Clearing a criminal record in the District of Columbia
In the District of Columbia it is called record sealing and expungement: sealing removes the record from public view. Some misdemeanor and felony convictions may be cleared, and the District of Columbia also clears some records automatically.
Checked against official sources: October 25, 2026. · Free letter and checklist ↓
Can my record be cleared in the District of Columbia?
Record sealing and expungement — Sealing removes the record from public view, but courts, prosecutors, police, some licensing boards, schools and child-care employers, and some government employers can still see it. Expungement goes further: the record is removed from public files and only you, your lawyer, and agencies handling another criminal case can reach it.
The District of Columbia has 2 ways to clear a record. Each covers different records and has its own waiting period.
Sealing of criminal records by motion (D.C. Code § 16-806)
Arrests and charges that did not lead to a conviction; fugitive-from-justice arrests; misdemeanor convictions; most felony convictions.
| Kind of case | Waiting period | Counted from |
|---|---|---|
Arrest or charge, no conviction | No waiting period There is no waiting period once the case is over without a conviction. You must show sealing is in the interests of justice. For offenses not on the automatic-sealing exclusion list, a motion must be filed before October 1, 2027; after that date these cases are handled by automatic sealing. | End of the case (dismissal, no papering, or other final disposition without conviction) |
Misdemeanor conviction | 5 years You can ask to seal a misdemeanor conviction 5 years after you finish your sentence. Unpaid fines or restitution do not stop the clock. | Completion of the sentence (discharge from incarceration, probation, parole or supervised release, whichever is latest) |
Felony conviction | 8 years You can ask to seal most felony convictions 8 years after you finish your sentence. | Completion of the sentence |
- Not eligible
- Felonies in Offense Severity Groups 1, 2 or 3 of the D.C. Sentencing Commission Master Grid (the most serious felonies) cannot be sealed.
- Limits
- If a motion is denied, you can file a second motion after 1 year and a third and final motion 1 year after that.
Law: D.C. Code §§ 16-801, 16-806, 16-807
Source: Official text
Expungement by motion on grounds of actual innocence (D.C. Code § 16-803)
Arrests and charges that did not end in a conviction (or a not-guilty-by-insanity finding), where the offense did not happen or you did not commit it.
| Kind of case | Waiting period | Counted from |
|---|---|---|
Arrest or charge, actual innocence | No waiting period You can file at any time after the case ends. You must prove by a preponderance of the evidence that the crime did not happen or that you did not do it. | End of the case |
- Not eligible
- Cases that ended in a conviction. An acquittal or dismissal alone does not prove innocence.
- Limits
- After a denial, a second motion on the same grounds after 1 year, and a third and final one 1 year later (new grounds may be raised any time).
Law: D.C. Code §§ 16-803, 16-804
Source: Official text
When can I file? Waiting periods in the District of Columbia
Pick your kind of case and the date the waiting period runs from. We add the waiting period from the law; nothing else.
How to file in the District of Columbia
Sealing of criminal records by motion (D.C. Code § 16-806)
Get your arrest history from MPD (Option A, $7) and your case dispositions from D.C. Superior Court. Write a motion listing all your unsealed arrests and convictions and why sealing is in the interests of justice. Email everything to the Superior Court Seal Team or file in person at 500 Indiana Ave NW, Room 4001, and serve a copy on the prosecutor. The prosecutor responds only if the judge orders it. The judge may hold a hearing and must rule in writing, usually within 180 days. The prosecutor can waive the waiting period in writing.
Expungement by motion on grounds of actual innocence (D.C. Code § 16-803)
File a written motion in D.C. Superior Court stating the grounds and facts, with any affidavits or documents, and serve the prosecutor. The court may order a response and hold a hearing. Records must be expunged within 90 days after the motion is granted.
Court self-help
Free help in the District of Columbia
- Public Defender Service for D.C. (ask for the Duty Day Attorney for seal cases) · 202-824-2801
- Legal Aid DC · 202-628-1161
- Neighborhood Legal Services Program · 202-832-6577
- Rising for Justice · 202-638-4798
- Christian Legal Society · 301-458-6534
- DC Resource Bridge · (202) 933-4357
- Find free legal aid at LawHelp.org
National help
Free letter and checklist
Letter: ask for a copy of your own record
A request to the state records office (Metropolitan Police Department, Arrest and Criminal History Section) with your name, date of birth and mailing address.
