Washington County District Court Overview
Minnesota uses District Court as the general trial court, and Washington County sits in the Tenth Judicial District. The county’s district court handles the case types that feed the criminal, civil, family, probate, and traffic pages on this site.
The federal court image below is a reminder that Washington County’s trial court is separate from the U.S. District Court system.
The federal court image here is only a cross-system reference point. Washington County’s own trial court is the Minnesota District Court in Stillwater.
List of Washington County District Courts
Washington County has one primary district-court location, and the court’s divisions handle the civil, family, criminal, juvenile, probate, mental-health, and traffic work that moves through the county.
For federal practice, the District of Minnesota keeps a separate clerk and electronic filing system.
| Court # | Type | Address | Phone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Washington County District Court | Civil | 14949 62nd Street North, Stillwater | (651) 413-8030 |
| Washington County District Court | Family | 14949 62nd Street North, Stillwater | (651) 413-8030 |
| Washington County District Court | Criminal | 14949 62nd Street North, Stillwater | (651) 413-8030 |
| Washington County District Court | Probate / Mental Health | 14949 62nd Street North, Stillwater | (651) 413-8030 |
District Court vs. County Court vs. Justice Court
Minnesota does not use a separate county court or justice court structure for Washington County. District Court is the trial court, and most case types that matter to the public move through it.
For federal civil and criminal work, PACER and CM/ECF are the separate lookup tools.
| District Court | County Court | Justice / JP Court | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Civil Limit | General jurisdiction | Not used here | Not used here |
| Criminal Jurisdiction | Misdemeanor through felony | Not used here | Not used here |
| Family Cases | Yes | No | No |
| Jury Size | As provided by Minnesota law | Not used here | Not used here |
How a Case Moves Through the Washington County System
Most cases begin with a filing, citation, or petition and then move through scheduling, hearings, disposition, and any later appeal. That workflow is the backbone behind the county’s court records pages.
Criminal flow: Arrest › Magistrate / First Appearance › Indictment or Information › Arraignment › Pretrial › Trial › Sentencing › Appeal
Civil flow: Petition Filed › Answer › Discovery › Mediation › Trial › Judgment › Appeal
The federal court and attorney office references below help separate state trial-court records from the adjoining federal system.
Civil, Family, and Criminal Divisions
Washington County District Court divides work by subject area, but the same courthouse and court administration support the case flow. Civil, family, criminal, juvenile, probate, and traffic work all route through the same overall court system.
That division structure is why the county has separate records pages for criminal, arrest/charge, probate, and traffic searches.
Federal e-filing still lives in a different system entirely.
Judicial Circuit / District
Washington County belongs to the Tenth Judicial District of the Minnesota Judicial Branch. That district structure is the reason local records, calendars, and administrative functions are tied to the same statewide court system.
Bankruptcy records follow a separate clerk and PACER structure even though they sit in the same federal geography.
Magistrate and Lower Courts
Washington County does not use a separate justice-court layer for ordinary county court work. District Court is the operative trial court for the county’s public case records.