Minnesota Statutes

Minn. Stat. § 609.78 (2026)

Emergency Telephone Calls And Communications

✓ current as of May 2026

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

Subdivision 1.Misdemeanor offenses.

Whoever does the following is guilty of a misdemeanor:

(1) refuses to relinquish immediately a coin-operated telephone or a telephone line consisting of two or more stations when informed that the line is needed to make an emergency call;

(2) secures a relinquishment of a coin-operated telephone or a telephone line consisting of two or more stations by falsely stating that the line is needed for an emergency;

(3) publishes telephone directories to be used for telephones or telephone lines and the directories do not contain a copy of this section;

(4) makes a call for emergency police, fire, medical, or ambulance service, knowing that no police, fire, or medical emergency exists;

(5) interrupts, disrupts, impedes, or otherwise interferes with the transmission of a citizen's band radio channel communication the purpose of which is to inform or inquire about a medical emergency or an emergency in which property is or is reasonably believed to be in imminent danger of damage or destruction; or

(6) makes or initiates an emergency call, knowing that no emergency exists, and with the intent to disrupt, interfere with, or reduce the provision of emergency services or the emergency call center's resources, remains silent, or makes abusive or harassing statements to the call recipient.

Subd. 2.Gross misdemeanor offenses.

Whoever does the following is guilty of a gross misdemeanor:

(1) intentionally interrupts, disrupts, impedes, or interferes with an emergency call or who intentionally prevents or hinders another from placing an emergency call, and whose conduct does not result in a violation of section 609.498;

(2) places an emergency call and reports a fictitious emergency with the intent of prompting an emergency response by law enforcement, fire, or emergency medical services personnel; or

(3) violates subdivision 1, clause (6), after having been previously convicted or adjudicated delinquent for violating that clause.

Subd. 2a.Felony offense; reporting fictitious emergency resulting in serious injury.

Whoever violates subdivision 2, clause (2), is guilty of a felony and may be sentenced as follows:

(1) to imprisonment for not more than ten years or to payment of a fine of not more than $20,000, or both, if the call triggers an emergency response and, as a result of the response, someone suffers great bodily harm or death; or

(2) to imprisonment of not more than three years or to payment of a fine of not more than $10,000, or both, if the call triggers an emergency response and as a result of the response, someone suffers substantial bodily harm.

Subd. 2b.Other felony offenses.

Whoever does the following is guilty of a felony and may be sentenced to imprisonment for not more than five years or to payment of a fine of not more than $10,000, or both:

(1) violates subdivision 1, clause (6), after having been previously convicted or adjudicated delinquent for violating that clause on more than one occasion; or

(2) intentionally uses multiple communications devices or electronic means to block, interfere with, overload, or otherwise prevent the emergency call center's system from functioning properly, and these actions make the system unavailable to someone needing emergency assistance.

Subd. 2c.Felony offense; reporting fictitious emergency resulting in response to the home of certain officials.

Whoever violates subdivision 2, clause (2), is guilty of a felony and may be sentenced to imprisonment for not more than one year or to payment of a fine of not more than $5,000, or both, if the person places the call with the intent of prompting an emergency response to the home of:

(1) an elected official;

(2) a judge as defined in section 609.221, subdivision 6, clause (5);

(3) a prosecuting attorney as defined in section 609.221, subdivision 6, clause (4);

(4) a correctional employee of the state or a local political subdivision; or

(5) a peace officer as defined in section 626.84, subdivision 1, paragraph (c).

Subd. 3.Definition.

(a) Except as provided in paragraph (b), for purposes of this section, "emergency call" means:

(1) a 911 call;

(2) any call for emergency medical or ambulance service; or

(3) any call for assistance from a police or fire department or for other assistance needed in an emergency to avoid serious harm to person or property, and an emergency exists.

(b) As used in subdivisions 1, clause (6); 2, clause (2); 2a; and 2c:

(1) "call" includes the use of any method of communication including, but not limited to: telephones, facsimiles, Voice over Internet Protocols, email messages, text messages, and electronic transmissions of an image or video; and

(2) "emergency call" has the meaning given in paragraph (a) but does not require the existence of an emergency.

