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How do I seal my criminal records?

Produced by Greater Boston Legal Services
Reviewed July 2019

There are two ways to seal criminal records—by mail or in court.

  1. Most criminal records can be sealed by mail after a waiting period.
  2. Some cases can be sealed by in court, without a waiting period or by mail.

All convictions, except for a first time drug possession conviction, can only be sealed by mail after a waiting period of:

  • at least 3 years for a misdemeanor conviction, or
  • 7 years for a felony conviction.

If a case was dismissed or ended with a not guilty finding or a nolle prosequi (the prosecutor dropped the case), it can be sealed: 

  • by mail after a waiting period, or
  • in court with no waiting period.

A misdemeanor is a crime where you can be punished by a jail sentence of up to 2½ years, even if you do not go to jail or serve the maximum jail sentence. 

A felony is a crime where you can be punished by more than 2½ years  in jail, even if you do not go to jail or serve the maximum jail sentence.

See a list of the most common misdemeanor and felony crimes. You can see the Master Crime List of misdemeanors or felonies in Massachusetts.

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