Minnesota Statutes

Minn. Stat. § 259.13 (2026)

Persons With Felony Conviction; Name Changes

✓ current as of May 2026

Find cases: SyfertCases citing this section MN-REVrevisor.mn.gov (official) Justiaon Justia CornellLII Search CasesGoogle Scholar

Subdivision 1.Procedure for seeking name change.

(a) A person with a felony conviction under Minnesota law or the law of another state or federal jurisdiction shall serve a notice of application for a name change on the prosecuting authority that obtained the conviction against the person when seeking a name change through one of the following procedures:

(1) an application for a name change under section 259.10;

(2) a request for a name change in conjunction with a marriage dissolution under section 518.27; or

(3) a request for a name change under section 259.14.

If the conviction is from another state or federal jurisdiction, notice of application must also be served on the attorney general.

(b) A person who seeks a name change under section 259.10 or 518.27 shall file proof of service with the court as part of the name change request.

(c) The name change request may not be granted during the 30-day period provided for in subdivision 2 or, if an objection is filed under subdivision 2, until satisfaction of the requirements in subdivision 3 or 4. Nothing in this section shall delay the granting of a marriage license under section 517.08, which may be granted without the name change.

Subd. 2.Objection by prosecuting authority.

At any time within 30 days from the date of service of the notice of application for a name change under this section, the prosecuting authority or the attorney general may file an objection to the application for a name change. The objection may be made on the basis that the request aims to defraud or mislead, is not made in good faith, will cause injury to a person, or will compromise public safety. If an objection to the application for a name change is filed within this time period, the court may not grant the name change request, and the county may not allow the name change as part of a marriage license.

Subd. 3.Motion to grant name change request.

A person who seeks a name change may contest the prosecuting authority's or attorney general's objection by filing a motion with the court for an order permitting the requested name change. Except as provided in subdivision 4, no name change shall be granted unless the person requesting it proves by clear and convincing evidence that the request is not based upon an intent to defraud or mislead, is made in good faith, will not cause injury to a person, and will not compromise public safety.

Subd. 4.Constitutional right to name change.

The court shall grant a name change if failure to allow it would infringe on a constitutional right of the person.

Subd. 5.Costs.

(a) Except as provided in paragraph (b), a person seeking a name change under this section may proceed in forma pauperis only when the failure to allow the name change would infringe upon a constitutional right.

(b) A court shall not require a person with a felony conviction to pay filing fees for a name change application provided that the person files the action within 180 days after the marriage and submits to the court a certified copy of the marriage certificate.

Subd. 6.Criminal penalty.

A person who knowingly violates this section is guilty of a gross misdemeanor.

Notes of Decisions

Cited in 5 cases (3 in the last 5 years), 2014–2026 · leading case: In re Bradley Stephen Boone for a Change Name, 924 N.W.2d 44 (Minn. Ct. App. 2019).

Sort: Relevance Newest Treatment

In re Bradley Stephen Boone for a Change Name, 924 N.W.2d 44 (Minn. Ct. App. 2019). · cites it 32× “Boone, a felon, complied with the notice requirements for name-change petitions set out in Minn. Stat. § 259.13 . The prosecuting authority submitted a letter indicating no objection to the name change, but, in its order denying Boone's application, the district court concluded…”

In re the Marriage of Zachary Dean Hollingsworth v. Anne Marie Halling Roe, ... (Minn. Ct. App. 2025). · cites it 8× “Minnesota law provides that: Except as provided in section 259.13, in the final decree of dissolution or legal separation the court shall, if requested by a party, change the name of that party to another name as 12 the party requests.”

Meranelli v. Hylden (D. Minnesota 2025). · cites it 2× “) The Sherburne County Attorney’s Office objected to the name change under Minn. Stat. § 259.13 , subd. 2, out of concern that a name change would make it more difficult to connect Meranelli to her criminal records if she were released from civil commitment.”

In the Matter of the Application of Anthony Allen Jessie Garnett for a Change of Name (Minn. Ct. App. 2026). · cites it 2× “See Minn. Stat. § 259.13 , subd. 1 (2024) (providing the procedure for seeking a name change for persons with a felony conviction).”

In the Matter of the Application of Arthur Senty-Haugen for a Name Change. (Minn. Ct. App. 2014). · cites it 2× “Next, appellant asserts that the district court improperly allowed MSOP to object to the name change even though MSOP is not a “prosecuting authority” with the privilege to object under Minn. Stat. § 259.13 , subd. 1 (2012). We disagree.”

Annotations are extracted automatically from the opinions in the Syfert caselaw corpus and ranked by authority, recency, and treatment. Dots show Syfertize treatment of the citing case itself.