The laws regarding expungement in Michigan have changed drastically, and you may now be eligible to expunge certain convictions.

What is an Expungement?

In legal jargon, an expungement is the act of setting aside a criminal conviction, meaning it is no longer available to members of the public, including employers and anyone going to the Internet Criminal History Access Tool (ICHAT) maintained by the Michigan State Police.

Previously, Michigan law permitted a person with no more than one (1) felony and two (2) misdemeanors to have the conviction expunged. Under the new legislation, a person convicted of one (1) or more criminal offenses, but no more than three (3) total felony offenses, may apply to have any or all of the convictions expunged from their record.

There is no limit to the number of misdemeanor offenses that can be removed. So, regardless of how many misdemeanor convictions you have, if there are no felonies on your record, you will likely qualify.

Clean Slate for Michigan

As of February 19th, 2022, first-time Operating While Intoxicated convictions are eligible for removal under certain circumstances:

• Only one operating while impaired/intoxicated offense can be expunged in a person’s lifetime.
• If a person has more than one operating while intoxicated conviction, they are ineligible to expunge any of their convictions, including their first-time operating while intoxicated conviction.
• If the operating while intoxicated caused an injury or death, it is ineligible for expungement.
• The waiting period to expunge a first-time offense from your record is 5 years.

Additionally, as of April 11, 2021, a person convicted of one (1) or more misdemeanor(s) or local ordinance marijuana crimes may petition the court to expunge their convictions if they would not have been a crime after December 6, 2018, when a voter-passed initiative to legalize recreational marijuana use in Michigan went into effect. A person can have an unlimited number of misdemeanor marijuana convictions on their record and still be eligible for expungement. Furthermore, the presence of other criminal convictions will have no impact on the expungement of your misdemeanor marijuana conviction(s) under the new law. There is no waiting period to file an application to expunge misdemeanor marijuana convictions.

Lastly, the Clean Slate for Michigan program introduces the “one bad night rule”, which states multiple felonies or misdemeanors arising from the same 24-hour period will be treated as a single felony or a single misdemeanor for the purpose of removal. However, none of the offenses can be assaultive, involve the use or possession of a dangerous weapon, or carry a maximum penalty of 10 or more years in prison.

Terry Priest Can Help

Having the assistance of an experienced Michigan expungement attorney can significantly increase your chances of success, as they will be familiar with the judge, prosecutor, and all the rules that apply to your specific case. Contact attorney Terry Priest at (248) 380-0000 if you need assistance with having one or more of your criminal convictions expunged in Michigan.