Washington A Guide on When and How to Challenge, Seal, Vacate, or Expunge

Age. The person seeking the sealing must be an adult. When the offense was committed. Often, a juvenile record cannot be sealed until some period of time has passed. Type of juvenile offense. Subsequent arrests or convictions. File a petition. Pay a fee.

Will my sealed criminal records show up on a background check? Sealed convictions should not show up on any background check run by an employer or licensing agency, unless you are applying for a job as a police officer or a peace officer or you are applying for gun license.

No, there is no way to seal the records and at this point, there is no way to get your federal gun rights back.

No. Washington law does not allow you to remove any record of conviction in Washington, regardless of whether it is a felony, gross misdemeanor, or misdemeanor.

Vacate means they change the record to reflect the case being dismissed. Expunged means they destroy the record. There is also sealed, which means the record is no longer publicly available.

To vacate any felony conviction, it remains a mandatory requirement that a person must first obtain from the court a Certificate of Discharge. (RCW 9.94A. 637). A person qualifies for a Certificate of Discharge once they complete all conditions of sentence.

Fill out the Notice of Respondent's Motion to Seal Records of Juvenile Offender. Once you have a hearing date, complete the Notice of Respondent's Motion to Seal Records of Juvenile Offender for each case for which you have filled out a Motion, - for each case that you want to seal.

Sealing juvenile records refers to closing them to the public, while expunging requires their complete physical destruction. Automatically sealing or expunging records requires no action by the juvenile.