Nobles County Court Administrator Office
Minnesota does not use a separate elected district clerk for trial-court case files. Nobles County District Court records are administered by the Court Administrator within the Minnesota Judicial Branch. The official Nobles County District Court page names Shelby Lucht as Court Administrator and lists the court at 1530 Airport Road, PO Box 547, Worthington, MN 56187. The court phone is (507) 350-3015. Nobles County's contact page also lists Court Administration, Fifth Judicial District, at (507) 295-5170.
The counter is open Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., with staff available by phone from 4:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. The Court Administrator is the records counter for civil, criminal, family, probate, juvenile, and traffic case files filed in Nobles County District Court. Public terminal access, locally stored public case files, certified copies, and practical case-copy questions belong with this office.
Nobles County Court Administration
Court Administrator: Shelby Lucht
1530 Airport Road, PO Box 547
Worthington, MN 56187
(507) 350-3015
County contact listing: (507) 295-5170
Counter hours: Monday-Friday 8:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m.
Nobles County Court Records Clerk
The Court Administrator supports the local District Court record system. That includes access to public court files, copy requests, court calendars, payment and fee questions, and in-person public terminal use. The Minnesota Judicial Branch access page explains that each district courthouse offers electronic access to statewide public case records through public access terminals and in-person counter access to locally stored paper files. It also says courthouse terminals provide the most complete electronic access to district court records.
Remote MCRO access is still the first stop for many users. The Court Administrator becomes more important when a case is missing online, a document is not remotely available under Rule 8, a certified copy is needed, or an older local paper file must be checked. The Court Administrator does not replace the Recorder, Sheriff, County Attorney, DVS, BCA, or DOC for records those agencies create.
- Civil, family, probate, juvenile, criminal, and traffic District Court case records.
- Certified and plain court-copy requests when available by law and court rule.
- Public terminal access for the broadest public electronic District Court records.
- Daily calendar and hearing questions tied to Nobles County District Court.
- Local assistance with statewide court forms, fee links, and copy request routing.
Request Nobles County Certified Copies
Certified copies are official court copies bearing court certification. They may be needed for appeals, name changes, divorce decrees, probate orders, criminal dispositions, expungement filings, licensing matters, or other legal uses. A plain printout may help with research, but it is not the same as a certified copy.
- Search MCRO first, or gather the case number from a notice, complaint, decree, citation, or order.
- Identify the exact document needed, such as a decree, order, judgment, disposition, or letters in a probate file.
- Use the statewide copy request form linked from the Nobles court quick links or contact Court Administration.
- Confirm whether the document is public, remotely available, courthouse-only, sealed, or restricted.
- Verify the current copy and certification fee before submitting payment.
- Ask whether pickup, mail, or another delivery method is available for the requested copy.
The Court Administrator image source below is the official Minnesota Government Data Practices Act public-data rule.
That statute governs government data generally, while Judicial Branch case-record access also follows the Minnesota Rules of Public Access.
Nobles County Records Request Fields
The research inventory notes that the statewide copy request form was linked from the Nobles District Court quick links, but exact PDF field extraction was unavailable locally. The core information below should be gathered before contacting the Court Administrator because it helps staff find the right file and quote the right copy type.
| Field | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Requester name and contact | Likely yes | Needed for staff follow-up, fee quote, and delivery details. |
| Case number or court file number | Strongly recommended | The fastest way to locate a Nobles County District Court file. |
| Party names | Conditional | Useful when the case number is unknown. |
| Document requested | Yes | Identify decree, order, judgment, complaint, disposition, letters, or other document. |
| Copy type | Yes | Plain, certified, or exemplified copies may have different fees and uses. |
| Delivery method | Yes | Pickup, mail, or other delivery may depend on document type and payment. |
| Payment | When fees due | Verify current Minnesota Judicial Branch copy fee before submitting. |
Nobles County Court Administrator Fees
The Nobles County research did not locate a complete local copy-fee schedule in the county page text. The official Nobles court quick links include Court Fees, and Court Administration should confirm current copy, certification, filing, and search costs before payment. Unsupported amounts should not be assumed from another county.
| Item | Amount or source |
|---|---|
| Plain court copy | Verify current Minnesota Judicial Branch copy fee. |
| Certified court copy | Verify certification and copy fee with Court Administration. |
| Exemplified court copy | Confirm availability and fee before ordering. |
| Civil or probate filing fee | Use the current Judicial Branch Court Fees link. |
| Public terminal search | Public access terminals are the courthouse fallback for electronic public case records. |
Court Administrator vs Recorder
The County Recorder is the office most likely to be confused with the court clerk. The Recorder is Traci Gyberg at 315 Tenth Street, PO Box 757, Worthington, MN 56187. The Recorder handles marriage licenses and marriage records, property titles and transfers, deeds, mortgages, liens, notary registrations, ordination credentials, DD214 recordings, and Minnesota birth and death certificates. The Recorder is also tied to land-record systems such as Nobles County LandShark.
The source image below comes from the official Nobles County LandShark recorded documents portal.
LandShark is useful for Recorder records, but it is not the source for District Court case files handled by the Court Administrator.
| Office | Handles | Does not handle |
|---|---|---|
| Court Administrator | Civil, criminal, family, probate, juvenile, traffic, court copies, MCRO fallback, public terminals | Marriage licenses, deeds, mortgages, birth certificates, death certificates |
| County Recorder | Marriage, land, title, vital records, notary, ordination, DD214, LandShark records | District Court case copies, court calendars, criminal case files, divorce decrees |
Nobles County Forms and Help
The Nobles court quick links include statewide court forms, law libraries, the Public Defender Application, Zoom hearing information, the local court calendar, the Fifth Judicial District, Court Fees, and copy request links. Court staff can provide procedural access to records and forms, but they do not replace legal advice. For criminal-defense eligibility, the Minnesota Board of Public Defense office locator is the proper statewide referral tool.
The official public-defense locator source is shown below from the Minnesota Board of Public Defense office locator.
Use that locator for public-defense office contact paths, and use Court Administration for Nobles County District Court records access.
Note: The Court Administrator is the primary clerk for court records, but agency records remain with the agency that created them.