Plain-English glossary.
The words you'll run into when you're trying to clear a Texas record — explained without a law degree. Definitions describe how the concepts generally work; whether any applies to your case depends on your records.
- Expunction
- The strongest form of record clearing in Texas, governed by Code of Criminal Procedure Chapter 55A. When granted, government entities subject to the order must remove or return the records it covers. Commonly available after an acquittal, certain dismissals, arrests that never led to charges, or qualifying completed programs.
- Order of Nondisclosure
- Often called "sealing," governed by Government Code Chapter 411. The record stays in government systems, but ordinary public access is restricted. Law enforcement and certain statutorily authorized agencies and licensing entities may retain access. Often available after a successfully completed deferred adjudication and, in narrower cases, after certain misdemeanor convictions.
- Deferred Adjudication
- A form of supervision where the judge defers a finding of guilt while you complete conditions. Finish successfully and the case is dismissed without a final conviction — which is what can make it sealable later. Ticket-level (Class C) deferred dispositions in municipal or justice court are governed separately by Code of Criminal Procedure Chapter 45A, and those dismissals are often expungeable rather than merely sealable.
- Dismissal
- The prosecutor or court drops the charge. The arrest still appears in records until cleared, but the case ends without a conviction. Certain dismissals support expunction — some immediately, some after the limitations period has run.
- Waiting Period
- Time Texas requires between an event (an arrest, a dismissal, a discharge from supervision) and the earliest date a petition can be filed. Waits range from none at all to several years depending on the path. The eligibility check estimates which waiting period applies to your situation.
- Juvenile Record Sealing
- The process for sealing a case handled in juvenile court, governed by Family Code Chapter 58. Application sealing may be available at age 17, or under age 17 once at least one year has elapsed after final discharge, subject to the remaining statutory requirements. Some juvenile records are also sealed without an application once the person reaches the statutory age (19 for delinquent-conduct referrals, 18 for conduct-indicating-a-need-for-supervision referrals) with a qualifying record; application sealing is the route before then or when those conditions are not met.
- Statute of Limitations
- The period the State has to prosecute an offense. For clearing some dismissed cases, Texas requires this period to have fully run before an expunction can be filed. Most misdemeanors carry two years; family-violence assault misdemeanors carry three; felony periods start at three years, and many felonies carry substantially longer periods.
- Background Check
- A search of criminal-history information run by an employer, landlord, or licensing body. Different checks reach different sources. An expunction removes covered government records; a nondisclosure restricts ordinary public access but not statutorily authorized access. Private database companies compile their own copies, which may not update immediately or automatically after either remedy.
- Petition
- The formal document filed with the court asking for an expunction, an order of nondisclosure, or juvenile sealing. Preparing and filing the standard petition — and the proposed order that goes with it — is part of the flat-fee scope described on the pricing page.
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