Pennsylvania record expungement

Pennsylvania has expungement laws that help people who received a summary offense, Accelerated Rehabilitative Disposition (ARD) or had an arrest that did not lead to a conviction. Expungement usually takes about 4 to 6 months. Attorneys typically charge between $700 to to $1000 to expunge your record. Take our free online eligibility test to see if you are eligible to have your PA criminal record expunged.

People who were convicted of felonies or misdemeanors are not eligible for expungement, unless a pardon is received. The good news about pardons is that Pennsylvania is one of the easiest states in which to receive a pardon. Pennsylvania grants a lot more pardons than most states. Once a pardon is received, the court can expunge the misdemeanor or felony conviction. Most attorneys charge between $2,000 to $5,000 to handle a pardon case.

The court will consider many things when determining whether or not to expunge an individual's record. The things a court may consider are the harm to the individual's status, his or her source of revenue, the actual crime itself, the individual's previous criminal record, and if it is in the state's interest to classify the records. Pennsylvania law explicitly prohibits the courts from expunging records, even though the individual has effectively complied with the terms of the accelerated rehabilitation disposition, where he or she had been charged with certain kinds of sexual assault offenses against juveniles.

When the petitioner sends the petition for expungement, it will be quickly sent to the state repository for a criminal background check in the capital city of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. The state repository will then circulate the order for expungement to every other law enforcement agency that has previously received the information that is the subject of the order.

It is important to make sure that your criminal record is otherwise clean and that no other charges are pending. When you petition the court for expungement you must remember to include your full name, date of birth, social security number, what charges were brought against you, the case's docket number, and the offense tracking number and the disposition of the case. If you do not include all this information it will be dismissed, otherwise you can proceed with the expungement process.