Hennepin County, Minnesota

Home to half of the Twin Cities and a significant portion of the Minneapolis-St Paul metro area, Hennepin County, Minnesota has a population of nearly 1.2 million. Adjacent counties include Anoka, Carver, Dakota, Ramsey, Scott, Sherburne, and Wright. Hennepin County is the economic heart of the state, playing host to multiple corporate headquarters. Notable regional businesses include Target, Best Buy, and General Mills.  

With a regionally-influential economy, Minneapolis is a popular destination for people from all walks of life. A consistent flow of new residents into the area allows local businesses to tap a rich resource for new talent and experience. However, taking full advantage of this resource requires exercising care along the way—otherwise, your business runs the risk of making an inappropriate hiring decision with serious consequences. 

A well-conceived background checking policy is your way forward. Once your business gains access to in-depth information about criminal histories, developing a clearer sense of each applicant’s suitability is much simpler. For any such policy to be effective, you must create a framework that allows for quick and easy vetting whenever a job opening occurs. 

Your initial efforts must focus on acquiring the ability to consult relevant records. Begin by restricting your efforts to local records held by Hennepin County. Identifying adverse information at this stage can help you to separate immediately-unsuitable candidates from those who should move on to the next round. Further develop your understanding by expanding the scope of your search to include information from adjacent areas, such as Ramsey County. A wider view may reveal that an applicant with no record in Hennepin has a checkered past just a few miles away.  

To use these powerful tools effectively requires not only a framework for using them but also an understanding of how to do so legally. The state of Minnesota applies a “ban the box” law to all private businesses in the state, requiring businesses to delay all criminal history inquiries until after completing a job interview or extending a conditional offer of employment. Federal legislation, including the FCRA, also applies—for example, all employers must seek consent from applicants before ordering background checks.  

Ensure compliance before you begin screening, then give your business the power to thoroughly investigate its applicants with backgroundchecks.com, which makes this process fast and easy even for high-volume companies. 

Kickstart your efforts with our county-level background check for a look at court records held in Hennepin County, then complement that data by adding in a report from our US OneSEARCH. This search product delivers results that you can begin reviewing instantly with data from Anoka, Carver, Dakota, Ramsey, Scott, Sherburne, and Wright counties. 

All these products draw their information from state and county databases updated by respective authorities. backgroundchecks.com does not maintain these records, so information may be subject to change. For the most up-to-date results possible, inquire about using an on-site courthouse runner to return records. Typical turnaround for on-site searches is just three business days. 

 Systems that supply information for these background checks include the: 

• Minnesota Department of Public Safety – Statewide convictions from 1998-present, updated monthly
• Minnesota Judicial Branch – Felony and misdemeanor records from 2009-present, updated monthly
• Minnesota Department of Corrections – Records from 1976-present, updated monthly
• State Sex Offender Registry – High-risk offenders, updated bi-weekly 

These reports may include the subject’s: 

• Name
• Offense
• Degree of offense
• Sentencing details

Keep your company competitive with access to the area’s top talent. Learn how backgroundchecks.com can provide useful tools for stronger, safer hiring in a highly competitive market. 

Learn more about our county background check options