Quick answer: Maryland does not erase records on its own — you have to file a petition, even for a case that was dismissed years ago. Whether a Hyattsville case can be expunged depends on how it ended and on one rule that trips up more people than any other: charges from the same arrest are treated as a single unit, so one ineligible charge blocks the rest. Dismissals, acquittals, not-guilty verdicts, and many probation-before-judgment (PBJ) outcomes qualify, and a set list of convictions can be cleared after a waiting period.
I’m David Waranch. I’ve handled thousands of Maryland criminal and traffic matters, and I help people across Hyattsville and Prince George’s County clear every record the law allows.
Where a Hyattsville Expungement Is Filed
Hyattsville sits in Prince George’s County, and where your petition goes depends on which court handled the original case. Most misdemeanor and traffic charges are heard in the District Court of Maryland for Prince George’s County, which has a courthouse in Hyattsville. Felonies and cases that went to a jury are handled by the Circuit Court for Prince George’s County, which sits in Upper Marlboro. By statute you file the petition in the court where the proceeding began — so a case that started in the District Court in Hyattsville is expunged there, not somewhere more convenient.
That detail matters because filing in the wrong court, or filing the wrong form for how your case ended, is one of the most common reasons a petition stalls. If your record spans both courts, or both this county and another, each case may need its own petition on its own timeline. We pull your full Maryland history first so nothing is missed and nothing is filed prematurely.
Who Qualifies, and How Long You Wait
Eligibility turns on the disposition — the way your case ended — and on the waiting period the law attaches to it. Non-convictions are the easiest to clear: an acquittal, a dismissal, a nolle prosequi, or a not-guilty verdict can be expunged three years after the case closed, or immediately if you file a written general waiver of any tort claims arising from the charge. A stet is three years. A PBJ can be expunged the later of your discharge from probation or three years after the PBJ was granted — which means ending a short probation early gains you nothing, because the three-year floor runs from the grant date, not the end date.
Convictions are narrower. A defined list of misdemeanors and a handful of felonies can be expunged, generally five years after you complete the sentence — and “completion of the sentence” includes any probation, parole, or mandatory supervision, so the clock usually starts later than people expect. Some charges never qualify: a PBJ for DUI under § 21-902, for example, is not expungeable at all. The table below covers the common outcomes; the full waiting-period ladder and the list of expungeable convictions go into the exceptions.
| How your case ended | Earliest you can file | Filing fee |
|---|---|---|
| Not guilty / acquittal | 3 years, or now with a tort waiver | Free |
| Dismissal / nolle prosequi | 3 years, or now with a tort waiver | Free |
| Stet docket | 3 years | Free |
| PBJ (non-DUI, qualifying offense) | Later of discharge or 3 years from the grant | Free |
| Eligible conviction (general rule) | 5 years after you complete the sentence | $30 per case |
The $30 fee applies only to an eligible guilty disposition, is charged per case rather than per charge, and is waivable if you cannot pay. Petitions to expunge dismissals, acquittals, PBJs, nolle prosequis, and stets carry no filing fee at all.
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 Hyattsville 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.
The Unit Rule: Why “Same Time Period” Is a Trap
It’s a common misconception that charges from the same incident are easier to clear together. The opposite is true. When two or more charges arise from one arrest, transaction, or set of facts, Maryland treats them as a unit — and if any single charge in that unit is not eligible for expungement, the whole unit is blocked. Clearing a dismissed charge does you no good if it shared an arrest with a conviction that still has years left on its waiting period, or with an offense that never qualifies.
There is one carve-out, and it is narrower than it sounds. A “minor traffic violation” — meaning a nonincarcerable offense like speeding or an equipment citation — does not drag the unit down. But jailable driving offenses are not minor: driving on a suspended license under § 16-303, driving without a license under § 16-101, reckless driving, and DUI all join the unit and can block everything from the same arrest. That is exactly the analysis that decides whether your petition succeeds, and it is why we map every charge in a case before filing rather than after a denial. If a conviction in the unit is the obstacle, sometimes the fix is waiting until that charge itself becomes eligible; a Prince George’s County expungement lawyer can tell you which it is.
How the Process and Timeline Work
Once a petition is filed and served, the State’s Attorney and any victim have 30 days to object. If no one objects, the court must grant the petition — it is not discretionary. After the order is entered, every agency holding the record has 60 days to comply and confirm in writing. That is where the informal “90 days” comes from: 30 days to object plus 60 days to purge. If the State does object, the court sets a hearing and decides eligibility on the record; unpaid restitution, by itself, is enough to sink a contested petition.
A separate track runs automatically. Some fully clean cases are expunged three years after they close without anyone filing anything — but that automatic route fails if any charge in the case ended in any way other than acquittal, dismissal, not-guilty, or nolle prosequi. That is why a dismissed charge can still be sitting on Maryland Case Search long after you assumed it was gone. Our step-by-step process guide walks through what each stage looks like, and I handle the objection or hearing if the State pushes back.
Serving Hyattsville and Prince George’s County
We represent clients throughout Hyattsville, in the neighboring communities of Prince George’s County, and in courts across Maryland. Whether your case was handled at the District Court here or at the Circuit Court in Upper Marlboro, we can tell you what is clearable now, what becomes clearable later, and what the unit rule does to the mix. We also handle expungements next door in Upper Marlboro, and many clients come to us after we’ve resolved a criminal defense matter and now want the record cleaned up.
A clean record opens doors that a background check quietly closes — jobs, apartments, professional licenses, school admissions. One conversation is usually enough to tell you where you stand. You can see the areas we cover on our office locations page, or reach out directly to get started.
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 Hyattsville 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.
Common Questions
Anyone whose Hyattsville 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.