Lake County Court Administrator
The Lake County District Court page names Interim Court Administrator Kathy McFarlane and lists the court office at the courthouse in Two Harbors. The same page states that Lake County District Court has original jurisdiction over civil, family, probate, juvenile, criminal, and traffic cases filed in Lake County. That court structure makes Court Administration the practical clerk office for filed court records.
Lake County's own Court Administration directory page points users to the courthouse, the court phone number, and the Minnesota Judicial Branch court page. It does not create a separate county clerk office for court files. Marriage certificates and other non-court vital records are handled by Lake County Recorder/Vital Records, which is a separate county function.
Lake County Court Administration
Court Administrator: Interim Court Administrator Kathy McFarlane
601 Third Avenue
Two Harbors, MN 55616
(218) 595-5001
Contact Court by Email link available on the official court page
Monday-Friday, 8:00 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
The source image comes from Lake County's Court Administration directory page.
That county directory confirms the local route to the court office while the Judicial Branch page supplies the current court record access details.
Lake County Court Records Duties
Court Administration handles public counter support, district-court file access, certified-copy routing, case-management questions, and local court support. The Minnesota Judicial Branch states that a public access to court records computer is available at the Lake County courthouse. That matters because MCRO terms say some records available at courthouse public terminals are not available online.
- Directs users to public Lake County District Court case records in MCRO and courthouse terminal access.
- Provides the certified-copy route for civil, criminal, family, probate, traffic, and other District Court files.
- Handles courthouse questions for records that are public but not remotely displayed.
- Supports filings, hearings, calendars, and case administration for Lake County District Court.
- Routes users away from court administration when the record is a marriage certificate or another Recorder/Vital Records matter.
The MCRO access terms are important because they explain the difference between online convenience and official court records.
For Lake County users, those limits make Court Administration the right office when an online result is incomplete or unofficial.
Request Lake County Certified Copies
Certified copies are official court copies with court certification. They are commonly needed for legal proceedings, agency filings, appeals, name-change proof, divorce orders, probate orders, judgment records, and other matters where an unofficial MCRO view is not enough. MCRO terms state that certified copies of court documents and certified civil judgment search results must be obtained from local court administration.
- Identify the Lake County case number if possible. Minnesota case numbers use county code, case type letters, filing year, and sequence number.
- Confirm the document name, such as complaint, order, judgment, sentencing order, divorce decree, probate order, or Register of Actions.
- Contact Lake County Court Administration by phone, in person, or through the official court email channel to confirm availability and fee.
- State whether the copy must be uncertified, certified, exemplified and certified, or a certified judgment search.
- Pay the required fee and arrange pickup, mail, email, or fax if the court allows that delivery method for the requested record.
Lake County Request Fields
No Lake County-specific court-record request PDF was located in the official static sources reviewed for this build. A phone, counter, mail, or email request to Court Administration should be complete enough for staff to identify the case, quote any fees, and determine whether public access rules allow release.
| Field | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Requester name | Likely yes | Use the person or organization making the request. |
| Requester contact | Likely yes | Phone, email, and mailing address help with quotes and delivery. |
| Case number | Strongly preferred | Use the Minnesota case format if known. |
| Party name | If no case number | Exact names and aliases can affect search reliability. |
| Date filed or date range | Optional | Helpful for older records or common names. |
| Document requested | Yes | Name the specific order, complaint, judgment, decree, or record. |
| Copy type | Yes | Uncertified, certified, exemplified, or certified judgment search. |
| Identification or authority | Conditional | May be needed for restricted files or party-only access. |
Lake County Court Fees
Lake County Court Administration uses statewide District Court fees. The Minnesota District Court fee schedule lists copy, certification, filing, judgment search, subpoena, fax, divorce, probate, expungement, and conciliation court amounts.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Certified copy of any instrument from civil or criminal proceeding | $14 |
| Certified printout of imaged or eFiled document from courthouse MNCIS view | $14 |
| Exemplified and certified copy | $28 |
| Uncertified copy, printout, or screen print | $0 |
| Report from case-management system, 1-50 pages | $5 |
| Report from case-management system, 50+ pages | $25 per 50 pages or part |
| Civil first paper filed | $310 |
| Divorce with or without children | $390 |
| Criminal expungement | $310 |
| Probate first paper filed | $310 |
| Judgment search, each name certified | $5 |
| Fax, each 50 pages or part | $25 |
The fee schedule is tied to Minnesota court fee authority, including Minn. Stat. section 357.021.
That statute supports the statewide fee framework used for Lake County District Court services.
Lake County Filing Channels
For new district-court filings, the Minnesota Judicial Branch district trial court eFiling page explains electronic and paper filing options. Registered eFS users need a current email address and a valid credit or debit card. The state page states that Visa, MasterCard, and Discover are accepted, while American Express is not.
Electronic filing affects the filing side of a Lake County case, while Court Administration remains the local contact for courthouse access, copy requests, and questions about local court files.
Court Administrator vs Recorder
The Lake County Court Administrator does not issue marriage certificates, birth records, death records, ordination filings, notary registrations, or military discharge records. Those functions belong to Lake County Recorder/Vital Records in the courthouse. The Recorder page lists Recorder contact information, while the eRecording page notes that Vital Records is part of the Recorder's Office.
That county Recorder source helps separate court case files from non-court county records.
The Recorder eRecording source also confirms the Vital Records role inside the Recorder function.
Use Court Administration for Lake County District Court records and Recorder/Vital Records for marriage and local vital-record requests.
The distinction also helps with divorce, adoption, and probate questions. Lake County Vital Records may help with a marriage certificate, but the Lake County genealogy source routes adoption, divorce, and probate records to Court Administration. A divorce decree, probate order, guardianship order, criminal sentencing order, traffic disposition, or civil judgment is a court record. A marriage certificate, ordination credential, notary registration, military discharge record, or recorded land document is not the same court file.
When a search starts with the wrong office, ask for routing rather than sending payment first. Court Administration can confirm whether a District Court case file exists, while Recorder/Vital Records can confirm whether the requested record is a county vital or recorded document. That saves time in Lake County because both functions may be in the courthouse complex but serve different legal record systems.