Path to Expungement

Administered by Oakland County Michigan Works!

Receive an email from Oakland County Clean Slate Program staff regarding your initial eligibility. It may take at least 120 business days or more to receive this initial eligibility determination.
Receive an email from Oakland County Clean Slate Program Staff Attorney which will outline the steps in the expungement process.

Upon receipt of an approval email from Clean Slate Program staff, make an appointment to get your fingerprints taken at a local law enforcement department, Oakland County Sheriff’s office in Pontiac, or a private fingerprint service.
Set up appointment with Oakland County Clean Slate Program Staff Attorney to meet at one of the Michigan Works! centers to deliver completed fingerprint card and sign the “Application to Set Aside Conviction” form in the presence of notary.
Gather personal reference documentation supporting your requested expungement to establish that your behavior and circumstances have positively changed since your conviction(s) which will be presented to the judge.

A certified record of your conviction will be ordered upon receipt of fingerprint card and signing and notarizing of Application to Set Aside Conviction.
Upon receipt of these records, the Application to Set Aside Conviction will be assembled and filed with the Court; you will receive an email notice and copy of application, including the hearing date and time, judge, and case number when this happens.
The process can take 6-9 months to complete.
If your contact information changes, make sure to update Oakland County Clean Slate Program staff.

Prepare a personal statement/letter outlining the steps you have taken since your conviction to improve your life and stay out of further legal trouble and collect any supportive documents (letters of support, diploma/certificates, etc) that you believe will assist a judge in granting your set aside request and send them to the Oakland County Clean Slate Program Attorney. While a hearing may be scheduled approximately 120 days from the filing of your Application to Set Aside Convictions, the actual hearing date may be delayed.

Get official copy of the Order Granting Application to Set Aside Conviction from Oakland County Clean Slate Program staff.
Wait for a representative from Oakland County Clean Slate Program to notify you that the court order has been filed and copies sent to the Michigan State Police and Attorney General.
A representative from Oakland County Clean Slate Program will verify that your public record shows that your expunged conviction has been removed. Verification may take up to eight weeks, so please be patient. Once we have verified the conviction has been “set aside”, you will receive an email from us with a copy of your updated Michigan State Police ICHAT.

In Michigan, after an expungement, your public criminal record will not show the conviction.
Clients may truthfully answer on an employment or housing application that arrest(s)/conviction(s) that have been expunged have not occurred.
Certain government agencies still have access to expunged records for specific purposes. These agencies include the Michigan Department of Corrections, law enforcement, courts, state attorney general, prosecutors and the Governor.
Companies that complete background checks do not automatically update their records. It is possible that post expungement, a conviction could still appear on a background report. Clients should then provide the background agency with a copy of their Order of expungement and ask the company to update its records.