Recent Updates To Ohio’s 
Expungement And Record Sealing Laws

 The Ohio state legislature has passed several bills over the last few years that expanded eligibility and provided Ohioans with nonviolent, nonsexual misdemeanors and/or felony offenses an opportunity to have their records expunged or sealed. Here are two primary pieces of legislation to note:  

1. Ohio SB 66, effective October 29, 2018, expanded the number of convictions that can be expunged and sealed and allowed people to have criminal records expunged who were not eligible under previous Ohio law. The law also created new waiting periods before filing for expungement.  

1. Ohio HB 1, effective April 12, 2021, substantially expanded SB 66 so that many people who were not eligible under prior Ohio law have become eligible for record expungement. Here are two significant changes from HB 1: 

• Unlimited misdemeanors and F4, F5 convictions: Ohio HB 1 eliminated the cap of five 4th and 5th-degree felony convictions under several conditions, including that the offenses are nonviolent and nonsexual. 
• Shorter waiting periods for expungement: The new law changed the required waiting period someone must wait before filing a motion to expunge their records. The new waiting periods are as follows:  

• Misdemeanor convictions – 1 year 
• Felony 4th or 5th-degree convictions – 1 year 

• Felony 3rd degree-convictions – 3 years 
• Conviction of 2921.43 – 7 years 

  This is a general overview and there are certain details and nuances in the laws not mentioned above. Should you have any specific questions about eligibility requirements or if you would like to discuss the matter further, please feel free to reply to this email or call my office directly.  Thank you for your time and attention to this matter. I hope that I will be able to be of service to you again in the future. 

Stay Up To Date By Contacting Me

If you have any questions or are looking to take advantage of these recent changes to the law here in Ohio, then please reach out to me at The Powers Law Firm, LLC. I can assist you in applying for an expungement if you should qualify. Call my office today at 216-930-6241, or send me a message online with a brief description of your situation. I offer free, no obligation consultations, so do not hesitate to reach out today.