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Advancing Human Rights and Justice for All in Maryland since 1911
Maryland
Criminal
Record
Expungement
Expungement
Your criminal record may keep you from
securing employment, housing, a loan,
credit, or custody of a child. Here are a few
things you should know about Criminal
Record Expungements in Maryland.
What is a Criminal Record
Expungement?
A Criminal Record Expungement means that
any arrests or criminal records are destroyed
or sealed. An expunged record cannot be
seen by the public, employers or background
check agencies. However, the record may
still be seen by government agencies, police,
military, and other agencies that require a
security clearance for a particular job.
Maryland Criminal Record
Expungement
Maryland Legal Aid: Who We Are
Maryland Legal Aid is a non-pro t law rm
dedicated to providing high-quality legal
advocacy to protect and advance human
rights for Maryland’s most vulnerable low-
income individuals, families and communities.
Established in 1911, Maryland Legal Aid
provides free civil legal services to low-
income individuals and families statewide
and serves Baltimore City and Maryland’s 23
counties from 12 full-service o ces. Maryland
Legal Aid receives funding from federal,
state and local governments, foundations,
the United Way and other private sources.
Because of certain funding limitations, most
clients have incomes at or below 125% of the
federal poverty guidelines. Further, Maryland
Legal Aid focuses its practice on civil issues
(e.g., housing, consumer, family, and public
bene ts) and does not accept criminal,
personal injury, or tra c court matters, even
if a person is nancially eligible. Maryland
Legal Aid does, however, provide assistance
with criminal record expungements.
Maryland Legal Aid: Who We Are
Maryland Legal Aid is a non-pro t law rm
dedicated to providing high-quality legal
advocacy to protect and advance human
rights for Maryland’s most vulnerable low-
income individuals, families and communities.
Established in 1911, Maryland Legal Aid
provides free civil legal services to low-
income individuals and families statewide
and serves Baltimore City and Maryland’s 23
counties from 12 full-service o ces. Maryland
Legal Aid receives funding from federal,
state and local governments, foundations,
the United Way and other private sources.
Maryland Legal Aid Oces
Anne Arundel County
229 Hanover Street
Annapolis, MD 21401
(410) 972-2700
(800) 666-8330
Baltimore City
500 E. Lexington Street
Baltimore, MD 21202
Telephone Intake Lines:
(410) 951-7750
(866) MD LAW 4U
(or 866-635-2948)
Business Line:
(410) 951-7777
(800) 999-8904
Baltimore County
215 Washington Avenue
Suite 305
Towson, MD 21204
(410) 427-1800
(877) 878-5920
Lower Eastern Shore
Dorchester, Somerset,
Wicomico, Worcester
111 High Street
Salisbury, MD 21801
(410) 546-5511
(800) 444-4099
Metropolitan Maryland
Howard, Prince George’s
8401 Corporate Drive
Suite 200
Landover, MD 20785
(301) 560-2100
(888) 215-5316
Howard County
3451 Court House Drive
2nd Floor
Ellicott City, MD 21043
(410) 480-1057
Midwestern Maryland
Carroll, Frederick, Washington
22 S. Market Street
Suite 11
Frederick, MD 21701
(301) 694-7414
(800) 679-8813
Montgomery County
600 Jeerson Plaza
Suite 430
Rockville, MD 20852
(240) 314-0373
(855) 880-9487
Northeastern Maryland
Cecil, Harford
103 S. Hickory Avenue
Bel Air, MD 21014
(410) 836-8202
(800) 444-9529
Southern Maryland
Calvert, Charles, St. Mary’s
15045 Burnt Store Road
P.O. Box 249
Hughesville, MD 20637
(301) 932-6661
(877) 310-1810
Upper Eastern Shore
Caroline, Kent,
Queen Anne’s, Talbot
106 N. Washington Street
Suite 101
Easton, MD 21601
(410) 763-9676
(800) 477-2543
Western Maryland
Allegany, Garrett
110 Greene Street
Cumberland, MD 21502
(301) 777-7474
(866) 389-5243
Statewide
Farmworker Program
(800) 444-4099
Foreclosure Legal
Assistance Project
(888) 213-3320
Long-Term Care
Assistance Project
(866) 635-2948
Maryland Senior
Legal Helpline
(866) 635-2948
Veterans’ Hotline
(443) 863-4040
TTY Users: Call Maryland Relay, Dial 7-1-1
Visit
www.peoples-law.org
for self-help
legal information and community resources.
