No. In most states, juvenile records do not get sealed when you turn 18 automatically. Roughly half the states have some form of automatic sealing, and even those laws apply only to certain offenses and usually require a waiting period and a clean record in the meantime. Everywhere else, nothing happens unless you file a petition and ask a judge to seal the case. And even when the law says a record should be sealed on its own, administrative failures can leave it visible long after it should have disappeared.
Where Automatic Sealing Actually Happens
Twenty-four states have laws that automatically seal or expunge juvenile records under certain conditions.1National Conference of State Legislatures. Automatic Expungement of Juvenile Records That leaves more than half the country where the record stays on file indefinitely unless you take action. And in the states that do offer automatic sealing, the process comes with conditions attached.
The common ones:
- Offense type. Automatic sealing is typically reserved for lower-level offenses like misdemeanors, dismissed cases, or cases resolved through diversion. Violent felonies and serious sex offenses are almost always excluded.2Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. Expunging Juvenile Records – Misconceptions, Collateral Consequences, and Emerging Practices
- Age or waiting period. Some states seal records when you turn 18 or 21. Others require a waiting period of one to five years after your case closes, with no new offenses during that window.1National Conference of State Legislatures. Automatic Expungement of Juvenile Records
- Clean record. A felony conviction before the automatic sealing date can disqualify you entirely, and some states require no new convictions of any kind.
- Completion of sentence. Probation, community service, restitution, and any other court-ordered obligations must be finished first.
A handful of states go further. Indiana, Maryland, Missouri, Oregon, and Wisconsin seal or expunge all juvenile records regardless of offense type and actively notify young people of their eligibility.2Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. Expunging Juvenile Records – Misconceptions, Collateral Consequences, and Emerging Practices That notification step matters more than it sounds, because in most places no one tells you whether your record was actually sealed.
When the System Doesn’t Follow Through
Even where the law says records should be sealed automatically, the paperwork does not always happen. Courts may need to initiate the sealing process on their end, and clerical backlogs or administrative errors can leave records exposed for months or years after they should have been hidden. A record that is legally supposed to be sealed can still show up on a criminal records search if the court or law enforcement agency never processed the order.
This is where most people get blindsided. You assume your record disappeared at 18 because someone told you it would, and then a landlord or employer runs a background check and it’s sitting right there. If you suspect your record should have been sealed automatically but hasn’t been, contact the juvenile court clerk in the county where your case was handled. You may need to file a motion asking the court to correct the error, and in some jurisdictions you can request that the court verify whether sealing actually occurred.
How to Seal Your Record If It Doesn’t Happen on Its Own
If your state doesn’t offer automatic sealing, or your offense doesn’t qualify, you’ll need to petition a court. Eligibility rules vary, but most jurisdictions share the same framework.
Waiting Periods
You generally can’t petition the day you turn 18. Most states require a waiting period after your juvenile case closes, ranging from as little as 30 days to as long as five years depending on the seriousness of the offense.2Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. Expunging Juvenile Records – Misconceptions, Collateral Consequences, and Emerging Practices Misdemeanor-level offenses typically have shorter waits. Felony-level adjudications often require two to five years of clean behavior after completing your sentence.
A Clean Adult Record
A new criminal conviction as an adult can make you ineligible. This is especially true for felonies, though some states disqualify you for any new offense, including misdemeanors. Pending charges can also block your petition until they’re resolved.
Completed Sentence
Every part of your juvenile disposition must be finished: probation served, fines paid, restitution delivered to victims, community service completed. If you still owe money or have an outstanding obligation, the court will not grant a sealing order.
Offenses That Can Never Be Sealed
The most serious offenses are permanently excluded in virtually every state. These typically include murder, kidnapping, armed robbery, and certain sex offenses, particularly those involving minors or offenses that would require sex offender registration if committed by an adult.2Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. Expunging Juvenile Records – Misconceptions, Collateral Consequences, and Emerging Practices If your juvenile case was transferred to adult court and you were prosecuted as an adult, the resulting record follows adult sealing or expungement rules, which are generally more restrictive.
