What's the difference between Clean Slate sealing and expungement?

Expungement under § 9122 removes a case from the public record entirely. Clean Slate sealing under § 9122.2 restricts public access to the record, but it remains visible to law enforcement, courts, and certain employers and licensing boards under § 9122.3.

Do I need to file anything for Clean Slate sealing to happen?

Not necessarily. Much of Clean Slate is automated — the state periodically reviews court records and seals eligible cases without a petition. Petition-based limited access under § 9122.1 exists for eligible records the automated sweep doesn't catch.

Why hasn't my eligible conviction been sealed yet?

The most common reasons are outstanding court costs, fines, or restitution tied to the case, or a data-coding issue in how the disposition is recorded — both are usually fixable once identified.

Can employers still see a sealed record?

Most employers running standard background checks will not see it, but § 9122.3 carves out exceptions for certain fields — including work with children, the elderly, or vulnerable populations, and some licensing and firearms-related decisions — where the sealed record can still surface.

Is DUI eligible for Clean Slate sealing?

Generally, no. DUI is excluded from automatic Clean Slate sealing under § 9122.2 by statute, regardless of how much time has passed since the conviction.

Does sealing a record mean it's permanently gone?

Sealing restricts access rather than destroying the record, and a new arrest or prosecution afterward can affect how the sealed record is treated going forward.

Expungements & Pardons · Clean Slate & Automatic Sealing

Clean Slate seals a record from public view. It does not erase it.

Pennsylvania's Clean Slate Act, codified largely at 18 Pa.C.S. § 9122.2, created a system for automatically limiting public access to many older, lower-level criminal records without requiring the person to file anything. A parallel, older mechanism — petition-based limited access under § 9122.1 — covers records that don't qualify for the automated process but still meet the underlying eligibility criteria. Both mechanisms are frequently confused with expungement, but they are not the same remedy. Expungement under § 9122 removes a case from the public record. Clean Slate sealing restricts who can see it: the record disappears from the public UJS docket search and from most commercial background-check reports, but it remains visible to law enforcement, courts, and certain licensing and employment screens carved out under § 9121 and the § 9122.3 exceptions. Understanding which convictions actually qualify, what waiting periods apply, and what sealing does and doesn't accomplish matters before anyone assumes an old record is gone. I handle Clean Slate petitions and eligibility reviews across Dauphin, Cumberland, York, Adams, Perry, Franklin, and Lancaster counties.

Call (717) 724-7503 Schedule a consultation

Free & confidential · Usually a same-day callback

How the remedy works

Clean Slate Act & Automatic Record Sealing.

Authority: 18 Pa.C.S. § 9122.2[1][2]

Record relief, in context

Clean Slate sealing restricts who can see a record — it doesn't erase it, and outstanding fines or costs are the most common reason an eligible case hasn't sealed yet.

expungement & pardon lawyer · pardon vs. expungement · DUI expungement

The automated side of Clean Slate under § 9122.2 works in the background: the Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Courts runs periodic checks against court records statewide and automatically limits public access to eligible cases once the waiting period and other conditions are satisfied, without the person needing to file a petition. Eligible categories generally include many non-conviction dispositions, certain summary offenses after a waiting period, and specified lower-level misdemeanor convictions after ten years free of arrest or prosecution, provided all court-ordered financial obligations tied to the case have been satisfied.

Petition-based limited access under § 9122.1 exists for records that meet similar substantive eligibility criteria but don't get caught by the automated sweep — sometimes because of how a case is coded in the court's data system, sometimes because the record predates reliable electronic data. A person can file a petition asking the court to grant the same limited-access relief the automated system would otherwise provide.

Sealing is not destruction. Under § 9121 and the exceptions carved out in § 9122.3, sealed records remain accessible to law enforcement agencies, courts, prosecutors, and to certain employers and licensing boards required by law to consider full criminal history — for example, in fields involving direct contact with children, the elderly, or vulnerable populations, and for law enforcement and certain firearms-related licensing decisions. A sealed record can also become visible again if the person picks up a new arrest that reopens scrutiny of the record.

