How do I seal my criminal records?

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.