Minnesota Statute

Disorderly Conduct (609.72)

Key questions we answer

What is disorderly conduct in Minnesota?

Disorderly conduct means engaging in acts that disturb the peace or provoke alarm or anger in others. Under Minn. Stat. § 609.72, it includes behaviors like brawling or fighting, disturbing a lawful assembly, or using offensive, obscene, or abusive language or conduct that arouses alarm, anger, or resentment in others.

What are the penalties for disorderly conduct?

Disorderly conduct is a misdemeanor offense, with a maximum penalty of 90 days in jail and a $1,000 fine. If the offense is committed against a vulnerable adult by a caregiver, it may be charged as a gross misdemeanor, which is punishable by up to one year in jail and a $3,000 fine.

What the State must prove

Conduct that tends to alarm, anger, or disturb others or provoke an assault or breach of the peace, and that it occurred in a public or otherwise covered setting.

Context—who complained, crowd dynamics, and recording—often decides these cases.

Penalties at a glance

Typically a misdemeanor; caregiver conduct toward a vulnerable adult can be charged as a gross misdemeanor. Collateral concerns can include no-contact or trespass notices.

Your first 72 hours

Save phone video and identify bystanders who recorded.
Write down what was said by whom; note any police body-cam.
Avoid new contact with complainants or location managers.

Defenses we evaluate

Free-speech boundaries and overbreadth in application.
Proof of disturbance vs. mere annoyance.
Selective enforcement or misidentification in crowd settings.

How TCDN helps

We push early for dismissals or continuances for dismissal where evidence is thin, using video and witness accounts to contextualize events.

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