How can I get a DUI erased from my record? 44 Answers as of June 21, 2011

A conviction cannot be expunged from either your criminal record or your driving record.

In Michigan, you cannot get a DUI erased. It may be different in other states, but you would have to check with local counsel.

If you are in California you are entitled to an expungement if your probation has expired.

There is no expungement law in the State of Alabama. A record for a DUI is a permanent record. There has, in the past, been an expungement bill pending in the Alabama legislature but is yet to be passed.

Depending on the law of the jurisdiction you are located in the successful completion of a alcohol safety program or court ordered community service can result in the dismissal of the charges and an attorney may be able to assist you in search for such a program.

If you are found not guilty of the charge, or it is dismissed before trial, you can get an expungement. However, in Illinois, if you get ANY kind of sentence, it is not expungeable. If you get a sentence of supervision, it is kept as a record for law enforcement agencies and the courts, not for insurance companies or prospective employers, as it is not a conviction, if completed successfully.

Sorry, but if you live in NY, almost nothing can be done to "erase" a criminal conviction from your record.There is one way it can be done - if you have not criminal arrests or convictions for at least ten years and that is to make a motion to the court that originally convicted you and ask that the record be expunged. It apparently has been done, but I haven't seen it done yet, but it's worth a try. Good luck.

You need an expungement - Clearing your Record - What is an Expungement? An Expungement essentially clears your record, by having your conviction set aside and the case dismissed. An expungement is better than a pardon; it is a complete reversal of a conviction. To use an analogy, an Expungement is to a Conviction as an Annulment is to a Marriage. So whereas a Divorce acknowledges a prior Marriage's existence and dissolves it, an Annulment reverses the Marriage, by declaring that the Marriage never validly occurred. Likewise, an Expungement reverses a conviction and declares that the conviction never occurred. The upshot of this is that, your criminal record will not be visible to the private sector and when asked if you have ever been convicted of a crime, you can honestly answer No (with the exception of applications to the Government for licensure). Why do you want your record cleared? The most frequent case is when you are in the process of filling out a job application and eventually come across the dreaded question; "Have you ever been convicted of a crime?" Perhaps a few years back, in your past life, you did something that was against the law during a temporary lapse in better judgment. Whatever the mistake, it resulted in a criminal conviction, a mis-demeanor or even worse, a felony. Going back to the dreaded question, you must decide whether to answer that statement truthfully (which you should always do) or not. You are damned if you do and damned if you don't. If you answer truthfully, you may be denied the job. If you lie and the prospective employer dis-covers the conviction, you definitely will not get the job. Even worse, if the application has lan-guage to the effect of "signed under the penalty of perjury", you could face potential criminal perjury charges. Wouldn't it be nice to answer that same question "NO?" If you have your conviction expunged, you can. Most criminal convictions can be expunged. The exceptions are some serious and/or violent felonies. In order to qual-ify for an Expungement, the applicant must have been granted probation and successfully completed the Proba-tion term, including having paid all fines, and completing any community service, or court-ordered counseling, etc. Sometimes, you can even end Probation early. After you have completed one half your term of Probation, you can make an application to the court for an Early Termination of Probation by showing special factors why further Probation is not warranted. If your Probation is terminated, you may immediately apply for an Expungement. The primary benefit of having a conviction expunged is for the job application scenario presented above. However, there are situations where you are still required to disclose even "expunged" convictions. These situations include, applying for a government job at a state, federal or local agency or applications for a state or federal licenses such as a doctor, attorney, accountant, etc. Even though the conviction must still be reported in these circum-stances, it still looks much better that the conviction has been expunged, rather than having done nothing. Most people desire an expungement for employment purposes, where it will almost always be of some benefit. When in doubt, go for the expungement of your conviction, and give yourself a clean slate. For more information, please see my website.

Once you have successfully completed probation, you may request an expungement. This effectively cleans your record for most purposes other than if you get arrested again and few other exceptions.

In WA you can expunge a misdemeanor, such as a DUI, after a period of time, I believe it is three years for a misdemeanor.