Eviction Expungement - Do it Yourself

Who Should Use this Interview?

This interview is only for:

• Minnesota eviction cases where your rent was not subsidized; or
• Minnesota eviction cases where you had a Section 8 Voucher.

If your eviction case was about public housing, project-based Section 8 (not a Section 8 Voucher), other HUD subsidized properties, a property with a different type of subsidy, or a manufactured home park, you should not use this interview.

If you want to ask to have more than one eviction case expunged, you need to go through this interview once for each case.

How Does Expungement Work?

Expungement means deleting the record of a court case. The decision about whether to expunge a case is up to the court.

There are two ways to ask for an expungement: 1) based on Minnesota Statutes, and 2) based on the court's "inherent authority." The interview tells you about both ways to ask for an expungement.

This interview asks you questions to help you show the court that your case meets the qualifications for both kinds of expungement. NOTE: Even if you show all of these things, it is still up to the court to decide if your case should be expunged.

You usually only get one chance to ask the court for expungement. Get all of the evidence you can and make your best and most complete request for expungement.

Read the Expunging an Eviction Case Fact Sheet for more information.

Before you start the interview, make sure you have the following information. 

1. The "Register of Actions" for Your Eviction Case

To get this paper, search for your case on the court's website:

1. Go to: pa.courts.state.mn.us/default.aspx
2. Click, "Civil, Family & Probate Case Records"
3. If you know the case number, type it in the Case Number box.
4. If you don't know the case number, select "Party" in the "Search By" drop-down menu and type in your first and last name
5. Click on the link for your case. The document you see is the Register of Actions.
6. Print this document or keep the window open so that you can use it during this interview.
    

2. The Court Papers from Your Eviction Case

• If you don't have the papers, go to the County Courthouse where your eviction was filed and ask them how to get the papers.

• You can find the court information for your County at http://www.mncourts.gov/Find-Courts.aspx.
   

3. Other Evidence about Your Case

• If you had a written lease, try to get a copy of it. If you gave a copy of your lease to someone else, like the County for Emergency Assistance, ask them to give you a copy. 

• This interview creates a document called an Evidence Checklist. The Evidence Checklist tells you what other evidence you should try to get to prove your case.

If you are at a library, you can skip this step of instructions. Public computers already have these programs installed. If you are using your own computer, make sure your computer has Microsoft Word.

(Note: Microsoft Word Pad is not the same as Microsoft Word and will not work with this program.)

Start the interview by visiting the Eviction Expungement interview on LawHelp Interactive. You will be taken to a new website. 

Once on LawHelp Interactive, choose:

1. "Get Started" to complete the interview right away, 
   
   OR
    
2. "Create Account or Log In" to create an account so you can save your answers and come back later if you need more time.
    

Start the Interview!