Effective 12/21/10 Rules of Criminal Procedure No. 490 and No. 790 are adopted and Rule of Criminal Procedure No. 722 has been rescinded. Non-ARD Expungements will now be controlled by Rules 490 & 790. The rules can be reviewed online. View Chapter 4. View Chapter 7.

1. Accelerated Rehabilitative Disposition (ARD) and Section 17 (Disposition without Verdict) have not changed with the exception of the order must now be in compliance with new Rule 790(c).
2. Accelerated Rehabilitative Disposition (ARD) Expungement Information will still be available on the Self Help Website. 
3. Juvenile Expungements must follow contents of Order for Expungement under the Rules of Juvenile Court Procedures (Rules 170 and 172). Any questions regarding a Juvenile Expungement should be directed to the Juvenile Probation Office or seek legal advice. The rules can be reviewed in Chapter 1, Section 170 and Chapter 1, Section 172. 
4. Summary Expungements are filed under new Rule 490. Contents of the Expungement Order must follow Rule 490 (c).
5. All other expungements that do not fall under ARD, Juvenile, Section 17 or Rule 490 will be governed by Rule 790.
6. When filing an Expungement that is governed by Rule 490 or 790 the Administrative Office of the Pennsylvania Court (AOPC) encourages the use of the Expungement Petition that is provided on the Pennsylvania Unified Judicial System web portal. The Clerk of Courts Office must accept whatever petition is presented; however, all petitioners are encouraged to use the new petition. Failure to utilize the proper petition, and a form order of expungement that does not contain the requisite information required by the rules noted above may result in a petition which is denied either by the Court of Common Pleas or the Administrative Office of the Pennsylvania Courts. If a petition is denied or rejected, you may be required to pay additional filing fees for resubmitted petitions.
7. The Rules of Criminal Procedure numbers 490 and 790 require a Pennsylvania State Police background search be included with the Petition. Failure to submit the background search may result in a denial or rejection of your Petition by the Court of Common Pleas or by the Administrative Office of the Pennsylvania Court. If a petition is denied or rejected, you may be required to pay additional filing fees for resubmitted petitions.
8. All Expungement Petitions other than Juvenile Expungements require the submission of an Expungement Order that must comply with the requirements of Rule of Criminal Procedure No. 490 (c) or No. 790 (c).  Please note if a Juvenile Expungement the Order must be in compliance with Rules of Juvenile Court Procedure Rule No.170 or No. 172. It is the responsibility of the petitioner to make certain that all of the required information is provided on the order. Failure to include all required information on the order will result in a rejection of the order by the Administrative Office of the Pennsylvania Court. If a petition is denied or rejected, you may be required to pay additional filing fees for resubmitted petitions.
9. The Clerk of Courts Office only requests the original petition and order, accompanied by the proper filing fee ($137.00) in the form of cash, bank certified check, or money orders.

The Office of the Clerk of Courts cannot and does not provide legal advice to anyone. Any questions regarding expungements must be directed to an attorney. 

Update Relevant to Act 56 of 2018 (Clean Slate Law)

It is recommended that all filers preparing expungement Petitions ensure that any charges which they are requesting be expunged are listed on the Petition. Failure to include all charges on the Petition may result in expungement Petitions which are intended to be Full expungements only being processed as Partial expungements.

In many cases, some or all charges on a docket may have automatically been made Limited Access by the Clean Slate Law (Act 56 of 2018) without the necessity of a Petition. In such cases, the UJS docket sheet will not be available at all if all charges on a docket were made eligible for Act 56; if it is available, it may exclude charges which were eligible for Act 56.

If you are unable to verify the number or grading of the charges, please contact the Clerk of Courts office to request that information. Attorneys seeking to file on behalf of a client will need to file an Entry of Appearance to be permitted access to Limited Access records. Pro Se Filers will need to provide proof of identity to be provided with Limited Access records.

Fee Schedule for Expungements as of 2021

Adult Expungement                                                                                                   $137.00

Juvenile Expungement                                                                                               $36.75

If multiple cases were disposed on the same date, one fee (of $137.00 or $36.75) is sufficient for filing. If multiples cases were disposed on separate dates, the fees must be paid for each disposition date.