A criminal record can cause trouble when it comes to finding work, securing financial assistance like a loan, and other important aspects of your life. But there may be something you can do about it.

In Houston, there are certain circumstances under which you may expunge some or all of your criminal record. But it isn’t as simple as filing a request as soon as you want to wipe this record away. There are certain facts you need to know to understand how much of your record is eligible for expunction.

In this blog post, you’ll learn in detail about how Houston criminal record expunction services work, as explained by a practicing Texas attorney.

Who’s eligible for criminal record expunction?

Anyone, including both juveniles and adults, may pursue criminal record expunction. Demographic factors like age and background play no role in your eligibility for expunction. Eligibility is almost entirely dependent on these factors:

• The level of offense you were charged with
• Whether the offense resulted in a conviction
• How long it’s been since you were charged

How does criminal record expunction work?

Whether you’re an adult or juvenile, you’ll need to file a petition to have violations on your criminal record expunged.

If you intend to file this kind of petition, you should do so with the help of an attorney. If you’re filing pro se (on your own), you’ll be responsible for:

• Determining whether your case is eligible for expunction
• Filling out the petition
• Filing the petition with all necessary documents, including the Petition for Expunction, a Final Order of Expunction, and a certified copy of a dismissal judgement if your case was tried by another city’s municipal court within Harris County
• Covering the $100 filing fee

If you’re filing this petition as a juvenile, the process looks slightly different. You’ll have to include:

• The notarized Petition
• A photo ID
• $30 to cover the filing fee

Either way, you should make 4-5 copies of your expunction petition to make sure there are enough to include one for yourself.

Two other documents you should familiarize yourself with include Order Setting Hearing and Agreed Order of Expunction. You can find more information about them here.

What does record expunction cover?

Any charge on your criminal record that doesn’t result in a conviction may be expunged. Additionally, you can request expunction for Class C Misdemeanors that resulted in deferred adjudication.

There’s more to the process than having an eligible charge or end result on your record, though. For any level of offense, you’ll have to wait for a certain period of time before you can file your petition. This waiting period is different for each type of offense, ranging from 180 days for Class C misdemeanors up to 3 years for felony charges.

Expunge your criminal record with Monks Law Firm

Your criminal record won’t be expunged of any charges that result in a conviction. Your case needs to have results in an acquittal, dismissed charges, or deferred adjudication to have it remo