PETITION FOR EXPUNGEMENT

State of Maryland

IN THE [CIRCUIT / DISTRICT] COURT FOR [COUNTY NAME]

IN RE: PETITION OF

[PETITIONER FULL NAME],

Petitioner.

CASE NO.: ________________

PETITION FOR EXPUNGEMENT OF RECORDS

I. PETITIONER INFORMATION

1. Petitioner, [FULL LEGAL NAME], submits this Petition for Expungement and states as follows:

2. Petitioner's date of birth is: [MONTH/DD/YYYY]

3. Petitioner's current address is: [STREET ADDRESS], [CITY], [COUNTY] County, Maryland [ZIP CODE]

4. Petitioner's Social Security Number (last 4 digits): *--[LAST 4]

II. JURISDICTION AND VENUE

5. This Court has jurisdiction over this expungement petition pursuant to Md. Code, Criminal Procedure § 10-105.

> Md. Code, Criminal Procedure § 10-105(a) provides: "A person who has been charged with the commission of a crime, including a violation of the Transportation Article for which a term of imprisonment may be imposed, or who has been charged with a civil offense or infraction... may file a petition listing relevant facts for expungement of a police record, court record, or other record maintained by the State or a political subdivision of the State."

6. Venue is proper in this Court because:

☐ The charges were filed in this court

☐ The arrest occurred in this county

III. ARREST AND CHARGE INFORMATION

7. Date of Arrest: [MONTH/DD/YYYY]

8. Arresting Agency: [NAME OF POLICE DEPARTMENT/AGENCY]

9. Case Number(s): [CASE NUMBER(S)]

10. Charge(s): [LIST ALL CHARGES]

11. Statute(s) Charged: [MARYLAND CODE SECTIONS]

12. Court of Original Filing: [CIRCUIT COURT / DISTRICT COURT FOR COUNTY]

IV. DISPOSITION

13. The disposition of the charge(s) was as follows:

> Md. Code, Criminal Procedure § 10-101(e) provides: "'Expunge' means to remove information from public inspection in accordance with this subtitle."

☐ Acquitted — Petitioner was found not guilty on [DATE]

> Md. Code, Criminal Procedure § 10-105(a)(1) permits expungement if "the person is acquitted."

☐ Dismissed — The charge(s) were dismissed on [DATE]

> Md. Code, Criminal Procedure § 10-105(a)(2) permits expungement if "the charge is otherwise dismissed."

☐ Nolle Prosequi — The State entered a nolle prosequi on [DATE]

> Md. Code, Criminal Procedure § 10-105(a)(4) permits expungement if "a nolle prosequi or nolle prosequi with the requirement of drug or alcohol treatment is entered."

☐ Probation Before Judgment (PBJ) — Probation before judgment was entered on [DATE]

> Md. Code, Criminal Procedure § 10-105(a)(3) permits expungement if "a probation before judgment is entered."

☐ Stet — The case was indefinitely postponed (stet) on [DATE]

> Md. Code, Criminal Procedure § 10-105(a)(5) permits expungement if "the court indefinitely postpones trial of a criminal charge by marking the criminal charge 'stet'."

☐ Not Criminally Responsible — Petitioner was found not criminally responsible on [DATE]

☐ Guilty / Convicted — [IF APPLICABLE — specify conviction and cite applicable § 10-105(a) subsection]

14. Date of Disposition: [MONTH/DD/YYYY]

15. Sentence Imposed (if any):

• [ ] Fine: $[AMOUNT]
• [ ] Probation: [LENGTH]
• [ ] Incarceration: [LENGTH]
• [ ] Community Service: [HOURS]
• [ ] None (case dismissed/acquitted)

16. Date of Completion of Sentence (including payment of all fines and completion of probation): [DATE]

> Md. Code, Criminal Procedure § 10-101(c) provides: "'Completion of the sentence' means the time when a sentence has expired, including any period of probation, parole, or mandatory supervision."

V. ELIGIBILITY FOR EXPUNGEMENT

17. Petitioner meets the eligibility requirements for expungement under Md. Code, Criminal Procedure § 10-105(a) as checked in Section IV above.

18. Petitioner has waited the required time period before filing this petition:

☐ No waiting period required (acquitted, dismissed, nolle prosequi, stet)

☐ Three (3) years have passed since the disposition (for PBJ, if applicable)

☐ The required waiting period has elapsed

19. All charges in this case arise from the same incident, transaction, or set of facts and constitute a "unit" as defined in Md. Code, Criminal Procedure § 10-107.

> Md. Code, Criminal Procedure § 10-107(a)(1) provides: "If two or more charges, other than one for a minor traffic violation or possession of cannabis... arise from the same incident, transaction, or set of facts, they are considered to be a unit."

