Oregon Updated Criminal Expungement Law

Oregon’s new expungement law went into effect today. It was a much needed change to the previous law that was overly complicated and limited who could erase their record.

Under the new law, a person with a criminal record has can ask the court to expunge their criminal history if they have completed the conditions of their sentence and not had any new convictions for a period of time.

  • 1 year – for B and C misdemeanors
  • 3 years – for A misdemeanors
  • 5 years – C felonies
  • 7 years – B non-person felonies

The new law also eliminated the $281 filing fee that used to be required to file the request to expunge.

Generally, the new law speeds up the process for expunging your record. If the prosecutor’s office is objecting, they need to do so within 120 days of filing the motion. If there is an objection, the prosecutor now needs to show by clear and convincing evidence that there is a threat to public safety.

Additionally, the law made it easier to expunge an arrest record that did not result in a conviction. Contact an attorney if you are interested in clearing your Oregon record.