Expunging a Criminal Record in Maryland (2026)
Reviewed by DocDraft Legal Team · Maryland · Last updated August 19, 2026
Maryland record-clearing is state law, and Maryland offers several distinct paths. Cases that end without a conviction, such as an acquittal, a dismissal, or a nolle prosequi, can be expunged under Maryland Criminal Procedure 10-105, often immediately. Some convictions can be expunged under Criminal Procedure 10-110, but only after a waiting period measured from completion of the full sentence. The 2023 REDEEM Act shortened many of those waits, cutting eligible misdemeanors to about five years and certain nonviolent felonies to about seven years. Maryland also allows shielding of some convictions under the Maryland Second Chance Act. Petitions are filed in the District or Circuit Court where the charge was brought.
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What are you trying to clear?
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What record-clearing relief does Maryland offer and what is it called?
Maryland calls it expungement. Under Criminal Procedure 10-105, records of charges that ended without a conviction, such as an acquittal, dismissal, or nolle prosequi, can be expunged. Certain convictions can be expunged under Criminal Procedure 10-110. Maryland separately allows shielding of some convictions under the Maryland Second Chance Act.
What is eligible for expungement in Maryland and what is the waiting period?
Non-convictions like an acquittal, dismissal, or nolle prosequi are eligible under Maryland CP 10-105, often immediately. Under CP 10-110, eligible convictions require a wait measured from completing the full sentence. The 2023 REDEEM Act shortened many waits to roughly 5 years for eligible misdemeanors and 7 years for certain nonviolent felonies.
Can you expunge a felony conviction in Maryland?
Some felonies, yes. Maryland CP 10-110 allows expungement of certain nonviolent felony convictions, and the 2023 REDEEM Act reduced the wait for qualifying felonies such as drug possession or distribution, theft, and burglary from 15 years to about 7 years after completing the sentence. Violent felonies and many serious offenses remain excluded.
Does Maryland have automatic clean-slate sealing of records?
Not broadly. Maryland is largely petition-based: you must file to expunge under CP 10-105 or 10-110, or to shield under the Second Chance Act. Maryland has expanded automatic relief in narrow areas, such as certain cannabis possession records, but there is no general automatic clean-slate system clearing eligible convictions statewide.
Maryland Expungement, the REDEEM Act Waiting Periods, and Second Chance Act Shielding
Maryland offers layered record relief administered through the District and Circuit Courts and recorded by the Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services. Charges that ended without a conviction, an acquittal, a dismissal, or a nolle prosequi, can be expunged under Criminal Procedure 10-105, frequently with no waiting period, and there is no filing fee for those non-conviction cases. Certain convictions can be expunged under Criminal Procedure 10-110, but only after the applicant completes the entire sentence, including parole, probation, and mandatory supervision, and then waits the statutory period. Before the 2023 REDEEM Act, that wait was generally 10 years for eligible misdemeanors and 15 years for eligible nonviolent felonies and for second-degree assault or common-law battery. Effective October 1, 2023, the REDEEM Act shortened many of those waits, reducing eligible misdemeanors to about 5 years and qualifying nonviolent felonies such as drug possession or distribution, theft, and burglary to about 7 years. Violent offenses, sex offenses, and other serious crimes remain excluded, so confirm your specific charge against the current statute. Maryland separately allows shielding under the Maryland Second Chance Act, Criminal Procedure 10-301 and following, which hides certain misdemeanor convictions from public view rather than destroying the record; domestically related crimes cannot be shielded, and unit convictions are treated all or nothing. Expungement and shielding petitions are filed in the District or Circuit Court where the case was heard, and the standard expungement filing fee is $30, waived for non-conviction cases.
Relevant Laws
Expungement of Non-Conviction Records (Md. Criminal Procedure 10-105)
Allows expungement of records where a charge ended without a conviction, including an acquittal, a dismissal, a nolle prosequi, a stet in some cases, or a probation before judgment. Many of these qualify immediately, and there is no filing fee for a non-conviction expungement.
