Missed Court in Minnesota: What Happens Next

What Minnesota law says can follow a missed court date: whether it is a separate crime, the driver’s license rule for traffic cases, what happens to bail, and the court’s own next steps. It runs in your browser and nothing is stored.

What kind of case was the court date for?
How was the person released before the date?

Pick the state, the kind of case and how the person was released to see what that state’s law says.

Minnesota failure to appear law

In Minnesota, missing a required court date after release can be charged as its own crime. The statute grades it by the kind of case:

  • Released on a felony charge: up to half the underlying maximum (at least 1 year and 1 day or $1,500). Intentionally failing to appear after notice that it is a crime, or after release on condition of appearing, on a felony charge is the crime of failure to appear, punishable by up to half the underlying maximum. (Minn. Stat. § 609.49, subd. 1)
    who intentionally fails to appear when required after having been notified that a failure to appear for a court appearance is a criminal offense, or after having been released on an order or condition that the releasee personally appear when required with respect to the charge or conviction, is guilty of a crime for failure to appear and may be sentenced to not more than one-half of the maximum term of imprisonment or fine, or both, provided for the underlying crime for which the person failed to appear, but this maximum sentence shall, in no case, be less than a term of imprisonment of one year and one day or a fine of $1,500, or both.
  • Released on a misdemeanor charge: misdemeanor. A person charged with a gross misdemeanor or misdemeanor who intentionally fails to appear for trial after notice is guilty of a misdemeanor. (Minn. Stat. § 609.49, subd. 2) Only if the missed date was the trial.
    A person charged with a gross misdemeanor or misdemeanor who intentionally fails to appear in court for trial on the charge after having been notified that a failure to appear for a court appearance is a criminal offense, or after having been released on an order or condition that the releasee personally appear for trial when required with respect to the charge, is guilty of a misdemeanor.

The statute’s mental-state words are “intentionally, after notice that failure to appear is a crime”, so the reason the date was missed can matter.

When a date is missed, the court’s order is called a warrant (Minn. R. Crim. P. 3.01).

Driver’s license after a missed traffic date in Minnesota

On a court report that a driver missed a citation date, DPS warns that the license will be suspended unless the driver appears within 30 days, but it may not suspend based only on a missed date for a petty misdemeanor citation (most ordinary tickets). (Minn. Stat. § 171.16, subd. 3a)

the commissioner is prohibited from suspending the driver's license of a person based solely on the fact that the person did not appear in court (1) in compliance with the terms of a citation for a petty misdemeanor, or (2) for a violation of section 171.24, subdivision 1 .

Bail and bonds after a missed date in Minnesota

After a bail penalty is forfeited, the court may forgive or reduce it on just terms; the statutes set no fixed deadline. (Minn. Stat. § 629.59)

To compare what posting bail costs in Minnesota, see the Minnesota bail bond calculator.

How to deal with a missed date in Minnesota

Only the court that set the date can recall a warrant or give a new date. Contact that court’s clerk, or the lawyer or public defender on the case, who can ask the court to recall or quash the warrant.

What this page does not do

  • It does not check whether a warrant was issued in any case or whether anyone will be arrested.
  • Whether a separate failure-to-appear charge is filed is the prosecutor’s decision; what happens to bail is the court’s.
  • It collects nothing; your choices stay in your browser.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is failure to appear a crime in Minnesota?

Yes. Released on a felony charge: up to half the underlying maximum (at least 1 year and 1 day or $1,500) under Minn. Stat. § 609.49, subd. 1; Released on a misdemeanor charge: misdemeanor under Minn. Stat. § 609.49, subd. 2.

Is missing court a felony in Minnesota?

In some cases. released on a felony charge: up to half the underlying maximum (at least 1 year and 1 day or $1,500) under Minn. Stat. § 609.49, subd. 1. Otherwise: released on a misdemeanor charge: misdemeanor under Minn. Stat. § 609.49, subd. 2 (only if the missed date was the trial).

Will Minnesota suspend my license for missing a traffic court date?

On a court report that a driver missed a citation date, DPS warns that the license will be suspended unless the driver appears within 30 days, but it may not suspend based only on a missed date for a petty misdemeanor citation (most ordinary tickets). The rule is in Minn. Stat. § 171.16, subd. 3a.

Sources

Checked against the sources above on October 20, 2026.

Know someone who could use this? Share this free tool:

Share: