Quick answer: In Baltimore City, dismissals, acquittals, not-guilty verdicts, and many probation-before-judgment (PBJ) outcomes can be expunged, and a defined list of convictions can be cleared after a waiting period. The catch is the unit rule: if one charge from the same arrest is not eligible, none of the charges in that case can be expunged. Getting the eligibility right before you file is the whole game.
I’m David Waranch. My firm handles criminal and traffic matters across Maryland, and we help Baltimore City clients clear the records that actually qualify under state law.
What Expungement Clears — and What It Doesn’t
Expungement removes police and court records of a charge from public access. Once a Baltimore City case is expunged, it generally stops showing up on Maryland Judiciary Case Search and on routine background checks, and in most situations you no longer have to disclose the arrest or charge on job, housing, or school applications. That is the difference that matters to employers, landlords, and licensing boards.
A closed case is not an expunged case. This is the single most common misunderstanding I hear. Even if you were found not guilty or your charge was dismissed years ago, the entry usually stays visible on Case Search until someone files a petition and a judge signs the order. Time alone does not clear it — one narrow exception aside, described below.
Expungement also does not reach everything. Convictions for the most serious offenses are not on the eligibility list, and a probation-before-judgment for the most serious DUI dispositions cannot be expunged at all. Knowing where your case falls before you spend a filing fee is exactly what a review is for. You can see the full picture in our Maryland expungement guide and the list of convictions that can be expunged.
Who Qualifies in Baltimore City
Eligibility turns on two things: how your case ended, and — for convictions — how long ago you finished the sentence. Maryland splits the rules across two statutes. Non-convictions (dismissals, acquittals, PBJs, stets) run under Md. Code, Crim. Proc. § 10-105. Convictions run under § 10-110, which carries a waiting ladder measured from the completion of the sentence, and that clock includes any probation or parole, so it starts later than most people expect.
| How the case ended | When you can petition |
|---|---|
| Acquittal / not guilty | 3 years, or immediately with a written waiver of tort claims |
| Dismissal / nolle prosequi | 3 years, or immediately with a written waiver of tort claims |
| Stet docket | 3 years |
| PBJ (most offenses) | Later of discharge from probation, or 3 years after PBJ was granted |
| PBJ for DUI/DWI under § 21-902(a) or (b) | 15 years from discharge |
| Eligible conviction (general rule) | 5 years after completing the sentence |
| Second-degree assault, common-law battery, most felonies | 7 years |
| Certain serious felonies (e.g. first/second-degree burglary, felony theft) | 10 years |
A few practical points behind that table. Early termination of a short probation does not speed up a PBJ expungement, because there is a hard three-year floor from the date the PBJ was granted — it only helps on a longer term. A new conviction during a waiting period can disqualify the original case rather than simply pausing the clock. And there is no general good-cause shortcut for a conviction: the ladder is the ladder. For the details, see our breakdown of Maryland expungement waiting periods.
One route runs on its own. Under § 10-105.1, some fully clean cases are expunged automatically three years after they close — but if any charge in the case ended any way other than acquittal, dismissal, not guilty, or nolle prosequi, the automatic route fails and you have to petition. That is why so many dismissed cases still show up online. We explain the mechanics of Maryland automatic expungement separately.
One ineligible charge can block the rest. Under Md. Code, Crim. Proc. § 10-107, charges from the same arrest or incident are treated as a single unit, so if even one of them is not eligible, none of the charges in that unit can be expunged. It is the most common reason a Baltimore City expungement petition is denied. Which offenses qualify is set by § 10-110 for convictions and § 10-105 for dismissals, acquittals, and PBJs. See which Maryland convictions can be expunged or the full Maryland expungement guide.
Filing in Baltimore City: Courts, Fees, and Timeline
Baltimore City is its own jurisdiction, separate from Baltimore County, with its own courts. You file your petition in the court where the case began. The District Court of Maryland handles most misdemeanor and traffic cases and has several locations within Baltimore City; the Circuit Court for Baltimore City handles felony matters and appeals. If your case started in Baltimore City, that is where the expungement goes — not the county courthouse in Towson, which serves Baltimore County. Get this wrong and the filing bounces back.
The filing fee follows the outcome. Per the Maryland Judiciary, there is no charge to petition on an acquittal, dismissal, not-guilty verdict, nolle prosequi, stet, or PBJ. For an eligible guilty disposition, the fee is $30 per case — not per charge — and it is nonrefundable even if the petition is denied, though the court can waive it if you cannot pay.
The timeline is set by statute. After your petition is served, the State’s Attorney — and any victim entitled to notice — has 30 days to object. If no one objects and the case is eligible, the court must sign the order. Once it is signed, every record custodian has 60 days to comply and confirm the removal in writing. That is where the commonly quoted “90 days” comes from: 30 days to object plus 60 days to comply. A contested petition takes longer, because the court must hold a hearing and make findings on the record. Unpaid restitution, on its own, will sink an otherwise good petition. Our walkthrough of how the Maryland expungement process works covers each step.
Why the Right Filing Matters
Maryland makes a lot of records eligible, but the paperwork is unforgiving. The mistakes I see most often are misreading a waiting period, filing in the wrong court, and — most costly of all — missing the unit rule and petitioning on a case that has one disqualifying charge buried in it. A denial is not just a lost fee; it can mean re-filing and waiting again.
What we actually do is pull your entire Maryland case history, not just the case you remember, confirm what is eligible now and what will be later, prepare accurate petitions for the correct Baltimore City court, and appear if the State’s Attorney objects or the court sets a hearing. Many clients come to us after a DUI or other criminal matter and are now ready to clear it. We serve Baltimore City and the surrounding courts, including Baltimore County, and if your issue is a driving record rather than a criminal one, our Baltimore City traffic lawyer page is the better starting point.
Common Questions
Anyone whose Baltimore City charge qualifies under Maryland law. Dismissals, acquittals, not-guilty verdicts, and many probation-before-judgment outcomes are eligible, and a set list of convictions can be expunged after a waiting period.
Not always. Some clean cases are expunged automatically after three years, but if any charge in the case ended another way, the automatic route does not apply and you have to file a petition.
The most common blocker is the unit rule: if one charge from the same incident is not eligible, none of them can be expunged. A pending case or a new conviction during the waiting period can also disqualify you.
Law Offices of David R. Waranch — 301-563-9575 · toll-free 1-877-566-2408. Hablamos Español.
Last updated: August 2026. Statutory references: Md. Code, Crim. Proc. §§ 10-105, 10-105.1, 10-107, 10-110. This page is general information about Maryland law, not legal advice, and reading it does not create an attorney-client relationship.