Outstanding financial obligations — unpaid fines, costs, or restitution tied to the case — are a common reason an otherwise-eligible record doesn't get sealed on schedule. Both the automated process and petition-based limited access generally require those obligations to be satisfied before the waiting period is treated as complete, which makes clearing old balances a practical first step for anyone trying to get Clean Slate relief to actually take effect.

Eligibility at a glance

What qualifies — and what does not.

Clean Slate Act & Automatic Record Sealing: eligibility categories under 18 Pa.C.S. § 9122.2
Situation	What the law allows	Condition
Non-conviction dispositions not otherwise expunged	Automated sealing under § 9122.2 in many cases	Most non-convictions are better handled through expungement, which removes rather than merely seals the record.
Summary convictions	Automated sealing after a statutory waiting period	Waiting period runs from the date of conviction and requires no new arrests in the interim.
Eligible lower-level misdemeanor convictions	Automated sealing after 10 years arrest-free	Higher-graded misdemeanors and all felonies generally fall outside the automated Clean Slate categories.
Eligible records missed by the automated sweep	Petition-based limited access under § 9122.1	Requires filing a petition and showing the same substantive eligibility the automated process would apply.
Outstanding court costs, fines, or restitution	Sealing typically delayed until obligations are satisfied	Paying down the balance is often the single fastest way to move a stalled Clean Slate case forward.
DUI and certain enumerated offenses	Generally excluded from Clean Slate automatic sealing	Some offense categories are carved out of § 9122.2 by statute regardless of how much time has passed.
Convictions requiring background checks under § 9122.3 exceptions	Remain visible to specified employers, licensing boards, and law enforcement despite sealing	Fields involving children, elder care, firearms licensing, and certain government positions typically retain access to sealed records.

Eligibility categories are statutory, but how a specific docket is graded and disposed controls which category applies. Nothing here is a prediction about a particular record.

The process

Step by step.

Step 1
Confirm whether the record already sealed automatically
The AOPC runs periodic automated eligibility sweeps, so the first step is checking the UJS Portal and, where available, requesting a clean-slate status check to see if sealing has already occurred.
Step 2
Identify why an eligible-looking record hasn't sealed
Common reasons include outstanding financial obligations, a data-coding issue on the docket, or a disposition that narrowly misses the automated criteria despite appearing eligible.
Step 3
File a § 9122.1 petition where automation hasn't reached the case
The petition is filed in the county where the case was prosecuted, laying out the disposition, the time elapsed, and confirmation that financial obligations have been satisfied.
Step 4
Resolve outstanding costs or restitution
Where a balance is the blocking issue, satisfying it — or confirming it was already paid but not reflected in the court's records — is often what actually unlocks eligibility.
Step 5
Court review and order, where a petition is required
The judge reviews the petition and, absent an objection or unresolved issue, issues an order directing limited access; the order goes to AOPC and the relevant repositories.
Step 6
Understand what remains visible after sealing
Once sealed, the record is confirmed off the public UJS search and most commercial background reports, but the person should still expect it to surface on state-mandated employment and licensing checks covered by § 9122.3.

Jurisdiction & venue

Where the petition is filed.

Dauphin and Cumberland counties

Both counties' Courts of Common Pleas process petition-based limited access filings through the clerk of courts, and the Dauphin County and Cumberland County District Attorney's offices review petitions the automated Clean Slate sweep didn't catch. Summary-offense sealing questions that trace back to a magisterial district court still route through that MDJ's office for docket confirmation.

York and Adams counties

York County's larger docket volume means more cases move through the automated process, but its Court of Common Pleas and DA's office still field a steady stream of § 9122.1 petitions for records the sweep missed. Adams County handles a smaller volume, and its clerk of courts can often confirm sealing status more quickly given the lower case count.

