Quick answer: If you have an arrest, charge, or conviction on your record from a Catonsville case, Maryland law may let you erase it from public view — but the rules turn on how the case ended and whether every charge from the same incident qualifies. A dismissal, acquittal, or probation before judgment can often be cleared in three years or less; most eligible convictions come off five years after you finish the sentence. Catonsville sits in Baltimore County, so you file in the court that handled the case: the District Court of Maryland in Catonsville or Towson, or the Circuit Court for Baltimore County in Towson.
I’m David Waranch, and I’ve handled thousands of Maryland criminal and traffic matters, including expungements filed in the Baltimore County courts.
What Expungement Clears, and Where a Catonsville Case Is Filed
Expungement removes police and court records from public access. Once a case is expunged, routine background checks run by employers, landlords, and licensing boards no longer show it, and in most situations you can lawfully answer that the arrest or charge never happened. That matters because a closed case does not clear itself. A dismissed charge, a not-guilty verdict, even a case that never went to trial stays visible on Maryland Case Search until someone files a petition to take it down. Plenty of Catonsville residents only learn this when a background check flags something they assumed was long gone.
Because Catonsville is in Baltimore County, your petition goes to the court that handled the original case. Cases that started in the District Court of Maryland — the location on Rolling Road in Catonsville, or the District Court in Towson — are filed there. Cases handled by the Circuit Court for Baltimore County are filed at the courthouse in Towson. If a case was transferred or appealed, it follows the case; if you were charged in more than one court over the years, each court needs its own petition. Getting the venue right the first time avoids a rejected filing and weeks of lost time, which is one reason a full record review beats filing case by case. For the broader picture, see how the Maryland expungement process works.
Who Qualifies, and How Long You Wait
Eligibility depends on two things: how the case ended, and how long ago. Non-convictions — acquittals, dismissals, cases resolved by nolle prosequi, and probation before judgment — are the easiest to clear and carry the shortest waits. Convictions are harder: only the offenses listed in Md. Code, Crim. Proc. § 10-110 can be expunged at all, and each carries a waiting period measured from the day you completed the entire sentence — including any probation, parole, or mandatory supervision, which is why the clock usually starts later than people expect.
| How the case ended | When you can file |
|---|---|
| Acquittal / not guilty | 3 years, or immediately with a general waiver of tort claims |
| Dismissal / nolle prosequi | 3 years, or immediately with a general waiver of tort claims |
| Stet docket | 3 years |
| Probation before judgment (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 |
| Most eligible convictions | 5 years after completing the sentence |
| Second-degree assault, common-law battery | 7 years after completing the sentence |
| Eligible felonies (theft, burglary, PWID) | 7 to 10 years after completing the sentence |
A few traps live inside that table. A PBJ has a hard three-year floor from the date it was granted, so asking a judge to end an 18-month probation early gains you nothing on the expungement clock — it only helps on a four- or five-year term. Certain DUI and DWI dispositions are excluded entirely or carry the 15-year wait, which is why anyone with a DUI or DWI on their record should have it reviewed specifically. And a new conviction during a waiting period can disqualify the older case rather than just pausing it. For the detail on each timeline, see Maryland expungement waiting periods and the list of convictions you can expunge.
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 Catonsville 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.
This is worth stating plainly because the intuition runs the other way. It is easy to assume that several charges from the same arrest, all wrapped up around the same time, are simpler to clear together. Under the unit rule, the opposite is true: bundling charges together is exactly what lets one ineligible charge drag the others down. A minor traffic violation that carries no jail time is carved out and stays harmless, but a jailable charge from the same incident — driving on a suspended license, driving without a license, reckless driving, or a DUI — joins the unit and can block everything else. Reviewing every charge in a case before filing is the single most important step, and it is the first thing I do on any expungement.
How the Filing Process Works and What It Costs
Once eligibility is confirmed, the mechanics are fairly predictable. You file the petition in the correct Baltimore County court and serve the State’s Attorney. The State — or a victim, who also receives notice — then has 30 days to object. If no one objects, the court must pass the order; it is not discretionary. Every agency holding the record then has 60 days to comply and confirm in writing that it has done so. That is where the informal “90 days” figure comes from — it is simply the 30-day objection window plus the 60-day compliance window, not a deadline written into the statute.
If the State does object, the court holds a hearing and must make findings on the record: that the conviction and the person are eligible, that expungement poses no risk to public safety, that any restitution has been paid or cannot be paid, and that expungement is in the interest of justice. Unpaid restitution is a standalone reason a petition fails, so it is worth clearing before you file. On cost, the Maryland Judiciary charges no filing fee for a dismissal, acquittal, PBJ, nolle prosequi, or stet petition; expunging an eligible guilty disposition costs $30 per case — not per charge — and that fee can be waived if you cannot afford it. Getting the paperwork, the venue, and the timing right is where working with a Maryland criminal defense attorney saves the most aggravation.
Serving Catonsville and Baltimore County
We help people throughout Catonsville, Arbutus, Halethorpe, Woodlawn, and the rest of Baltimore County, as well as clients across Maryland whose old cases were handled elsewhere in the state. Whether your matter sits in the District Court in Catonsville or Towson or in the Circuit Court for Baltimore County, we identify every entry on your record, tell you what qualifies now and what will qualify later, and file it in the right place. Many clients come to us after dealing with a Baltimore County traffic matter and only then decide to clean up older items. If your case is a few miles up the road, our Towson expungement lawyer page covers the same court, and our Baltimore County expungement page covers the county as a whole. The goal is straightforward: clear as much as the law allows and open the door to better employment, housing, and licensing.
Common Questions
You file a petition in the court that handled your Catonsville case. If no one objects within thirty days, the court orders the expungement, and the agencies holding the records have sixty days to comply.
There is no filing fee for a dismissal, acquittal, or probation-before-judgment. Expunging an eligible guilty disposition carries a thirty-dollar fee per case, which can be waived if you cannot afford it.
Yes. The unit rule treats charges from the same incident as one group, so a single ineligible charge can block the others. That is the first thing to review before filing.
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, 10-107, 10-110. This page is general information about Maryland law, not legal advice, and reading it does not create an attorney-client relationship.