How to Complete and Submit the Minnesota BCA Evidence Submission Form

The Minnesota BCA evidence submission form is the chain-of-custody paperwork a law enforcement agency completes when sending physical evidence to a Bureau of Criminal Apprehension forensic laboratory for testing. There is no single universal version. You pick the form that matches the evidence, fill it out digitally with complete agency, case, individual, and item information, seal and label the evidence to BCA standards, and deliver it to a BCA lab during intake hours. Incomplete or inaccurate submissions get delayed or returned without testing.¹

Pick the Right Form First

The BCA publishes several submission forms as downloadable PDFs on the Department of Public Safety website. Choose based on what you are submitting:

The Controlled Substance Evidence Submission Form for suspected drugs, paraphernalia, and related items. It asks additional questions about firearm possession, prior drug convictions, charging level, and any presumptive field testing.²
The Criminal Sexual Conduct Evidence Submission Form for sexual assault kits and related biological evidence.³
The Restricted Kit Storage Submission Form for unreported sexual assault kits going to BCA storage rather than immediate testing.⁴

If you have more items than the primary form fits, use the BCA’s Continuation of Evidence form as an extension.⁵

What to Have Ready Before You Start

Open the form only after you have the following pulled together. Half-completed submissions stall at intake.

Agency and Case Information

You will need the investigating agency name, the submitting agency if different, the investigating officer’s name, a direct phone number, and an email address. Include the agency case or ICR number, the county and location of the offense, the date of the offense, and the scheduled jury trial date if one is set.² Enter the prosecutor’s name and contact information, and list any other agencies involved in the investigation.

Everyone Connected to the Case

Each person tied to the evidence — suspect, victim, elimination sample donor, or other — needs full legal name (last, first, middle), sex, race, date of birth, and any existing SID or FBI number.² Tag each person with a role code: S (suspect), V (victim), E (elimination), or O (other/owner). Not every version of the form includes every demographic field, so check the one you are using.

An Itemized Evidence List

Build the list before you sit down with the form. For each item, capture the agency item number, a brief description, the location or source where it was recovered, the individual it is associated with, the date collected, and the specific analysis you are requesting.² If a single item needs both drug chemistry and DNA or latent print analysis, separate it from the original packaging and submit those pieces as separate items.

Filling Out the Form

The BCA favors digital entry for legibility and system compatibility. Work through page 1 first: agency and case fields, then the evidence list.

Leave the BCA Lab Case Number blank on a new submission; the lab assigns one at intake. If you are adding evidence to an existing case or resubmitting an item, check the appropriate box and enter the existing BCA Lab Case Number.²

List each item on its own line. Link every item to the correct associated individual and specify the analysis requested. Use the narrative summary space to give the lab scientist context: what happened, what the testing is meant to show, and any time-sensitive factors such as an approaching trial date.

Page 2 Questions

Page 2 varies by form. On the Controlled Substance form, you answer whether the suspect possessed a firearm, whether aggravating factors exist, and whether a presumptive field test was performed. When DNA or latent print analysis is requested, further questions ask whether the evidence has already been processed for prints, whether print images are being provided, and whether known DNA samples from all principals are available.² These answers drive the lab’s workflow. Skip them and your evidence waits in a queue while a scientist follows up.

Packaging and Sealing

A clean form does not compensate for bad packaging. Every item must be sealed with evidence tape, and the submitter must place their initials and the date across the seal.⁶ The lab can refuse evidence with broken or missing seals.

Controlled substance evidence has an additional rule: items go into clear plastic bags so the substance is visible through the packaging. Exceptions apply to plant material, mushrooms, and anything where mold growth is a concern.⁷ Visibility lets intake staff assess the item before opening.

Hazardous Evidence

Some categories carry rules that will get your submission turned away at the intake window if you miss them.

Biohazards

Any item that may have contacted blood or other body fluids must be marked with a biohazard sticker on the outer package.⁷ Suspected controlled substances recovered from a body cavity must be removed from their original packaging before submission; the original packaging is not sent to the lab, but the evidence itself still carries the biohazard label.

