How Do I Get an Expungement for a Felony in Pennsylvania?
- 1). Secure legal counsel to assist with preparing the request for expunging the record. Alternatively, familiarize yourself with the applicable laws in the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes and prepare the petition yourself.
- 2). Determine the type of crime for which you were convicted. You may or may not be eligible for an expungement of your criminal record depending upon the type of offense for which you were arrested or convicted. Title 18, Section 9122 spells out the rules regarding which offenses are permitted to be expunged. Generally, felony sexual offenses are not eligible for expungement.
- 3). Prepare the request to have the felony record expunged. A felony record can be expunged if the petitioner is at least 70 years old and has not been arrested for 10 years following the completion of the sentence, if no disposition has been reported to the state's central repository of criminal history within 18 months of arrest or if the subject of the petition has been dead for three years or more.
- 4). Submit the petition to the court in which the offense was prosecuted and await a decision from the court. If the petition is granted the court will notify the requisite agencies to expunge the records.