Perry and Franklin counties

Perry and Franklin counties' Courts of Common Pleas apply the same statutory eligibility rules through their clerk of courts offices, with MDJ-level summary convictions requiring separate confirmation from the magisterial district judge who handled the original case. Both counties' DA's offices review petition-based filings for accuracy before a judge signs off.

Lancaster County

Lancaster County's higher docket volume runs a substantial number of records through the automated Clean Slate sweep each cycle, and its Court of Common Pleas and DA's office handle petition-based limited access for records that fall outside that automated process. As with the other counties, outstanding financial obligations tied to a Lancaster County case are a common reason sealing gets delayed.

Where these petitions are won or lost.

Check for a data-coding mismatch before filing a petition
Some records that look eligible haven't sealed because of how the offense or disposition was entered in the court's system — fixing the record can resolve the issue faster than a petition.
Pay down outstanding balances as a first move
Because unpaid costs and restitution routinely block sealing, clearing those balances is often more effective than any procedural argument.
Don't assume sealing means invisible to everyone
Sealed records remain visible to law enforcement, courts, and specified employers and licensing boards under § 9122.3 — clients in those fields need a realistic expectation of what sealing accomplishes.
Separate expungement-eligible cases from sealing-only cases
Where a case actually qualifies for full expungement under § 9122, pursuing that instead of sealing under § 9122.2 produces a stronger result and should be evaluated first.
Track multiple dockets from a single arrest
As with expungement, a single arrest can generate more than one docket, and all associated dockets need to be accounted for when confirming sealing status or filing a petition.
Verify sealing took effect on commercial background sites
Court and state repositories update on their own schedule, but private background-check companies don't always sync automatically; following up directly with a reporting agency is sometimes necessary even after a sealing order is entered.

Where we file

Record relief across Central Pennsylvania.

Other record-relief guides.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions.

Common questions about clean slate & automatic sealing in Pennsylvania — eligibility, procedure, and what the order actually changes.

Expungement under § 9122 removes a case from the public record entirely. Clean Slate sealing under § 9122.2 restricts public access to the record, but it remains visible to law enforcement, courts, and certain employers and licensing boards under § 9122.3.
Not necessarily. Much of Clean Slate is automated — the state periodically reviews court records and seals eligible cases without a petition. Petition-based limited access under § 9122.1 exists for eligible records the automated sweep doesn't catch.
The most common reasons are outstanding court costs, fines, or restitution tied to the case, or a data-coding issue in how the disposition is recorded — both are usually fixable once identified.
Most employers running standard background checks will not see it, but § 9122.3 carves out exceptions for certain fields — including work with children, the elderly, or vulnerable populations, and some licensing and firearms-related decisions — where the sealed record can still surface.
Generally, no. DUI is excluded from automatic Clean Slate sealing under § 9122.2 by statute, regardless of how much time has passed since the conviction.
Sealing restricts access rather than destroying the record, and a new arrest or prosecution afterward can affect how the sealed record is treated going forward.

[1]18 Pa.C.S. § 9122.1 — Limited access (sealing) of criminal records; Clean Slate framework.
[2]18 Pa.C.S. § 9122.2 — Clean Slate automated limited access — the sealing that happens by court order without a petition once the statutory waiting periods and payment conditions are met.
[3]18 Pa.C.S. § 9122.3 — Exceptions to limited access — offense types and histories that Clean Slate sealing and petition-based limited access do not reach.
[4]18 Pa.C.S. § 9121 — General regulations on dissemination of criminal history record information, including what remains available after sealing.
[5]18 Pa.C.S. § 9102 — Criminal History Record Information Act definitions — including 'expunge' and 'criminal history record information'.

Statutes are summarized for public reference. Confirm current text at palegis.us. This page is attorney advertising, not legal advice.

Free consultation · Calls answered now

The sooner we talk, the more we can do.

Every hour matters in a DUI or criminal case. Call directly and speak with Attorney Quinlan — not an intake desk.