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Cass County, North Dakota State Court Records

Court County, North Dakota, court records include all official documents relating to the filing, hearing, or adjudication of a case that were produced or retained by the Cass County State District Court System. Examples of this type of documentation would include, but are not limited to, civil, criminal, probate, family, and traffic cases as well as filings, motions, judgments, and orders. The Unified North Dakota State Court System, administered by North Dakota Courts, maintains and provides access to court records for citizens of Cass County.

Frequently, Court Records are interconnected with many other types of public records. An example of this includes Arrest Records developed by the Cass County Sheriff's Department, which may result in the initiation of criminal court actions. Sentencing in criminal court actions will be documented in Incarceration Records. Additional examples of interconnected public documents include marriage, divorce, name change and birth certificates, which may be documented in conjunction with a court action or through the North Dakota Department of Health's vital records division.

Are Cass County Court Records Public?

Under North Dakota's open records structure, most court records in Cass County are considered public documents. In terms of governing body oversight and jurisdiction, the majority of North Dakota's court records are subject to NDCC Section 44-04 Open Records and Meetings Law. The District Courts maintain all court records throughout Cass County. However, they are protected from public view under statutory or court-ordered restrictions. Most of the time, the public can view civil, criminal, probate, and traffic case information through either the court clerk or an online portal provided by the State Judiciary Public Access System.

There are several exceptions to this public viewing policy. Juvenile cases, adoption files, sealed or expunged criminal files, confidential victim information, and other mental health or domestic violence-related records are examples of these types of records. The public's access to these types of records will be denied if there is a potential violation of privacy rights or the integrity of an active investigation.

What Information is Available in Cass County Court Records?

Cass County Courts are home to an extensive collection of case-related documents, including data from the State of North Dakota Court System and the Local District Courts.

  • Case number and official filing date
  • Name of plaintiff, defendant, and other parties involved
  • Details of charges filed
  • Court motions, pleadings, and legal documents supporting each motion
  • Hearing dates, schedules, and courtroom assignment information
  • Judges' rulings, orders, and written judgments as finalized
  • Sentencing details, fines, restitution, or penalties applied
  • Attorneys of record and legal representation details
  • Warrant, bail amount, and bond conditions when applicable
  • Status update, docket entries, and appeal history

Cass County Court Records Search

Cass County court documents can be accessed in three ways provided by the North Dakota Court System.

Access Online: The majority of court documents for residents are available online through the North Dakota Courts public access portal. Available documents will include the case summary, docket, parties involved, and scheduled hearings. Depending on what interested persons are looking for, certain types of cases, such as juvenile and adoption cases, may be restricted or unavailable.

In Person: Interested persons who need to look at documents that are filed at the Cass County District Court Clerk's office can come into their office. They have personnel who will assist in finding case files, again, depending upon how much access an interested person is entitled to viewing them or copying them at an additional cost.

By Mail and Phone: Searchers can send written requests via mail to:

The Cass County Clerk of District Court

211 9th Street South,

Fargo, ND 58103

In addition to providing a description of a case, searchers should also include their name, address, and telephone number along with payment of any required fees. There is no set time frame for processing these requests. However, it typically takes anywhere from a couple of days to several weeks. Typically, checks and money orders are acceptable forms of payment.

Fees for Court Records in Cass County

Beginning with court records, which are generally open for public viewing in Cass County and freely available to review non-confidential court records. Charges for receiving copies of court records are primarily based on the cost of reproducing, certifying, or having a clerk process the documents.

The most common fees to receive copies of court records are as follows:

  • Record Search Fee: This fee is $10 per name and record type when searchers submit a written request to the Clerk of Court to search their records.
  • Photocopy Fees: 10 cents per page with a $1.00 minimum.
  • Certification: For Certified Copies of Judgments, Orders, and Other Court Documents, the initial fee is $20.00. Then there will be a $10.00 fee for each subsequent order of a Certified Copy of the Same Document.
  • No Charge: There is no charge to receive electronic copies that are obtainable directly from the courts.

