The main phone number for the Ramsey County Courthouse is (651) 266-8266. Lines are staffed Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and calls outside those hours reach a recording.1Minnesota Judicial Branch. Ramsey County District Court2Minnesota Judicial Branch. Locations and Hours – Ramsey County District Court The courthouse sits at 15 W. Kellogg Blvd., St. Paul, MN 55102, and houses Minnesota’s Second Judicial District Court for all Ramsey County civil, criminal, family, and probate matters.
Early morning and the hour around lunch are the busiest call windows. Mid-afternoon is usually the easiest time to reach a live clerk.
Direct Lines by Department
Calling the main number works for general questions, but the main line will transfer you anyway. Dialing the right division directly saves time:3Minnesota Judicial Branch. Contact Us – Ramsey County District Court
- Civil Court and Filing: (651) 266-8253, Option #4. Lawsuits and monetary disputes above the conciliation court limit of $20,000.4Minnesota Office of the Revisor of Statutes. Minnesota Statutes 491A.01 – Conciliation Court Jurisdiction
- Criminal Court and Violations Bureau: (651) 266-1999. Misdemeanor and felony cases, traffic citations, and minor driving offenses all share this line.
- Family Court: (651) 266-2842. Custody, divorce, child support, and domestic relations.
- Probate Court: (651) 266-8145. Estates, guardianships, and conservatorships.
- Jury Office: (651) 266-8200. Verify your jury duty status or report a scheduling conflict.
- Self-Help Service Center: (651) 266-5125. Help for people representing themselves in family, juvenile delinquency, adult criminal expungement, and civil name change cases.5Minnesota Judicial Branch. Self Help – Ramsey County District Court
If you aren’t sure which department you need, call the main line and describe your situation. The clerk will route you.
Interpreters and Accessibility
For a spoken-language interpreter, call (651) 266-8082. You can also ask the clerk at the office where your case is filed. Have the hearing date and time, the name of the person who needs the interpreter, the language, the case number, and a callback number ready. The court schedules the interpreter at no charge.6Minnesota Judicial Branch. Ramsey County Court Interpreter
For ADA accommodations such as sign language interpreting, assistive listening devices, or wheelchair-accessible courtroom arrangements, contact the court as far in advance as possible.
What to Have Ready Before You Call
The single most useful thing to have on hand is your case number, which appears on any summons or court notice you’ve received. For a traffic matter, the citation number on the ticket serves the same purpose.
Without a case number, clerks can search by the full legal names of the parties, but that search takes longer and may return multiple results. Your date of birth and any relevant hearing dates help narrow it down.7Minnesota State Law Library. Court Records
If you reach voicemail, leave your name, phone number, case number, and a short description of what you need. Call volumes are high, and a clear message with the right identifiers gets a faster callback.
Can You Skip the Call?
A lot of what people call about is available online. Minnesota Court Records Online lets you look up Ramsey County cases by name, case number, citation number, or attorney at publicaccess.courts.state.mn.us.8Minnesota Judicial Branch. Minnesota Court Records Online – Case Search When searching by name, enter an exact name or use a wildcard (*) after at least two characters. The “Sounds Like” option helps when you’re unsure of spelling, though wildcards don’t work in that mode. Filter by case category, status, filing date, and court location, and set the county to Ramsey. The tool is useful for checking hearing dates, confirming case status, and viewing basic filing information before picking up the phone.
Fines and citations can be paid online by Visa or MasterCard rather than over the phone.9Minnesota Judicial Branch. Pay Fines and Citation Information
Questions About a Remote Hearing
Many Ramsey County hearings now happen by phone or video using ZoomGov. If your hearing is remote, the court mails a notice with the meeting link and ID. Click the link directly rather than copying and pasting, since it’s encrypted.10Minnesota Judicial Branch. Remote Hearing Information You can join from a phone, tablet, or computer; a paid Zoom account is not required. Test your setup beforehand at zoom.us/test.
If you haven’t received a hearing notice or aren’t sure whether your hearing is in person or remote, call the main number at (651) 266-8266 and ask.
Free Legal Clinics
The Ramsey County Law Library runs free clinics where volunteer attorneys answer questions and give brief advice. They don’t represent you or complete your paperwork, but they can clarify what you’re facing before you call the court:
- Conciliation Court Clinic: every Tuesday, 1:00 to 4:00 p.m.
- Criminal Defense Law Clinic: first and third Thursday of each month, 1:00 to 3:00 p.m.
- Criminal Expungement Clinic: fourth Thursday of each month, 1:00 to 3:00 p.m.
- Housing Court Clinic: every Tuesday, 1:00 to 4:00 p.m.
- Family Court Clinic: every Monday and Wednesday, noon to 2:00 p.m., by phone appointment only; call (651) 266-5125 to schedule. You must have an existing Ramsey County family case or live in Ramsey County to qualify.