Expungement of Certain Convictions and Waiting Periods (Md. Criminal Procedure 10-110)
Lists the specific convictions that may be expunged and sets the waiting period, measured from completion of the entire sentence. The 2023 REDEEM Act shortened many waits, reducing eligible misdemeanors to about 5 years and qualifying nonviolent felonies such as theft, burglary, and drug offenses to about 7 years.
Shielding of Convictions, Maryland Second Chance Act (Md. Criminal Procedure 10-301 and following)
Provides shielding, which hides certain misdemeanor convictions from public view rather than destroying the record. Domestically related crimes cannot be shielded, and convictions arising from the same incident are treated all or nothing, so an ineligible unit conviction can block the rest.
No General Federal Expungement of Maryland Convictions
There is no general federal law that expunges a Maryland state conviction; record-clearing is governed by Maryland statute and handled by the Maryland courts and the Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services. Federal relief is separate and does not reach state records cleared under CP 10-105 or 10-110.
Regional Variances
Maryland Eligibility and Waiting-Period Table
Relief type and name
Maryland uses expungement (removal of the record) under Criminal Procedure 10-105 for non-convictions and 10-110 for certain convictions, plus shielding (hiding from public view) of some misdemeanor convictions under the Maryland Second Chance Act, CP 10-301 and following. The mechanism you use depends on whether the case ended in a conviction.
Non-convictions (CP 10-105)
Charges resolved by acquittal, dismissal, or nolle prosequi can be expunged under CP 10-105, in many cases immediately and with no filing fee. Some dispositions, such as a probation before judgment or certain other grounds, carry a general waiting period of about 3 years before a petition can be filed, subject to a waiver for good cause.
Conviction expungement waiting periods (CP 10-110, REDEEM Act)
Eligible convictions require a wait measured from completing the entire sentence, including parole, probation, and mandatory supervision. Before the 2023 REDEEM Act the waits were generally 10 years for eligible misdemeanors and 15 years for eligible nonviolent felonies and for second-degree assault or common-law battery. Effective October 1, 2023, the REDEEM Act cut eligible misdemeanors to about 5 years and qualifying nonviolent felonies, such as drug possession or distribution, theft, and burglary, to about 7 years.
Shielding of convictions (Second Chance Act)
Shielding under CP 10-301 and following hides certain enumerated misdemeanor convictions from most public access rather than destroying the record. Domestically related crimes under CP 6-233 cannot be shielded, and convictions from the same incident are all or nothing, so one ineligible charge can block shielding of the others.
Excluded offenses
Violent crimes, sex offenses requiring registration, and other serious offenses are generally excluded from conviction expungement under CP 10-110, and the REDEEM Act reductions do not apply to violent convictions. A DUI or DWI conviction is treated restrictively. Confirm your specific charge against the current statute, because an ineligible offense cannot be cleared.
Clean-slate and automatic relief status
Maryland is largely petition-based; there is no general automatic clean-slate system that seals eligible convictions statewide without a filing. Maryland has enacted narrow automatic relief in specific areas, such as certain cannabis possession records, but for most convictions you must file an expungement or shielding petition in court.
Suggested Compliance Checklist
Confirm your Maryland eligibility and waiting period
Before you file the petition days after startingDetermine whether your case is a non-conviction under CP 10-105 or a conviction under CP 10-110, and verify your specific charge is not excluded. For convictions, confirm the waiting period from completion of the full sentence, using the REDEEM Act reductions of about 5 years for eligible misdemeanors and 7 years for qualifying nonviolent felonies.
Obtain your Maryland criminal history record
Before drafting the petition days after startingRequest your official record from the Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services, Criminal Justice Information System, and review the Maryland Judiciary Case Search to capture accurate case numbers and dispositions. Listing every charge correctly prevents a rejection and ensures the right relief path is chosen.
Prepare the correct Maryland petition
Before filing days after startingUse the current Maryland Judiciary form: the Petition for Expungement for a non-conviction under CP 10-105, the conviction expungement petition tied to CP 10-110, or the Petition for Shielding under the Second Chance Act. Match the form to your disposition, because the wrong petition type can lead to denial.
