Clearing A Record
N.J.S.A. 2C:52-2 — five years after the most recent conviction, and at once for a dismissal
A dismissal or acquittal is expunged at the time. In New Jersey, when charges are dismissed, the person is acquitted, or they are discharged without a conviction, the court orders the expungement of all records of the arrest at the time of the dismissal, acquittal or discharge.
A person convicted of one crime, with no later crime, or of one crime and no more than three disorderly persons offenses, may apply to the Superior Court to expunge it.
An application for a crime, or for disorderly persons or petty disorderly persons offenses, may be made five years after the latest of the most recent conviction, payment of court-ordered fines, completion of probation or parole, or release from incarceration.
Where a court-ordered fine is unpaid for reasons other than willful noncompliance but the five years have otherwise passed, the person may still apply, and the unpaid balance becomes a civil judgment.
Sources for this section (3)
- N.J.S.A. 2C:52-2 — Expungement of an indictable conviction
- N.J.S.A. 2C:52-3 — Expungement of disorderly persons offenses
- N.J.S.A. 2C:52-6 — Expungement of arrests not resulting in conviction
Legal information, not legal advice. Verified as of September 2026. Applying it to a particular situation is the work of a licensed New Jersey attorney.