20. ☐ Petitioner is entitled to expungement of ALL charges in the unit.

☐ Petitioner understands that if not entitled to expungement of one charge in the unit, none of the charges in the unit may be expunged.

VI. RECORDS TO BE EXPUNGED

21. Petitioner requests expungement of the following records pursuant to Md. Code, Criminal Procedure § 10-102:

> Md. Code, Criminal Procedure § 10-102(a) provides: "A police record or a court record is subject to expungement under this subtitle."

Court Records:

• [ ] Charging documents
• [ ] Docket entries
• [ ] Orders and judgments
• [ ] Index records
• [ ] All other court records relating to this case

Police Records:

• [ ] Arrest records
• [ ] Fingerprint cards
• [ ] Photographs (mug shots)
• [ ] Booking records
• [ ] All other police records relating to this arrest

Other Records:

• [ ] Central Repository records
• [ ] Records maintained by other State or local agencies

22. Petitioner requests that these records be expunged by removal from public inspection in accordance with Md. Code, Criminal Procedure § 10-101(f):

> Md. Code, Criminal Procedure § 10-101(f) provides: "'Expungement' with respect to a court record or a police record means removal from public inspection: (1) by obliteration; (2) by removal to a separate secure area to which persons who do not have a legitimate reason for access are denied access; or (3) if access to a court record or police record can be obtained only by reference to another court record or police record, by the expungement of it or the part of it that provides access."

VII. CERTIFICATION

23. Petitioner certifies that:

a. Petitioner has not been convicted of any crime that would make Petitioner ineligible for expungement.

b. Petitioner is not currently on probation or parole for any offense.

c. Petitioner has no pending criminal charges.

d. Petitioner has not previously been denied expungement of these records.

WHEREFORE, Petitioner respectfully requests that this Honorable Court:

A. Grant this Petition for Expungement;

B. Order the expungement of all court records, police records, and other records maintained by the State or a political subdivision relating to the charges described herein;

C. Order the Clerk of Court to send certified copies of the expungement order to all custodians of records;

D. Grant such other and further relief as the Court deems just and proper.

VERIFICATION

STATE OF MARYLAND

COUNTY OF [COUNTY]

I, [PETITIONER FULL NAME], declare under penalty of perjury under the laws of Maryland that the foregoing is true and correct to the best of my knowledge, information, and belief.

I understand that false statements made in this document are punishable under Md. Code, Criminal Law § 9-101 (Perjury), which may result in imprisonment of up to 10 years.

Executed this ___ day of _____________, 20___.

________________________________

[PETITIONER SIGNATURE]

[PRINTED NAME]

[ADDRESS]

[CITY, STATE, ZIP]

[PHONE NUMBER]

CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE

I, [PETITIONER FULL NAME], hereby certify that on [DATE], I served a copy of this Petition for Expungement upon:

☐ State's Attorney for [COUNTY] County

[ADDRESS]

☐ [ARRESTING AGENCY]

[ADDRESS]

☐ Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services

Criminal Justice Information System Central Repository

6776 Reisterstown Road, Suite 102

Baltimore, MD 21215

By the following method:

☐ First Class Mail

☐ Hand Delivery

________________________________

[PETITIONER SIGNATURE]

[DATE]

FILING INSTRUCTIONS

FORMATTING REQUIREMENT (Md. Rule 1-301(c)):

Every document filed with a Maryland court must have 1.5-inch top AND left

margins on all pages. Right and bottom margins must be at least 1 inch.

NOTE: Maryland's 1.5-inch top AND left margin requirement is unique — verify

both margins before filing.

Where to File

File this Petition in the same court where the charges were originally filed:

Filing Fee: $30 (fee waiver available for indigent petitioners)

Required Documents to File

1. Original Petition for Expungement (this document)
2. General Waiver and Release form
3. Filing fee payment or fee waiver application

After Filing

1. The State's Attorney has 90 days to object to your petition
2. If no objection is filed, the court may grant the petition without a hearing
3. If the State objects, the court will schedule a hearing
4. If granted, the court will issue an Order of Expungement
5. Agencies have 60 days to comply with the expungement order

Timeline

• No waiting period for: acquittals, dismissals, nolle prosequi, stet
• 3 years after disposition for: Probation Before Judgment (PBJ)
• State has 90 days to object after service
• Agencies have 60 days to expunge after order

Resources

• MD Courts Expungement: mdcourts.gov/expungement
• MD Legal Aid: mdlab.org | 410-539-5340
• Public Justice Center: publicjustice.org | 410-625-9409

Jurisdiction-correct document templates. Not legal advice.

Document Version: MD-EXP-2026-01

Last Updated: March 2026