Texas: Juvenile Court Records and Law Enforcement Records (TX-AR-7)

Records relating to a misdemeanor adjudication will be sealed automatically, so long as the person is 19 years old and not subject to a disqualifying event. Tex. Fam. Code Ann. §58.253(b).

Record Detail(s)

Misdemeanor (adjudicated)

Previous Conviction Disqualifying

No statutory language

Mandatory / Discretionary

Mandatory

Hearing

No

Remedy

Seal

Ineligible Category or Citation

The person is not eligible for sealing if the person has any pending delinquent conduct matters; has been transferred by a juvenile court to a criminal court for prosecution; has, as an adult, been convicted of a felony or a misdemeanor punishable by confinement in jail; or has any pending charges as an adult for a felony or a misdemeanor punishable by confinement in jail. Tex. Fam. Code Ann. §58.253(b).

Procedure General

The procedure is automatic, so long as the juvenile probation department determines the person to be eligible for sealing. Tex. Fam. Code Ann. § 58.254.

Fees

There is no statutory language regarding fees.

Effect

On entry of the sealing order, all adjudications relating to the person are vacated and the proceedings are dismissed and treated for all purposes as though they had never occurred. Tex. Fam. Code Ann. § 58.258(c). For further information on the effect of sealing, see Tex. Fam. Code Ann. §§ 58.259, 58.261.

Waiting Periods

The records can be sealed when the person turns 19 years old.

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