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Minnesota District Courts District Courts have general jurisdiction over all civil and criminal cases and are generally organized into several divisions based on case type, including Civil, Criminal, Family, Juvenile, Probate, Housing, Misdemeanor, Conciliation (Small Claims) and Traffic. Some divisions share jurisdiction over certain types of cases.
A District Court may also have Specialty or “Problem Solving” divisions, such as Drug Court, Mental Health Court, Truancy Court, Community Court, Teen Court or Peer Court.
Conciliation divisions handle most general civil cases with less than $7,500 in dispute. Jurisdiction is limited to claims for $4,000 or less if a case involves a consumer credit transaction. Conciliation divisions do not handle certain types of cases, including disputes about title or boundary of real estate, defamation by libel or slander, most cases requesting specific performance, class actions, requests for prejudgment remedies, most requests for injunctive relief, eviction and medical malpractice.Minnesota Court Notes Minnesota also has Executive Branch courts, such as the Minnesota Tax Court and the Workers Compensation Court of Appeals.
Where to find court cases in Minnesota
The chart below gives general information on the types of cases heard in each type of court in Minnesota.
= Most or all cases. = Some cases.
| Case Type | Court Type |
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| Civil | District Courts | | General Civil - Unlimited |  | | General Civil - Limited |  | | Small Claims |  | | Civil Equity |  | | Complex Commercial |  | | Foreclosures and Liens |  | | Real Estate Title and Boundary |  | | Landlord / Tenant |  | | Ordinance Violations |  | | Protection, No Contact, and Restraining Orders |  | | Administrative Agency Appeals |  | | Criminal | District Courts | | Felony |  | | Felony Preliminary Hearings |  | | Misdemeanors |  | | Ordinance Violations |  | | Juvenile |  | | Traffic and Infractions |  | | Domestic Relations | District Courts | | Divorce |  | | Child Custody and Visitation |  | | Child Support |  | | Paternity |  | | Domestic Violence Protection Order |  | | Juvenile | District Courts | | Adoptions |  | | Juvenile Delinquency |  | | Child Abuse and Neglect |  | | Termination of Parental Rights |  | | Children in Need of Supervision |  | | Mental Health | District Courts | | Involuntary Commitments |  | | Other Mental Health Cases |  | | Probate | District Courts | | Wills & Estates |  | | Name Changes |  | | Trusts |  | | Guardianships and Conservatorships |  |
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