Filing the Petition
Start by contacting the juvenile court clerk’s office in the county where your case was handled. Ask for the petition to seal form, which many courts also post on their websites. If you don’t remember the details of your case, you can request your own juvenile court records from the clerk or obtain your criminal history from the state’s department of justice.
The petition typically asks for your full name and date of birth, the case number from the juvenile proceeding, the date of the offense and the arresting agency, the date of the final court decision, and a list of all agencies that may hold records related to your case.
File the completed petition with the juvenile court clerk, either in person or by mail. Some courts charge a filing fee, though fee waivers are available if you can’t afford it. Many jurisdictions require the petition to be notarized, and some require you to serve a copy on the prosecutor’s office. After you file, a judge reviews the paperwork. Some grant sealing orders on the papers alone; others schedule a hearing, especially if the prosecutor objects. If granted, the court issues an order directing all agencies with records of your case to seal them.
For a straightforward misdemeanor with a clean adult record, most people handle this on their own. A lawyer becomes more useful when the offense was serious, the prosecutor is likely to fight it, or your situation has complications like an out-of-state record. Many legal aid organizations and clean-slate clinics help with juvenile record sealing at no cost.
What Sealing Gets You, and Who Can Still See the Record
Once your record is sealed, it’s removed from public view and treated as though it never happened for most civilian purposes.1National Conference of State Legislatures. Automatic Expungement of Juvenile Records You can legally answer “no” when an employer, landlord, or college asks whether you’ve ever been arrested or have a criminal record. Landlords who run background checks through consumer reporting agencies should not see sealed juvenile records, and neither should most private-sector employers. The law specifically authorizes the “no” answer once sealing is complete.
Sealing is not the same as destruction, though. A sealed record still exists, and certain entities can reach it.3National Conference of State Legislatures. Automatically Sealing or Expunging Juvenile Records Law enforcement agencies and prosecutors can access sealed juvenile records when investigating new crimes or building cases against you as an adult. If you’re later convicted of a felony, a judge may review your sealed juvenile history for sentencing purposes. Courts handling child custody or guardianship cases may access sealed juvenile records in some states.
Federal agencies are not bound by state sealing orders. Military applicants are required to disclose all juvenile offenses, including sealed or expunged ones, and failing to disclose can be treated as fraudulent enlistment. The SF-86 used for security clearance applications explicitly instructs applicants to report criminal history “regardless of whether the record in your case has been sealed, expunged, or otherwise stricken from the court record.” Full-scope background investigators can access sealed and juvenile records, and an undisclosed record is treated as deliberate falsification. Background checks for police, corrections, and similar law enforcement positions routinely reach sealed juvenile histories as well.
When a Sealed Record Still Shows Up on a Background Check
Private background check companies collect data from court records, and they don’t always update their databases promptly after a record is sealed. It can take months for the sealed status to filter through to commercial databases, and some companies never update at all. The result: you sealed your record, answered “no” on an application, and then the background check flags a juvenile offense you thought was invisible.
If this happens, you have legal rights. Under federal law, consumer reporting agencies must follow reasonable procedures to ensure the information they report is as accurate as possible.4Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 15 USC 1681c – Requirements Relating to Information Contained in Consumer Reports Reporting a sealed record that should no longer be publicly accessible is an accuracy failure. Records of arrests that are more than seven years old generally cannot be included in consumer reports at all, regardless of sealing status.
If a sealed juvenile record appears on a background check:
- Get a copy of the report. When an employer or landlord takes an adverse action based on a background check, they’re required to give you the name and contact information of the company that ran it.
- Request your full consumer file from the background check company. You’re entitled to it at no charge after an adverse action.
- File a written dispute identifying the sealed record, and include a copy of the court order sealing it. The company must investigate and either correct or remove the information within 30 days.
- Confirm with the court that your sealing order was actually processed. If the court’s own records still show the case as open, the reporting company may re-verify the inaccurate information.
A background check company that negligently reports sealed records can be held liable for actual damages, court costs, and attorney fees. Willful violations carry statutory damages and potential punitive damages. If a company ignores your dispute or keeps reporting sealed records, a consumer rights attorney is worth the call.