Carver County Probate Division
The local probate venue is the Probate Division of Carver County District Court at the Justice Center in Chaska. The Minnesota Judicial Branch identifies Carver County District Court as the trial court with original jurisdiction over probate cases filed in the county. That point matters because a probate search in Carver County uses the District Court record system, not a county probate court with a separate clerk.
Probate files may involve estate administration after death, will filings, trusts, guardianships, conservatorships, and will safekeeping deposits. The PR case category also includes some mental-health and commitment matters, so a case number such as 10-PR-26-83 may not always be a public estate file. Court Administration is the local office for probate filings, public case questions, and certified court copies. Marriage records remain outside Court Administration and are handled by county Land Records & Vitals.
Probate Division of 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
Search Carver County Probate Records
The official online starting point is Minnesota Court Records Online, often called MCRO. MCRO Case Search includes a Probate or Mental Health case category, and the Carver County calendar shows PR case numbers in current use. Remote access is useful for finding a case number, reviewing a Register of Actions when public, checking hearing details, and confirming whether public documents are available online. It is not the certified court record.
The Minnesota probate forms page links to probate forms, Probate Help Topics, and Guide & File where available. Use those forms for the filing path, but use MCRO or Court Administration for the record-search path. Older files, destroyed files, sealed files, and case types limited by remote-access rules may require direct contact with Court Administration.
Minnesota probate forms support the filing side of estate and guardianship work.
Those forms should be paired with the Carver County District Court filing office when a probate case is opened or a will is deposited for safekeeping.
- Open MCRO Case Search and choose Name or Case Number.
- Use the Probate or Mental Health case category under Additional Search Options.
- Set Court Locations to County, then select Carver County.
- Review the case number, status, Register of Actions, hearing entries, and available public documents.
- Contact Court Administration for certified copies, older files, or records not available through remote access.
Carver County Probate Search Fields
MCRO uses the same Case Search structure for probate and other District Court case types. Probate searches are more precise when the name search is paired with the Probate or Mental Health category and the Carver County location filter. A case-number search is best when a notice, order, or court letter already lists the 10-PR number.
| Field | Type | Use for Probate | Format Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Search tab | Tab | Yes | Name or Case Number is most common for PR files. |
| Name type | Radio/pill | Yes for names | Person or Business. |
| Last and first name | Text | Required for person search | Wildcard may be used after two characters. |
| Case Category | Checkboxes | Yes | Select Probate or Mental Health. |
| Case Status | Dropdown | Optional | All, Active, or Inactive. |
| Court Locations | County filter | Recommended | Select County, then Carver. |
Note: Do not treat an online PR result as proof that every probate document is available for remote viewing.
Carver County Probate Terms
Probate records use terms that describe the person who died, the person managing property, and the court protection ordered for another person. These terms help separate estate cases from guardianship, conservatorship, trust, and mental-health matters.
- Testator
- A person who made a will.
- Personal representative or executor
- The person appointed or named to administer the estate, pay claims, and distribute property.
- Intestate
- Dying without a valid will, so property passes under Minnesota law and court orders.
- Guardianship
- A court arrangement in which a guardian makes personal or care decisions for a protected person.
- Conservatorship
- A court arrangement in which a conservator manages money or property for a protected person.
- Commitment
- A mental-health proceeding that may appear under a PR category but is more restricted than an estate file.
Carver County Probate Fees
The Carver County District Court fee schedule lists probate and copy charges. Estate, trust, guardianship, and conservatorship filings use the first-paper probate fee. Will safekeeping is a separate deposit fee. Certified probate copies are requested from Court Administration and carry the same certified-copy amount used for other District Court instruments.
The Carver County District Court fee schedule lists probate, copy, report, and transmission amounts. The filing amounts below should be checked against the current fee page before filing because court fees can change by rule or statute.
| Probate Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Estates, trusts, guardianships, or conservatorships first paper filed | $325 |
| Deposit of will for safekeeping | $27 |
| Trust account, partial/final/annual | $55 |
| Certified copy | $14 per document |
| Exemplified and certified copy | $28 per document |
| Reports generated from the case system | $5 for 1-50 pages; $25 per 50 pages or part over 50 pages |
What Carver County Probate Records Show
A public probate file can show the case number, filing date, parties, petitioner, decedent or protected-person name where public, judicial officer, Register of Actions, hearing events, orders, and public documents. Estate cases may include petitions or applications, notices, orders appointing a personal representative, inventories, accountings, claims, distribution papers, and closing documents. Guardianship and conservatorship files can include petitions, appointment orders, accountings, and annual or final reports when public access allows.
Carver calendar material confirms current PR hearings can list party name, hearing location, hearing date, time, judicial officer, hearing type, party role, and case number. Examples in the research include Account Hearing and Commitment Hearing entries. The calendar also shows that hearings may be in a courtroom or by Zoom or remote hearing, depending on the event.
| Probate Field | What It Helps Confirm |
|---|---|
| 10-PR case number | Carver County identifier, PR category, year, and sequence. |
| Register of Actions | The dated event history of filings, notices, hearings, and orders. |
| Judicial officer | The judge or hearing officer assigned to a listed event. |
| Hearing type | Account hearing, commitment hearing, review, motion, or other event type. |
| Document list | Public filings that may be viewable online or available from Court Administration. |
Restricted Carver County Probate Records
Probate access is not uniform across every PR file. Ordinary estate filings are often more open than mental-health, commitment, juvenile, adoption, protected-person, and sealed material. Minnesota Rules of Public Access make court records accessible unless a rule, statute, or court order restricts them, and remote MCRO access can be narrower than courthouse access under Rule 8.
Minnesota juvenile record law is one reason some court material is not handled like an ordinary public probate file.
Guardianship, conservatorship, adoption, juvenile, and protected-person details should be reviewed through the access rules that apply to the specific file.
Minnesota data-subject access law can matter when a person requests government data about themselves.
Identity verification may be required when a request depends on being the data subject rather than a member of the general public.
Carver County Certified Probate Copies
MCRO records and search results are not certified by the Minnesota Judicial Branch. Certified probate copies must come from Carver County Court Administration. A certified copy has the court seal or stamp, and the state copy guidance warns that removing the staple from a multi-page certified document means it is no longer considered certified.
Use MCRO first to identify the exact case number and document name. A request for every document in a probate file may return more than needed, especially when the file is large or includes annual accounting and notice activity. Court Administration can also guide older files and documents not available through remote viewing.