State guide
Minnesota
Minnesota handles adult guardianship and conservatorship matters in district court probate divisions, with county probate courts such as Hennepin and Ramsey providing local procedures. Minnesota's statutes expressly require courts to consider less restrictive alternatives, including supported decision making, before appointing a guardian or conservator.
Checked against official sources on October 4, 2026. Rules and links change; confirm with the office listed before you act.
- Court that handles adult guardianship
- Adult guardianship and conservatorship petitions are handled in Minnesota district court probate divisions.
- What it's called
- guardian (personal decisions) and conservator (estate/business affairs)
- Official forms and self-help
- Official page →
- Filing fee
- $310.00 first paper filed for estates, trusts, guardianships, and conservatorships.
- Less-restrictive alternatives
- Minnesota law requires the court to consider less restrictive means and specifically lists supported decision making, technological assistance, community or residential services, representative payee arrangements, trusts, banking or bill-paying assistance, health care agents, and attorneys-in-fact.
- Law
- Minn. Stat. ch. 524, art. 5; see especially §§ 524.5-310, 524.5-313, 524.5-409
Official resources in Minnesota
State court help topic explaining adult guardianship, rights, annual reporting, and related resources.
State court help topic explaining conservatorship, less restrictive alternatives, and related resources.
Official statewide court forms page for adult guardianship and conservatorship cases.
Official fee page listing the first-paper filing fee for guardianship and conservatorship cases.
Official statutes governing guardianship and conservatorship proceedings.
Key facts for Minnesota
- Most Minnesota probate matters begin in district court.
- Minnesota uses guardian for personal decisions and conservator for estate and business affairs.
- The district court fee page lists $310.00 for estates, trusts, guardianships, and conservatorships when the first paper is filed.
- Minnesota statutes require the court to find that identified needs cannot be met by less restrictive means before appointing a guardian.
- Minnesota statutes specifically include supported decision making among less restrictive alternatives for both guardianship and conservatorship.
County court guardianship pages in Minnesota
| Court | city | phone | Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hennepin Probate / Mental Health Court - Guardianship & Conservatorship Hennepin | Minneapolis | (612) 348-6000 | Official Hennepin County probate page for guardianship and conservatorship, including orientation and self-help references. |
| Hennepin Probate / Mental Health Court - Legal Help, Resources & Frequently Asked Questions Hennepin | Minneapolis | Not published* | Official Hennepin probate legal-help page directing self-represented people to the Self-Help Center and probate help topics. |
| Ramsey County District Court Probate Court Ramsey | St. Paul | (651) 266-8145 | Official Ramsey Probate Court page stating self-represented initial guardianship and conservatorship petitions must be reviewed by the Ramsey County Self-Help Service Center. |
| Ramsey County District Court Ramsey | St Paul | Not published* | Official county district page listing Probate Court as the contact point for wills, probate, guardianship, conservatorship, and trusts. |
* Not published: the official page doesn't list it. Call the office to confirm before you rely on it.
What to do next
- Use the statewide forms page or Guide & File first, then check your county probate court page for local review requirements.
- If you are self-represented in Ramsey County, have your initial guardianship or conservatorship forms reviewed by the Self-Help Service Center before service.
- Gather information on less restrictive alternatives, because the court must make specific findings on why they do not work in the person's situation.
Not seeing your court or county?
Not every court publishes its rules online. Try these, in order:
- General Start with the statewide information above.
- Closest verified Nearest places where we have verified local data outside this state (distance from Minnesota's population center, for comparison only):
- Cass County Clerk of District Court, North Dakota · about 192 miles
- Minnehaha County Clerk of Court, South Dakota · about 193 miles
- Iowa Judicial Branch Court Forms, Iowa · about 228 miles
- Call to confirm Ask the official office.Minnesota Guardianship help topic
Website →Phone: (651) 297-7651 (as listed on that page, checked Oct 4, 2026)Your city or county office: Local governments →Not sure who handles it locally? USAGov's free help line, 1-844-872-4681, or the Minnesota page on USA.gov can point you to the right office. - Know the current info? Tell us with a link to the official page.