Expungement

Steps:

1. Get Criminal Case History:  Before you start to fill out your forms, you must get a printout of Criminal Case History of ALL of the criminal cases where you were charged with a crime, including cases where you were not convicted. You must write details of your case histories into the court forms.
2. Get the Court Forms:  You can download Criminal Expungement Forms or you can buy a pre-printed forms packet along with your criminal case history at your local courthouse.
3. Complete the Forms:  Step-by-Step Guide to Criminal Expungement (.pdf) and Step-by-Step Guide to Criminal Expungement Forms (video)
4. Serve Notice of Expungement on Government Offices:  Use Affidavit of Service Form EXP104 to serve expungement papers on government offices who might have a record of your criminal case. The most difficult step for many people is serving notice of their expungement petition on government offices that keep criminal records. It is VERY important to do this step correctly. If you make a mistake, an expungement that is granted may not affect some government offices, OR you might have to start over.

Sources:  MN Judicial Branch web site and MN Court Self-Help Center

In our positions as librarians, not lawyers, we can suggest resources but cannot give legal advice (such as which form to file) or legal opinions (such as how a statute might apply to particular facts). To do so could be considered the unauthorized practice of law. Even though we try to suggest materials that will be of help, more research is often required to find a complete and correct answer. For many questions, the best answer may be to consult an attorney.