An arrest leaves a record even when nothing follows it. Charges dropped, case dismissed, found not guilty — the arrest record persists, and it surfaces in background checks for years. Expungement and sealing are the legal mechanisms for dealing with that.
Expungement versus sealing
Terminology varies by state, and the difference matters. Expungement generally means the record is destroyed or treated as though it never existed. Sealing generally means it continues to exist but is hidden from public view, while remaining visible to courts and law enforcement. Some states use one term for both; some offer only one.
What is usually eligible
Cases that ended without conviction — dismissals, acquittals, charges never filed, completed diversion programmes — are the most commonly eligible. Many states also allow relief for certain older convictions after a waiting period, typically excluding serious violent offences and sex offences.
What is usually not
Serious violent felonies, offences requiring registration, and in many states repeat convictions are excluded. Pending cases are not eligible while pending.
It is a court process, not a form
Relief generally requires a petition to the court, sometimes with a filing fee, sometimes with a hearing, and frequently with notice to the prosecutor, who may object. Timelines run from weeks to many months. A handful of states have introduced automatic clearance for some categories, but automatic does not mean instant, and coverage is narrow.
Why it is worth doing
Background checks are pulled routinely for employment, housing and licensing. An arrest without a conviction is legally meaningless and practically damaging, because most people reading a report do not distinguish between the two.
Private sites and the removal industry
Clearing the official record does not automatically clear copies held by commercial sites, though many update after the underlying record changes. Reputable sites correct or remove records on request without charge. Sites that demand payment to remove a record are engaged in a practice that is unlawful in a number of states — report them rather than paying.
For records shown on this site, use the corrections and removal page. There is never a fee, and we do not work with reputation-management firms.
Getting it done
Eligibility rules are state-specific and change. Many states publish self-help packets, and legal aid organisations and law school clinics frequently handle these petitions at no cost. Where a case is borderline, an hour with an attorney licensed in that state is usually the cheapest step in the process.
Nothing here is legal advice; it is a description of how these processes generally work.
A realistic sequence
- Get your own record first. A state criminal history request, or the court file, tells you exactly what exists — which is often not what you remember.
- Check eligibility for that state. Waiting periods usually run from the date the case ended, not the date of arrest, and pending cases disqualify everything.
- Find the right court. Petitions go to the court where the case was handled, not to the police or the jail.
- File, serve, and wait. The prosecutor typically gets notice and an opportunity to object; some counties set a hearing, others decide on the papers.
- Get the order, then chase the copies. Once granted, send the order to the reporting agencies. Many commercial sites update after the underlying record changes, but some need to be told.
What relief does not do
An expungement does not un-ring the bell for anyone who already saw the record, and it does not reach private conversations, news articles, or a former employer's memory. What it does is remove or restrict the official record that background checks reach for — which, for most people, is the thing that was actually causing harm.