten pages, the charge is $0.25 (twenty-five cents) per page, including the first 10 pages.  For DVD/CD requests, the charge is $10 (ten dollars) per every DVD/CD requested.

Some examples of items that may be requested via the discovery process are the police report, the accident report, videotapes, audio tapes and photographs.  If the case is closed or was never charged, you must contact the Minneapolis Police Department Records Unit.

A subpoena is a lawful court order requiring you to appear in court at a certain date and time to be a witness in a trial or hearing. If you do not respond to the subpoena or you do not appear in court on the scheduled date, you may be subject to arrest.

If you need to discuss scheduling options, contact the individual listed in the subpoena as soon as possible.

If you have an attorney, you should contact your attorney about getting your case rescheduled. If you do not have an attorney, you need the approval of the prosecutor. In these cases, contact the Minneapolis City Attorney’s Office by calling 3-1-1 or if outside the Minneapolis area, by contacting (612) 673-3000.

If you do not live in Minnesota or the Minneapolis area, you can contact the Minneapolis City Attorney’s Office to see if there is a possibility of resolving your case through the mail without having to appear in person. You may contact the City Attorney’s Office by calling 3-1-1 or if outside the Minneapolis area, by contacting (612) 673-3000.

Be aware that some property may be held as evidence and will not be released until the pending criminal case has been resolved.

Contact the Minneapolis Police Department's Property and Evidence Unit.

Property and Evidence Unit