Carver County District Court Jurisdiction
Carver County District Court has original jurisdiction over civil, family, probate, juvenile, criminal, and traffic cases filed in Carver County. The court sits at the Justice Center in Chaska, and the Court Administrator is Mary Dalbec. Court Administration processes filings, manages case flow, supports juries, and handles court revenue such as fines, fees, and restitution.
The Minnesota Judicial Branch Carver County page is the official local court page for address, hours, calendars, fees, copy requests, and quick links. The same courthouse page points users to remote hearing information, court calendar materials, eFiling, fees, law library access, language access, weddings, jury information, and Carver County quick links.
Carver County District Court
604 E. Fourth Street
Chaska, MN 55318
(952) 361-1420
Monday-Friday, 8:00 a.m.-4:30 p.m., closed holidays
Carver County First Judicial District
Carver County is part of Minnesota's First Judicial District with Dakota, Goodhue, Le Sueur, McLeod, Scott, and Sibley Counties. The First Judicial District page states that the district has 36 judges and more than 250 staff handling over 95,000 cases each year. That district structure supplies regional administration, policy, and judicial assignment context for local District Court work in Chaska.
The First Judicial District page identifies the seven-county district that includes Carver County.
District-level policies and orders can affect local filing, hearing, and calendar practices while the case itself remains a Carver County District Court matter.
Carver County District Court Table
Minnesota does not number multiple local district courts in Carver County the way some states number trial courts. The practical local table is one District Court and Court Administration office, with appellate review above it and no separate municipal or JP court layer for county case files.
| Court / Office | Address | Phone | Jurisdiction / Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carver County District Court | 604 E. Fourth Street, Chaska, MN 55318 | (952) 361-1420 | Civil, family, probate, juvenile, criminal, and traffic trial-court cases. |
| Court Administration / Mary Dalbec | Justice Center, Chaska | (952) 361-1420 | Filings, case flow, jury management, revenue, records, and public service. |
| First Judicial District Administration | District-wide | See mncourts.gov | Regional administration and policies for seven counties. |
| Minnesota Court of Appeals | Appellate court | See mncourts.gov | Appeals from District Court and many agency or local-government decisions. |
| Minnesota Supreme Court | State high court | See mncourts.gov | Court of last resort, rulemaking, attorney regulation, and judicial branch administration. |
Carver County District Court Cases
The District Court case mix is broad because Minnesota routes core trial-court work through one court structure. Civil cases include complaints, judgments, conciliation matters, evictions, housing actions, name changes, liens, garnishments, and writs. Criminal cases include complaints, charging documents, warrants, bail, appearance history, pleas, omnibus hearings, probation violations, dispositions, sentences, fines, restitution, and orders.
Family cases include dissolution, custody, paternity, parenting time, support, domestic abuse, harassment, and related orders. Probate and mental-health files include estates, trusts, guardianships, conservatorships, will deposits, and commitment matters. Traffic cases include petty misdemeanor, misdemeanor, payable citation, DWI, implied consent, hearing-officer appointment, and fine-payment records. Juvenile records are more restricted and are not treated like ordinary civil case files.
| Prefix | Observed Carver Case Category | Example Use |
|---|---|---|
| 10-CR | Criminal | Charges, hearings, pleas, warrants, sentence, probation events. |
| 10-VB | Violations Bureau / traffic | Traffic or payable citation-related matters. |
| 10-CV | Civil | Civil filings, motions, orders, judgments. |
| 10-FA | Family | Dissolution, custody, paternity, parenting time. |
| 10-PR | Probate / mental health | Estate, guardianship, conservatorship, or commitment activity. |
| 10-CO | Conciliation | Small civil disputes within District Court process. |
Carver County District Court Calendar
The daily court calendar is a practical window into current District Court activity. It can show party name, hearing location, hearing date, time, judicial officer, hearing type, connection type or party role, and case number. Calendar examples in the research showed Courtroom #3, Courtroom #5, and Zoom or Remote Hearing as locations.