For more information visit
www.mdlab.org.
Rev 11.2019
The following list includes examples of items
that CAN be expunged from Maryland state
records, with some exceptions:
• Nolle Prosequi (Plainti or Prosecutor dropped
the charges);
• Stet (when a case becomes inactive; applies if
no action was taken on your case for more
than 3 years);
• Probation Before Judgment/PBJ (except for
driving under the inuence charges: you were
placed on probation before a judgment has
been entered; applies if no action was taken on
your case for more than 3 years);
• Release Without Charge (RWOC);
• Not Guilty verdict;
• Case Dismissal;
• Case Acquittal;
• Juvenile Transfer (you were charged as an adult,
but then transferred to juvenile court);
• Civil Citations (e.g., violating the
Open Container law);
• Convictions for nuisance crimes (e.g., drinking
alcohol or sleeping in public, panhandling,
loitering, or using transit without payment);
• Marijuana possession and marijuana
paraphernalia conviction after 4 years;
• Some misdemeanor convictions are eligible
after a 10- or 15-year waiting period;
• Trac violations if the possible penalty
involved incarceration;
• Maryland Legal Aid can only expunge charges
that were issued in the state of Maryland.
IMPORTANT: If you have a current charge
or case pending, you cannot expunge any
records until the pending charge is resolved.
What charges CANNOT be expunged
from Maryland state records?
The following list includes examples of items
that CANNOT be expunged from Maryland
state records with some exceptions:
• Most Convictions—cases that ended in a
guilty nding;
• Pending criminal matters
;
• “Unit Rule”: If there are multiple charges or
cases from the same incident, and any of
those charges are not expungable, then the
entire list of charges and cases from the initial
incident is not expungable, regardless of the
disposition (i.e., guilty or not guilty).
Resources to help you nd and review
your Criminal Record to see what
items are expungeable
• You can do an online case search of your
Maryland criminal record back to 1990: http://
casesearch.courts.state.md.us/ casesearch/
• Criminal Justice Information System/CJIS
(if you were ngerprinted during your arrest)
6776 Reisterstown Road, Suite 102,
Baltimore, MD 21215
8:30am – 6:00pm, Monday – Friday
8:00am – 4:30pm, 1st and 3rd
Saturday of the month
The cost is $38.00 payable by money order,
certied or personal check to CJIS-Central
Repository. Cash is not accepted.
What charges CAN be expunged from
Maryland state records?
What happens after my
Expungement has been led?
After you or your attorney submits your
petition for expungement to the court, the
State’s Attorney has 30 days to object. If that
happens, a hearing will be scheduled. If the
court orders your record expunged, the process
can take up to one year. Agencies such as the
police department have 60 days from the date
of the court order to remove your record.
Make sure to conrm that your record was
expunged by doing an online case search or
getting another CJIS report. Always keep a
copy of your court records and expungement
court order.
Do I still have to disclose my Criminal
Record on employment applications
after Expungement?
You do not have to disclose arrests and
convictions on employment applications if
they have been expunged from your record.
However, some employers (e.g., military
employers or employers who require a
security clearance), are still going to be able
to see these items on your record. In these
instances, it is generally better to disclose
your record.
www.mdlab.org
Organizations that may be able
to help you with your criminal
record expungement
• Maryland Legal Aid
See oce locations and telephone numbers
on reverse side.
• Homeless Persons Representation Project
Phone: (410) 685-6589
Website: www.hprplaw.org
• Maryland Center for Legal Assistance
Phone: (410) 260-1392
Website: www.mdcla.org
• Maryland Volunteer Lawyers Service
Phone: (800) 510-0050
Website: www.mvlslaw.org
• Oce of the Public Defender (OPD)
(if you are already represented by the
OPD in a criminal matter)
You can Expunge your own
Criminal Record
Visit http://mdexpungement.com/ to expunge
your criminal record on your own. It costs $30
to le each expungement petition in many
circuit courts. It is free to le expungement
petitions in district courts. Enter each case
number and the website will oer guidance
as to whether your record might qualify for
expungement. The best way, however, to
determine eligibility for expungement is to
seek legal advice from an attorney.