Checklist: what to gather before you file
Case numbers, court papers, proof you finished your sentence, forms and fees for the District of Columbia.
Clearing a record in the District of Columbia by topic
Sealing of criminal records by motion (D.C. Code § 16-806) in the District of Columbia
Which records each remedy covers, who is not eligible and what changes afterwards.
Waiting periods in the District of Columbia
How long you wait for each kind of case, and a date helper.
How to file in the District of Columbia
The steps, the cost, fee waivers, the forms and court self-help.
Automatic relief in the District of Columbia
- Law
- Automatic sealing and expungement under the Second Chance Amendment Act of 2022 (D.C. Law 24-284)
- What is cleared
- The law requires the court to automatically seal cases that ended without a conviction, and misdemeanor convictions 10 years after completion of the sentence. Neither applies if the offense is on the excluded list (for example intrafamily offenses, DUI, sex offenses, crimes of violence, dangerous crimes, abuse of a vulnerable adult). The law also requires the court to automatically expunge records of conduct that has since been decriminalized or legalized, or held unconstitutional, plus simple marijuana possession before February 15, 2015. The deadline for clearing existing records is October 1, 2027. As of the court's February 2026 update, no cases were yet being automatically sealed or expunged.
- Started
- Law applicable March 1, 2025; automatic sealing and expungement due by October 1, 2027 (or within 90 days after the case ends or the waiting period passes, whichever is later)
- Check your record
- Official status page
Law: D.C. Code §§ 16-802, 16-805 (D.C. Law 24-284; D.C. Law 25-175; D.C. Law 25-217; D.C. Law 26-52)
Marijuana records in the District of Columbia
Records related only to simple possession of any amount of marijuana before February 15, 2015, and records of offenses that have been decriminalized or legalized, must be automatically expunged by October 1, 2027, unless the prosecutor proves a lawful need to keep them.
Law: D.C. Code § 48-904.01(d)(1); D.C. Code § 16-802
Juvenile records in the District of Columbia
D.C. Family Court must seal juvenile case and police records on motion (or on its own) once 2 years have passed since final discharge from custody or supervision, if you have no later conviction or adjudication and nothing is pending. After sealing, the case is treated as if it never happened, and you do not have to disclose juvenile delinquency history on job, school or housing applications.
Law: D.C. Code § 16-2335
Pardons in the District of Columbia
- Who decides
- The President of the United States for D.C. Code offenses; the Mayor of D.C. only for violations of D.C. police and building regulations and certain old local ordinances
- How
- Pardons of D.C. Code crimes are requested through the U.S. Department of Justice Office of the Pardon Attorney, like federal pardons.
Law: U.S. Const. art. II, § 2; D.C. Code § 1-301.76
After your record is cleared in the District of Columbia
After sealing or expungement you cannot be charged with perjury or giving a false statement for not disclosing the sealed or expunged arrest, charge or conviction 'in response to any inquiry made of them for any purpose.' Sealed records remain available to courts, prosecutors, police, corrections, licensing agencies (for disqualifying offenses), schools and child-care facilities, and some senior government employers.
Law: D.C. Code §§ 16-801(5), 16-804, 16-807
Get your own record in the District of Columbia
Metropolitan Police Department, Arrest and Criminal History Section · (202) 727-4245
Ask for 'Option A' (full arrest record for sealing or expungement). Bring a driver's license or non-driver ID (or original birth certificate and Social Security card) to 441 4th Street NW, Room 550 South, by appointment, or mail a notarized letter. Fee $7 (cash or card in person; $7 money order to the DC Treasurer by mail). Up to 10 business days. You must be 18 or older.
Letter: ask the state records office for a copy of your record
Good to know in the District of Columbia
- The Second Chance Amendment Act took effect March 1, 2025 and applies retroactively to old cases.