Notes of Decisions

Cited in 19 cases (2 in the last 5 years), 2000–2026 · leading case: State v. Hersi, 763 N.W.2d 339 (Minn. Ct. App. 2009).

Sort: Relevance Newest Treatment

State v. Hersi, 763 N.W.2d 339 (Minn. Ct. App. 2009). · cites it 21× “Appellant was charged under Minn.Stat. § 609.78, which provides that “[a] person who intentionally interrupts, disrupts, impedes, or interferes with an emergency call or who intentionally prevents or hinders another from placing an emergency call, and whose conduct does not…”

State v. Robinson, 718 N.W.2d 400 (Minn. 2006). · cites it 4× “1 (2004), and interference with an emergency call, Minn.Stat. § 609.78, subd. 2 (2004). At a pretrial hearing, the state provided the court with copies of six documents: (1) the nurses' assessment form completed by nurse J.”

State v. Goelz, 743 N.W.2d 249 (Minn. 2007). · cites it 4× “3451; or interference with an emergency call within the meaning of section 609.78, subdivision 2. Id. subd. 2(a) (2006).”

State v. McCoy, 682 N.W.2d 153 (Minn. 2004). · cites it 2× “1 (2002), and interference with an emergency call in violation of Minn.Stat. § 609.78, subd. 2 (2002). Shortly thereafter,, on July 1, 2002, respondent’s wife submitted a letter to officials at the Ramsey County courthouse, which stated that the information she had given in the…”

In Re Petition for DISCIPLINARY ACTION AGAINST Robert D. STONEBURNER, a Minnesota Attorney, Reg. No. 0105909, 882 N.W.2d 200 (Minn. 2016). · cites it 4× “Stoneburner was, charged ,in Stearns County with three crimes in connection with the incident: one count of gross misdemeanor interference with a 911 call, Minn.Stat. § 609.78, subd. 2(1) (2014); one count of misdemeanor domestic assault-fear, Minn-Stat.”

State v. Hoelzel, 639 N.W.2d 605 (Minn. 2002). · cites it 2× “1(a) (2000); one count of interference with an emergency call, a gross misdemeanor under Minn. Stat. § 609.78 , subd. 2 (2000); and one count of violation of an order for protection, a misdemeanor under Minn.”

State v. Smith, 825 N.W.2d 131 (Minn. Ct. App. 2012). · cites it 2× “1 (the terroristic-threats statute), one count of interference with a 911 call, a violation of Minn.Stat. § 609.78, subd. 2 (2008), and one count of fifth-degree assault, a violation of Minn.”

State v. Dalbec, 789 N.W.2d 508 (Minn. Ct. App. 2010). · cites it 2× “Minn.Stat. § 609.78, subd. 2 (2008). . While we conclude that failure to instruct the jury in the alternative under these circumstances was not plain error, this quandary could be eliminated entirely by charging the various means for committing assault in separate counts.”

State v. Jorgenson, 758 N.W.2d 316 (Minn. Ct. App. 2008). · cites it 2× “1(2) (2006); and interference with an emergency call under Minn.Stat. § 609.78, subd. 2 (2006). A jury trial was held, and the instruction of the district court regarding the terroristic threats charge included the following: First, the defendant threatened, directly or…”

Rew v. Bergstrom, 812 N.W.2d 832 (Minn. Ct. App. 2011). · cites it 2× “3451; or interference with an emergency call within the meaning of section 609.78, subdivision 2”). “Domestic abuse” only includes these certain acts that are “committed against a family or household member by a family or household member.”

State v. Hoelzel, 621 N.W.2d 44 (Minn. Ct. App. 2000). · cites it 4× “1 (1998), a felony; interference with a 911 call, in violation of *46 Minn.Stat. § 609.78, subd. 2 (Supp.1999), a gross misdemeanor; and violation of an order for protection (OFP), in violation of Minn.”

State v. PAK, 787 N.W.2d 623 (Minn. Ct. App. 2010). “§ 609.78, subd. 2 (2008); (II) domestic assault with intent to cause fear of imminent bodily harm in violation of Minn.”

Show all 19 citing cases →

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.