Fentanyl and Synthetic Opioids

Evidence suspected to contain fentanyl or a fentanyl analog must be marked so lab personnel see the hazard on the package.⁷ Use packaging with secure seals and an additional outer layer to prevent leakage. A verbal warning at drop-off does not protect anyone who handles the item later.

Syringes

The BCA does not accept syringes, with or without needles, for controlled substance analysis. If you need syringe contents tested, express the liquid into a clean vial and submit the vial. Interior swabs of syringes are also not accepted.⁷

Category-Specific Submission Limits

Several evidence types have conditions that catch agencies off guard.

Marked pharmaceutical tablets and capsules are accepted only when the markings indicate a controlled substance, the prosecuting attorney has provided a written statement confirming the suspect pled not guilty or rejected a plea agreement, and the evidence arrives at the lab at least ten business days before the scheduled trial date. The same written-statement-plus-trial-date requirements apply to marijuana cases.⁷

For trace amounts, paraphernalia, and syringe-content cases, the substance must be visible, and no more than one item per suspect per case may be submitted without prior approval from laboratory management. The lab limits analysis to the number of items needed to reach the maximum charging level, so submitting everything remotely related does not accelerate the case.

Sexual Assault Kit Timelines

Kits run on deadlines separate from the standard evidence process. Unrestricted kits — where the patient signed a release authorizing law enforcement testing — must be retrieved by law enforcement from the medical facility within ten days of notice that the kit is available, then submitted to a forensic laboratory within 60 days.⁸

Restricted kits, where no release was signed, must be submitted to the BCA for storage within 60 days of preparation by the medical facility. Mark them clearly as restricted for proper barcoding and receipt. If no identifying information accompanies the kit, include a unique medical facility identifier on the submission form.⁴

Where and When to Deliver Evidence

The BCA accepts evidence at three locations. Intake hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., excluding holidays.⁹

St. Paul Laboratory, 1430 Maryland Avenue East, St. Paul, MN 55106; phone 651-793-2900. Use the Evidence Intake entrance, not the public entrance.⁴
Bemidji Laboratory, 3700 North Norris Court NW, Bemidji, MN 56601; phone 218-755-6600. Alcohol and toxicology testing are not performed at Bemidji; kits submitted there for those analyses are forwarded to St. Paul.⁹¹⁰
St. Cloud (limited intake), St. Cloud Police Department, 101 11th Avenue North, St. Cloud, MN 56303. Open Wednesdays only, 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Call ahead at 320-249-2689.⁴

Evidence can also be mailed via USPS or sent through a courier or delivery service to the St. Paul laboratory. Include a tracking number to document movement and the moment the lab took possession. Put your agency name and return address on the outside packaging. For general lab inquiries, email bca.lab.vault@state.mn.us.⁹

One boundary worth noting: the case submission process described here is separate from post-conviction DNA database specimen collection under Minnesota Statute 299C.105, which has its own 72-hour transmission deadline and its own personnel training standards.¹¹ If you are collecting a qualifying offender specimen, that process, not the case evidence submission form, applies.

What Happens After You Submit

At intake, the lab assigns a unique BCA Lab Case Number to your submission. That number is the primary reference for every later contact about the evidence: use it when calling, emailing, or submitting additional items for the same case. When testing is complete, the laboratory issues a formal report of its findings for use in the proceedings. The BCA also confidentially shares certain findings, such as DNA database hits, with the relevant agencies.⁵

1
Minnesota Department of Public Safety. BCA 2024-2026 Strategic Plan
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Minnesota Department of Public Safety. Controlled Substance Evidence Submission Form
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Minnesota Department of Public Safety. Criminal Sexual Conduct Evidence Submission Form
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Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension. BCA Restricted Kit Storage Submission Form
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Minnesota Department of Public Safety. Evidence Submission
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Minnesota Coalition Against Sexual Assault. Evidence Collection and Submission
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Minnesota Department of Public Safety. BCA FSS Drug and Trace Policy
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Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension. BCA Sexual Assault Examination Kit Testing and Storage FAQ
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Minnesota Department of Public Safety. Laboratories and Contacts
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Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension. BCA Forensic Science Laboratory Toxicology Section
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Minnesota Office of the Revisor of Statutes. Minnesota Statutes 299C.105 – DNA Data Required