Law: D.C. Code § 16-808
- Automatic sealing was pushed back by D.C. Law 26-52 (October 28, 2025); existing records are now due to be cleared by October 1, 2027.
Law: D.C. Code § 16-805(c)
- Unpaid fines or restitution do not stop the waiting period from running.
Law: D.C. Code § 16-801(2)
Changes in 2024–2026
The Second Chance Amendment Act of 2022 (D.C. Law 24-284) was delayed several times and became applicable March 1, 2025 (D.C. Law 25-217). D.C. Law 26-52 (effective October 28, 2025) moved the automatic sealing deadline to October 1, 2027 and allowed people whose motions were dismissed between March 1 and October 28, 2025 to refile without waiting a year.
Questions about clearing a record in the District of Columbia
What is clearing a record called in the District of Columbia?
Record sealing and expungement. Sealing removes the record from public view, but courts, prosecutors, police, some licensing boards, schools and child-care employers, and some government employers can still see it. Expungement goes further: the record is removed from public files and only you, your lawyer, and agencies handling another criminal case can reach it.
Can convictions be cleared in the District of Columbia?
Sealing of criminal records by motion: Arrests and charges that did not lead to a conviction; fugitive-from-justice arrests; misdemeanor convictions; most felony convictions. Expungement by motion on grounds of actual innocence: Arrests and charges that did not end in a conviction (or a not-guilty-by-insanity finding), where the offense did not happen or you did not commit it.
How long do I have to wait in the District of Columbia?
Arrest or charge, no conviction: No waiting period, counted from end of the case (dismissal, no papering, or other final disposition without conviction); Misdemeanor conviction: 5 years, counted from completion of the sentence (discharge from incarceration, probation, parole or supervised release, whichever is latest); Felony conviction: 8 years, counted from completion of the sentence; Arrest or charge, actual innocence: No waiting period, counted from end of the case.
Does the District of Columbia clear records automatically?
The law requires the court to automatically seal cases that ended without a conviction, and misdemeanor convictions 10 years after completion of the sentence. Neither applies if the offense is on the excluded list (for example intrafamily offenses, DUI, sex offenses, crimes of violence, dangerous crimes, abuse of a vulnerable adult). The law also requires the court to automatically expunge records of conduct that has since been decriminalized or legalized, or held unconstitutional, plus simple marijuana possession before February 15, 2015. The deadline for clearing existing records is October 1, 2027. As of the court's February 2026 update, no cases were yet being automatically sealed or expunged.
Can a marijuana record be cleared in the District of Columbia?
Records related only to simple possession of any amount of marijuana before February 15, 2015, and records of offenses that have been decriminalized or legalized, must be automatically expunged by October 1, 2027, unless the prosecutor proves a lawful need to keep them.
Can juvenile records be cleared in the District of Columbia?
D.C. Family Court must seal juvenile case and police records on motion (or on its own) once 2 years have passed since final discharge from custody or supervision, if you have no later conviction or adjudication and nothing is pending. After sealing, the case is treated as if it never happened, and you do not have to disclose juvenile delinquency history on job, school or housing applications.
What can I say after my record is cleared in the District of Columbia?
After sealing or expungement you cannot be charged with perjury or giving a false statement for not disclosing the sealed or expunged arrest, charge or conviction 'in response to any inquiry made of them for any purpose.' Sealed records remain available to courts, prosecutors, police, corrections, licensing agencies (for disqualifying offenses), schools and child-care facilities, and some senior government employers.
How do I get a copy of my criminal record in the District of Columbia?
Ask for 'Option A' (full arrest record for sealing or expungement). Bring a driver's license or non-driver ID (or original birth certificate and Social Security card) to 441 4th Street NW, Room 550 South, by appointment, or mail a notarized letter. Fee $7 (cash or card in person; $7 money order to the DC Treasurer by mail). Up to 10 business days. You must be 18 or older.
Where can I get free help in the District of Columbia?
Public Defender Service for D.C. (ask for the Duty Day Attorney for seal cases), Legal Aid DC and Neighborhood Legal Services Program.