Campus Tours

The Stearns County Downtown Campus has three areas available
for tours:

the Administration Center,
the Courthouse and Courts Facility Buildings, and
the Law Enforcement Center/Stearns County Jail.

Instructors may choose to tour any or all of the areas.

Administration Center Tours

The Administration Center houses general County offices. This tour is open to everyone, and takes approximately 1/2 hour. It offers a general overview of how the County functions and which services Stearns County provides, as well as how these services affect citizens' lives.

Questions that will be answered include:

Who governs Stearns County?
What is done with the property tax money Stearns County receives?
What does the License Center do?
Who makes such decisions as-

Should DARE funding be continued to the schools in Stearns County?
What health services can Stearns County provide?
How can we dispose of household hazardous waste and be environmentally friendly, too?

To arrange a tour, contact the County Administrator's office by email or call 320.656.3602.

Courthouse / Courts Facility Tours

This tour provides an overview of the court system in Stearns County and how it functions. The tour is open to everyone, and takes approximately 45 minutes. You'll learn some Stearns County history as well as visit courtrooms, the jury box, the Law Library, and more!

Please note: you'll need to make separate arrangements to observe court actually in session, as we'll need to check availability and clear it with the judges.

To arrange a tour, contact Stearns County Court Administration by email or call 320.656.3620.

Law Enforcement Center / Jail Tours

The Stearns County Jail is the only jail in Minnesota that offers tours of its facilities; staff conducts approximately 80 tours per year. Tours last about one hour, and may be scheduled during daytime hours Monday-Friday only.

Tours are offered to organized groups only; i.e., classrooms (4th grade or older), DARE Program graduates, and so on. The tour includes the Programs area, the garage, and the 9-1-1 center. A highlight of the tour is a group talk with a jail inmate about avoiding bad choices.

To arrange a tour, contact the County Administrator's office by email, or call Jeff Pollreis at 320.259.3759.