Minnesota Sex Offenders by County
Minnesota has 87 counties, and predatory offender registration and community notification operate at the county level. Local law enforcement in each county works with the Minnesota Department of Corrections and the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension to manage registered sex offenders in their area. When a predatory offender is released and assigned a risk level, the county sheriff or local police department takes the lead on notifying the public. Level 3 offenders trigger the broadest response, often including community meetings, flyers distributed within a few blocks of the offender's address, and posting on the DOC public registry.
The county where an offender lives is the county responsible for notification. If an offender moves, the receiving county takes over. Predatory offenders must report address changes within five days. For homeless offenders, weekly check-ins with local law enforcement keep them in the system. The BCA tracks all of this at the state level, but the day-to-day contact point for most people is their county sheriff's office or local police department. Many county agencies have their own resources and can answer questions about specific cases or offenders registered nearby.
Searching by county on the DOC Public Registrant Search at coms.doc.state.mn.us/publicregistrantsearch is one of the fastest ways to see who is registered near you. Enter the county name and the site returns all Level 3 offenders posted in that area. For questions about a specific county's notification process or to report a suspected violation, contact the sheriff's office in that county directly. Each county page below links to local resources and contact information for registered sex offenders in that area.