A criminal record follows you into every job application, housing search, professional license, loan, and background check. Ohio law provides a path to seal or expunge eligible criminal records — effectively removing them from public access and allowing you to legally deny the offense in most contexts. Zukerman, Lear, Murray & Brown Co., LPA helps clients throughout Cleveland and Cuyahoga County navigate Ohio’s expungement and record sealing process to clear eligible charges and rebuild their lives. Contact us to find out if your record qualifies for sealing or expungement.
Ohio law provides three distinct forms of relief. Record Sealing (ORC § 2953.32) removes eligible convictions from public access — they are not destroyed but can no longer be accessed by most employers, landlords, or individuals. Government agencies retain access in certain circumstances. Expungement (ORC § 2953.52) applies primarily to arrests that did not result in conviction, dismissed charges, and charges where a not-guilty verdict was entered — these records are physically destroyed. Certificate of Qualification for Employment (CQE) under ORC § 2953.25 does not seal a record but creates a rebuttable presumption that a prior conviction should not disqualify an applicant from a specific job, occupational license, or housing. Understanding which relief applies to your specific record is the first step in any expungement consultation.
Under Ohio’s expanded expungement statute, most misdemeanor and felony convictions are now eligible for sealing — with key exceptions. Waiting periods apply: one year for misdemeanors after final discharge, three years for fourth and fifth-degree felonies, four years for third-degree felonies, and five years for first and second-degree felonies. The number of prior convictions also affects eligibility. Critically, certain offenses are permanently ineligible for sealing under ORC § 2953.36: first and second-degree felony convictions for violent offenses, rape, gross sexual imposition, any offense requiring sex offender registration, domestic violence, and OVI/DUI convictions. Knowing whether your specific conviction is among the ineligible categories requires careful statutory analysis.
If your charges were dismissed, you were found not guilty, or a no-bill was returned by a grand jury, Ohio law entitles you to expungement of those records under ORC § 2953.52. Importantly, an arrest record alone — without a conviction — can still appear on background checks and cause significant employment harm. Many people do not realize that dismissed or acquitted charges can be cleared. We file expungement petitions for dismissed charges promptly and pursue court orders that require law enforcement agencies, courts, and repositories to destroy or seal all related records.
Ohio law permits a person to apply for sealing of all eligible convictions at once in a single petition. This means that a client with multiple misdemeanor convictions can potentially have all of them sealed in a single court proceeding, rather than filing separate petitions over years. Strategic bundling of eligible charges maximizes the scope of the record clearing and minimizes court costs. We review every conviction in a client’s history to identify the full universe of eligible records before filing. Call Zukerman Law for a comprehensive review of your complete record.
Once a record is sealed in Ohio, it is removed from the publicly accessible Ohio Courts Network (OCN) and the Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI) background check database. Most private employment background check companies use BCI data and will no longer report the sealed conviction. However, federal government employment background checks, applications for federal firearms licenses, security clearance investigations, and applications for certain professional licenses may still require disclosure under applicable federal law or specific licensing statutes — and sealed records may remain accessible to law enforcement, courts, and certain government agencies. We advise clients on exactly what their sealed record will and will not conceal before they sign any application or agreement.
Expungement and record sealing petitions in Cuyahoga County are filed in the court of original conviction — Cleveland Municipal Court for misdemeanors, Cuyahoga County Common Pleas for felonies. The filing fee in Cuyahoga County Common Pleas is currently $50 per petition. After filing, the court notifies the prosecutor’s office, which has 60 days to object. A hearing is scheduled before the original sentencing judge or an assigned judge. At the hearing, the court considers the interests of justice and the offender’s rehabilitation against any objection from the prosecutor. Judges have discretion to grant or deny petitions even for technically eligible convictions — presenting a compelling rehabilitation narrative matters. Contact Zukerman Law to begin your expungement filing today.
Record sealing is often sought after resolution of serious criminal cases. Our attorneys also handle DUI & OVI Defense (note: OVI convictions are not eligible for sealing), Domestic Violence Defense, Drug Charges Defense, and Juvenile Defense including sealing of juvenile adjudications.
We represent clients seeking expungement and record sealing in Cleveland, Parma, Lakewood, Strongsville, Euclid, and all Cuyahoga County courts. Call Zukerman, Lear, Murray & Brown Co., LPA at (216) 696-0900 to get your record cleared.
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