Hearing types observed in current Carver material include Conciliation Hearing, Hearing Officer Appointment, Omnibus Hearing, Motion Hearing, Evidentiary Hearing, Arraignment, Probation Violation Hearing, Review Hearing, Plea Hearing, First Appearance, Court Trial, Eviction Hearing, Commitment Hearing, Order to Show Cause Hearing, and Pre-trial. Hearing listings are calendar events, not the full case file.
| Calendar Field | What It Shows |
|---|---|
| Party Name | Name tied to the listed hearing event. |
| Hearing Location | Courtroom #3, Courtroom #5, Zoom, or Remote Hearing when listed. |
| Judicial Officer | Judge or hearing officer assigned to the event. |
| Hearing Type | Arraignment, motion, plea, eviction, commitment, review, or other event. |
| Case Number | Carver County case identifier, often beginning with county number 10. |
Carver County Judicial Officers
The current daily calendar research showed Carver County hearing activity before Michael D. Wentzell, Eric J. Braaten, Martin S. Fallon, Patrick Goggins, and Hearing Officer JaNell Ford-Sanchez. Governor and Judicial Branch sources confirm Judge Martin Fallon was appointed to the First Judicial District and chambered in Carver County. Judge Michael D. Wentzell is also identified in high-authority biography material as chambered in Carver County.
Judicial officers may appear on criminal, civil, family, probate, traffic, and conciliation matters depending on assignment, calendar type, and hearing need. Hearing officers may handle specified proceedings such as citation or appointment events. Always use the current calendar or official judicial directory for a live assignment because hearing calendars can change.
Note: A calendar listing identifies the officer assigned to that hearing, not every judge who may later act in the case.
Carver District Court Comparison
The comparison for Carver County is simple because Minnesota's unified state trial-court structure does not place local case files in separate county, municipal, justice, or JP courts. Traffic, criminal, civil, family, juvenile, and probate matters route to District Court. City police departments and the sheriff may create law-enforcement records, but charged cases move into District Court records once filed.
| Point | District Court | County / Municipal / JP Court |
|---|---|---|
| Exists locally for Carver case files | Yes | No separate local court layer in Minnesota's unified structure. |
| Case types | Civil, criminal, traffic, family, probate, juvenile, conciliation. | Not a separate filing venue for these Carver County case files. |
| Records search | MCRO and Carver Court Administration. | No separate municipal or JP case-record portal for Carver District Court files. |
| Appeal path | District Court to Court of Appeals, then Supreme Court when allowed. | Not applicable as a separate local court path. |
Carver County Case Flow
Most Minnesota state matters begin in District Court. Conciliation court is a District Court division or process for small civil disputes. Criminal and traffic matters may begin from an arrest, citation, complaint, or charging document. Family, civil, and probate matters begin with a petition, complaint, application, or other first filing.
Criminal and traffic flow: Arrest or citation › complaint or charge filed › first appearance or hearing officer appointment › arraignment or omnibus hearing › pretrial activity › plea, trial, or dismissal › disposition, sentence, fines, restitution, or probation › appeal if allowed.
Civil, family, and probate flow: First paper filed › service or notice › response or objection › hearings, settlement, mediation, or account review › order or judgment › enforcement, closing, or appeal.
Carver County Appeals And Federal Courts
Appeals from District Court generally proceed to the Minnesota Court of Appeals, with later review by the Minnesota Supreme Court when authorized or accepted. The Supreme Court is the court of last resort. The Court of Appeals is the intermediate appellate court for many District Court, agency, and local-government decisions.
The Minnesota Secretary of State judiciary overview describes the state constitutional structure.
That structure places Carver County District Court below the appellate courts for state matters.
Federal records are separate. The U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota covers federal civil and criminal cases, the District of Minnesota judges page identifies federal judges, the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals reviews federal appeals, and the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Minnesota handles bankruptcy matters.
Federal court records are searched through federal court systems, not Carver County Court Administration.
The District of Minnesota judges page supports federal judge lookup for cases outside Minnesota state District Court.
Use that federal source when the case caption names the United States District Court rather than Carver County District Court.
The Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals is the appellate court for federal District of Minnesota cases.
That federal appellate path is distinct from the Minnesota Court of Appeals path for Carver County state cases.
The U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Minnesota is the bankruptcy venue for federal bankruptcy records.
Bankruptcy filings do not become Carver County District Court records just because the debtor lives or does business in the county.