Michigan Record Expungement

Basic eligibility requirements include:

• Your conviction must be eligible under Michigan law
• You've completed all sentence requirements (including probation, parole, and fines)
• You've waited the required time period since completion of sentence
• You have no pending criminal charges

Waiting periods for petition-based expungement: Generally 3 years for misdemeanors, 5 years for a single felony, and 7 years for multiple felonies, after completing your sentence. Certain offenses like domestic violence and OWI have 5-year waiting periods even if classified as misdemeanors. Some serious crimes cannot be expunged at all.

Note: Certain serious crimes cannot be expunged under Michigan law, including murder, criminal sexual conduct, terrorism, human trafficking, kidnapping, child exploitation offenses, and assault with intent to commit sexual conduct. Additionally, some traffic offenses (CDL violations causing death/serious impairment) are ineligible. Each case is unique, so we recommend a free consultation to review your specific situation and determine the best path forward.

The process typically takes 4-6 months from filing to completion, depending on the court's schedule.

Once expunged, private employers generally cannot see the conviction on Michigan background checks. However, law enforcement, government employers, professional licensing boards, and federal background checks may still have access to expunged records.

Important: The FBI is not required to remove expunged Michigan convictions from federal databases, so federal employers, TSA, immigration authorities, and federal licensing agencies may still see your record. We'll explain exactly what you can say to employers during your consultation.

Yes, Michigan law allows expungement of multiple convictions through petition-based expungement, but with important limitations. You can expunge up to 3 felonies and an unlimited number of misdemeanors, with a maximum of 2 assaultive crimes. Additionally, you can only expunge one OWI conviction in your lifetime.

We can help you petition the court to expunge multiple eligible convictions in a single application and determine which convictions should be prioritized based on your situation.

Michigan law allows you to expunge one lifetime OWI conviction if you meet all other eligibility requirements. If you have multiple drunk driving convictions, only the first one can be expunged. The waiting period is 5 years after completing your sentence, including probation and all fines.

Note: Expunging an OWI does not automatically restore your driver's license. That requires a separate license restoration process with the Michigan Secretary of State.

We're based in West Michigan and regularly handle expungements in Ottawa, Kent, Allegan, Van Buren, and Muskegon counties. Because an expungement is typically a single court hearing, we're also often willing to take expungement cases for convictions in other Michigan counties on a case-by-case basis — contact us to discuss yours.