Charges for copying court records are established through the North Dakota Court Rules and Fee Schedules, therefore, they can change from year to year. To verify current fees, how to make payments, and whether there will be any additional costs, please call the Cass County Clerk of District Court before submitting a request.

Cass County Courthouse Locations

Cass County has a District Court and Municipal Court as follows:

District Courts in Cass County

Cass County District Court

211 9th St S, PO Box 2806, Fargo, ND 58108

Phone: 701-451-6900

Fax: 701-451-6939

Municipal Courts in Cass County

Casselton Municipal Court

702 1st St N, PO Box 20

Casselton, ND 58012

Phone: 701-347-4785

Fargo Municipal Court

402 Northern Pacific Avenue,

PO Box 49, Fargo, ND 58102

Phone: 701-241-1316

Fax: 701-241-1320

Kindred Municipal Court

31 5th Avenue N, PO Box 158,

Kindred, ND 58051

Phone: 701-428-3115

Fax: 701-428-9100

Reies Acres Municipal Court

4635 35th Ave N,

Reiles Acres, ND 58102

Phone: 701-541-0035

Tower City Municipal Court

PO Box 55, Tower City, ND 58071

Phone: 701-749-2343

Fax: 701-749-2344

West Fargo Municipal Court

800 4th Avenue East, Ste 2,

West Fargo, ND 58078

Phone: 701-433-5516

Fax: 701-433-5319

Criminal Records Access in Cass County

Cass County's official criminal background check records are usually provided by the State of North Dakota rather than the Cass County Courts. The North Dakota Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI) maintains all of North Dakota's criminal history records on an individual basis. Generally, individuals, employers, and organizations that require official criminal background checks must contact BCI via name-based or fingerprint-based searches.

On the other hand, criminal records from cases heard in Cass County are maintained by the Cass County Courts. This includes charges, court dates, case filing documents, disposition, and sentencing information. The general public can find out whether a case was brought before a judge in Cass County by using the case search function on the North Dakota Court System website. Alternatively, interested parties can visit the Clerk of the District Court's office in person.

Keep in mind that the records of the courts and those of the statewide criminal history database are different. An individual's court records represent one incident, whereas the information compiled for an individual's statewide criminal history report can reflect incidents from many separate jurisdictions throughout North Dakota.

Cass County Probate Records

Probate records in Cass County relate to the administration of an individual's estate and legal issues that have been resolved by a court. The records are maintained by the Cass County District Court. These records typically include wills, estate inventory reports, trust agreements, guardianship or conservatorship arrangements, names of executors and other relevant court orders, as well as court-appointed fiduciary supervisory actions. Probate records assist in documenting asset distribution and the appointment and supervision of fiduciaries.

Cass County Family Court Records

Cass County family court records will include legal issues such as divorce, child custody, child support, adoptions, paternity, etc., all of which fall under the jurisdiction of the North Dakota Court System. Records from family law cases are usually kept at the Cass County District Court and are sometimes available to the public, but it depends on how they were filed.

Family law summary reports and docket information are mostly obtainable via the North Dakota Courts website. Accessing these records is often limited due to the fact that many family cases involve private or protected information regarding children, adoptions, or domestic violence. Therefore, the records may have been sealed or ordered sealed by the judge.

Interested persons can also contact the Cass County Clerk of District Court for an overview of their physical files and to view those available. They may purchase certified copies of their divorce decree for a legal purpose. To get copies, they would need to provide ID, specify the cases they want to copy, and pay any applicable fees. The processing time varies depending on the type of document required and any restrictions.

Federal Court Records in Cass County

The federal court record contains all information on federal cases processed under the United States Federal Judicial System. This includes:

  • Bankruptcy Filings
  • Civil Lawsuits based on federal laws
  • Constitutional Issues
  • Immigration-Related Cases
  • Cases against federal entities.

Typically, federal cases from Cass County are heard in the United States District Court for the District of North Dakota.

Most federal records are available in an electronic format using the Public Access to Court Electronic Records (PACER) system. The user can enter a search query to find a case docket, filings, and opinions. The PACER service charges a per-page fee.

Searchers can also physically obtain copies of the records by going to the Clerk's Office located within the federal courthouse in North Dakota.

Cass County Court