How to Purge a Criminal Record in Florida
- 1). Request and review a copy of your criminal record through the Florida Department of Law Enforcement Criminal History Information page. Check for accuracy and make note of what the exact name of the charge is you are requesting to be purged. You must pay a record fee, which was $24 as of July 2010.
- 2). Review the list of reasons for denial found on the Florida Department of Law Enforcement website. If your crime is eligible to be purged, continue to the next step. Essentially, with some exceptions, if you have been found guilty or pled guilty or no contest to a crime, purging is not an option available to you. Exceptions include crimes for which you were found not guilty and first-offense drug and alcohol crimes.
- 3). Complete the Application for Certification of Eligibility. Alternatively, you can mail a request for an application to the Expunge/Seal Section of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement or call 850-410-7870 to have the application sent to you.
Florida Department of Law Enforcement
ATTN: Expunge/Seal Section
P.O. Box 1489
Tallahassee, FL 32302 - 4). Take the application to be notarized. Your bank will often notarize a document free of charge.
- 5). Visit or call your local law enforcement agency to schedule and complete the fingerprint portion of your application of certification of eligibility.
- 6). Acquire a "certified disposition" of your case. A certified disposition states all of the the details surrounding your case. Visit the clerk of courts to obtain the disposition and pay the nonrefundable application fee, which was $75 as of July 2010.
- 7). Contact an attorney to find out how much it will cost to have section B of the application completed. An attorney must complete this part. Contact the Florida Attorney General's office to request information on attorneys that offer free legal assistance, if you cannot afford the attorney's fee.
Office of Attorney General
State of Florida
The Capitol PL-01
Tallahassee, FL 32399
850-414-3990 - 8). Mail in your application to:
Florida Department of Law Enforcement
Attn: Expunge/Seal Section
P.O. Box 1489
Tallahassee, FL 32302
The court will schedule a hearing regarding your request for criminal record purging/expungement.
