Why a dismissed case still shows up
Court dockets record every case that’s filed, not just convictions. A case withdrawn at the preliminary hearing, dismissed later, or ended with a not-guilty verdict stays on the public UJS Portal and in the State Police repository until a court orders it expunged. Clean Slate seals many non-conviction records automatically, but sealing hides the record from the public; expungement destroys it.
How the law treats non-convictions
- Withdrawn, dismissed or nolle prossed charges can be expunged by petition. The District Attorney receives notice and may respond.
- A not-guilty verdict on every charge can be expunged by the court without a petition under 18 Pa.C.S. § 9122(a)(4). The Commonwealth has 60 days to object, and the expungement must happen within 12 months. If yours never was, we file a petition.
- Mixed cases, where some charges were dismissed and others ended in a conviction or plea, can usually be partially expunged: the dismissed charges are removed and the rest remain. Those petitions take more care, because the court weighs the reasons for keeping the record.
What the court looks at
When charges are withdrawn or dismissed, the court generally grants expungement unless the Commonwealth shows a strong reason to keep the record. We present the docket history and your circumstances, and we ask the DA’s office about its position before filing.
Common questions
My charges were dropped years ago. Is it too late?
No. There’s no deadline to expunge non-conviction records.
Doesn’t Clean Slate take care of this?
Clean Slate seals many non-conviction records automatically, but sealing isn’t expungement. A sealed record still exists and can be seen by police, courts and some licensing agencies. Expungement removes it.
I pleaded guilty to one charge and the others were dropped. Can the dropped charges be expunged?
Usually yes. That’s a partial expungement. The conviction stays, but the withdrawn or dismissed charges can be removed.