File in the correct court and pay or waive the fee
When the waiting period is satisfied days after startingFile in the District or Circuit Court where the charge was brought. Pay the $30 expungement fee, which is waived for acquittal, dismissal, or nolle prosequi cases, or request a fee waiver for hardship. Filing in the wrong court can delay or defeat the petition.
Track the State's Attorney response and confirm removal
In the weeks after filing days after startingMonitor whether the State's Attorney objects within the statutory window and attend any hearing. After the order is granted, keep a certified copy and verify through Maryland Judiciary Case Search that the record no longer appears. An attorney can help if your eligibility is contested or the offense class is unclear.
| Task | Description | Document | Days after starting |
|---|---|---|---|
| Confirm your Maryland eligibility and waiting period | Determine whether your case is a non-conviction under CP 10-105 or a conviction under CP 10-110, and verify your specific charge is not excluded. For convictions, confirm the waiting period from completion of the full sentence, using the REDEEM Act reductions of about 5 years for eligible misdemeanors and 7 years for qualifying nonviolent felonies. | - | Before you file the petition |
| Obtain your Maryland criminal history record | Request your official record from the Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services, Criminal Justice Information System, and review the Maryland Judiciary Case Search to capture accurate case numbers and dispositions. Listing every charge correctly prevents a rejection and ensures the right relief path is chosen. | - | Before drafting the petition |
| Prepare the correct Maryland petition | Use the current Maryland Judiciary form: the Petition for Expungement for a non-conviction under CP 10-105, the conviction expungement petition tied to CP 10-110, or the Petition for Shielding under the Second Chance Act. Match the form to your disposition, because the wrong petition type can lead to denial. | - | Before filing |
| File in the correct court and pay or waive the fee | File in the District or Circuit Court where the charge was brought. Pay the $30 expungement fee, which is waived for acquittal, dismissal, or nolle prosequi cases, or request a fee waiver for hardship. Filing in the wrong court can delay or defeat the petition. | - | When the waiting period is satisfied |
| Track the State's Attorney response and confirm removal | Monitor whether the State's Attorney objects within the statutory window and attend any hearing. After the order is granted, keep a certified copy and verify through Maryland Judiciary Case Search that the record no longer appears. An attorney can help if your eligibility is contested or the offense class is unclear. | - | In the weeks after filing |
Frequently Asked Questions
The standard Maryland expungement filing fee is $30 per case, paid to the District or Circuit Court where you file. There is no fee when the case ended in an acquittal, a dismissal, or a nolle prosequi. If you cannot afford the fee for an eligible conviction, you can ask the court to waive it based on financial hardship.
After you file, the State's Attorney has a statutory window, typically about 30 days, to object. If no objection is filed and you are eligible, the court can grant the order without a hearing, and the actual removal from the state repository usually follows over the next several weeks to a few months. A prosecutor's objection or a required hearing can extend the timeline.
Expungement under Maryland law removes the record from public access, but it is not always a complete erasure everywhere. Shielding under the Second Chance Act only hides a conviction from public view, and certain entities, including some employers, licensing boards, and law enforcement, may still access shielded or expunged information in defined circumstances. Immigration authorities may also still consider the underlying conduct.
Generally yes for an expunged charge. Maryland law lets a person whose record was expunged answer that the charge did not occur for most purposes. Shielding is narrower and protects against inquiries from many, but not all, entities. Certain licensing, government, and law-enforcement applications can still require disclosure, so read the specific question and check the statute before answering.
A drunk or drugged driving conviction is generally difficult to clear in Maryland. Non-conviction dispositions of a DUI or DWI charge can be expunged under CP 10-105, but a conviction for driving under the influence is treated restrictively and is not on the standard list of easily expungeable convictions. Confirm your exact charge and disposition against Criminal Procedure 10-110 before filing.
Other Maryland guides
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