Quick Overview
- The Clean Slate Law significantly broadened eligibility, but important exclusions remain.
- Michigan expungement addresses the official criminal justice system records - but online sources operate independently and are not notified by the expungement process.
- After obtaining expungement (petition or automatic), the following steps address the online footprint of your record.
On this page 6 sections
- Michigan's Clean Slate Law - What It Changed and What It Didn't
- Expungement Eligibility Under Michigan's Clean Slate Law
- Why Michigan Court Records Persist Online After Expungement
- How to Remove Michigan Court Records from Google and Data Broker Sites
- More Resources on Court Record Removal
- Official Michigan Court Record Resources
Michigan's Clean Slate Law - What It Changed and What It Didn't
Michigan's Clean Slate Law, enacted in 2020 and taking full effect in phases through 2021 and 2023, was one of the most sweeping criminal record reform packages in the state's history. It made three major changes to expungement under MCL 780.621:
- Expanded eligibility: Removed the prior one-felony limit in many cases and extended eligibility to multiple felony convictions (subject to limits)
- Automatic expungement: Introduced a first-of-its-kind automatic expungement process for most misdemeanors after seven years and certain felonies after ten years, without requiring individuals to file a petition
- Marijuana expungement: Created a separate expedited expungement pathway for offenses that are no longer crimes under Michigan's marijuana legalization
When Michigan expungement is granted - whether through petition or automatic process - the conviction is "set aside," the Michigan State Police criminal history record is updated, and the record should be removed from the public-facing courts.michigan.gov portal. You may legally deny the expunged conviction in most contexts.
What expungement does not do is clear your record from third-party websites. Data brokers, Google, and legal aggregators that indexed your case from courts.michigan.gov before the expungement was processed are unaffected and must be separately addressed.
| Relief Type | Legal Authority | Sets Aside Conviction? | Updates Courts Portal? | Google Impact |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Petition expungement (misdemeanor) | MCL 780.621 | Yes | Yes (with processing delay) | None automatically |
| Petition expungement (felony) | MCL 780.621 | Yes | Yes (with processing delay) | None automatically |
| Automatic expungement | Clean Slate Law 2021 | Yes | Yes (with processing delay) | None automatically |
| Marijuana expungement | MCL 780.621e | Yes - expedited | Yes | None automatically |
| Third-party aggregators | Opt-out / CCPA | No legal mechanism | Case-by-case opt-out | Removable with effort |
Expungement Eligibility Under Michigan's Clean Slate Law
The Clean Slate Law significantly broadened eligibility, but important exclusions remain. Understanding what qualifies - and what does not - is essential before pursuing a petition or expecting automatic expungement. For more information, visit the Michigan Courts.
Petition Expungement - MCL 780.621
Under the expanded statute, individuals may petition for expungement of:
- Up to three felony convictions (with no more than two being the same felony, and no more than one being a felony punishable by 10+ years)
- An unlimited number of misdemeanor convictions
- Convictions where the offense is no longer a crime (including marijuana-related offenses)
Waiting periods: misdemeanors require three years after sentence completion; felonies require five years. All fines, costs, and restitution must be paid. Learn more about expungement vs. record sealing on our blog.
Automatic Expungement
The automatic expungement provisions, which began processing in 2023, apply to most misdemeanor convictions after seven years and certain felony convictions after ten years, without the individual needing to file a petition. The Michigan State Police and courts handle the process. However, not everyone whose record qualifies has been processed - if you believe you qualify for automatic expungement but the record is still appearing, a petition may still be necessary. Learn more about court record removal on our blog.
Michigan's Clean Slate Law maintains important categorical exclusions. Life felonies, offenses requiring sex offender registration, child abuse, domestic violence (with multiple DV convictions), OWI offenses causing death or serious injury, crimes involving a minor as a victim in certain categories, and human trafficking offenses are not eligible for expungement. Traffic offenses - including standard OWI convictions - are generally excluded from all expungement pathways.
Why Michigan Court Records Persist Online After Expungement
Michigan expungement addresses the official criminal justice system records - but online sources operate independently and are not notified by the expungement process. For more information, visit the Michigan Legislature.
courts.michigan.gov
The Michigan court system's public portal provides case search access. After expungement, the case should be removed from the courts.michigan.gov public database. However, processing delays between the court order, the Michigan State Police criminal history update, and the courts.michigan.gov portal update can mean the record remains visible for 30 to 90 days after the expungement order is signed. Data brokers that scraped the portal before this restriction are unaffected. Learn more about background check reports on our blog.
OTIS - Offender Tracking Information System
Michigan's OTIS database tracks incarceration and supervision status through the Michigan Department of Corrections. For individuals who served time in state prison, OTIS records may persist separately from court records. Expungement of the conviction does not automatically remove OTIS records - the Department of Corrections must be separately notified and records updated through that channel.
CourtListener and Legal Aggregators
CourtListener indexes Michigan Court of Appeals and Michigan Supreme Court opinions. If your case generated a published appellate opinion, that record may sit apart from the trial court case. Appellate opinions are part of the legal record and are typically not updated when the trial court conviction is expunged, so they call for a separate removal analysis.
Data Broker Sites
Commercial data brokers - Spokeo, BeenVerified, Intelius, TruthFinder - regularly scrape courts.michigan.gov and other public court portals. Once they index a record, they retain it until individually contacted with an opt-out request. Michigan's Clean Slate expungement process includes no notification requirement to these commercial platforms.
Michigan's automatic expungement program is genuinely valuable - but it creates a false sense of security for the online dimension of the record. Many Michigan residents who have been automatically expunged continue to have their records surfacing on Google and background check sites because the online ecosystem was not part of the Clean Slate process. The legal relief and the online removal are separate tracks that must both be actively pursued.
How to Remove Michigan Court Records from Google and Data Broker Sites
After obtaining expungement (petition or automatic), the following steps address the online footprint of your record. Each source must be addressed independently.
-
1
Confirm your expungement status with Michigan State Police
Contact the Michigan State Police Criminal Justice Information Center to confirm the expunged conviction has been set aside in the state criminal history repository. For automatic expungement, the processing timeline can be checked through MSP. For petition expungement, the order should have been forwarded automatically, but proactive confirmation is worthwhile. -
2
Confirm courts.michigan.gov has removed the case
Search courts.michigan.gov for your name and case number. If the case still appears 60 days after your expungement order or automatic processing notification, contact the originating court clerk to escalate the portal update. Michigan's centralized court system should reflect the expungement once MSP has updated the criminal history record. -
3
Address OTIS if incarceration was involved
If you served time in a Michigan state correctional facility, contact the Michigan Department of Corrections to confirm that your OTIS record has been updated to reflect the expungement. OTIS records are sometimes separately visible online and must be addressed through MDOC channels. -
4
Submit opt-out requests to data brokers
Submit opt-out requests to Spokeo, BeenVerified, Intelius, TruthFinder, PeopleFinder, Whitepages, and all other aggregators showing your record. Include your expungement order or set-aside documentation. Re-check all sites at 90-day intervals. -
5
Use Google's Personal Information Removal Tool
Once source pages have been restricted or removed, submit Google Personal Information Removal Tool requests for any URLs still appearing in search results. Use the outdated content removal tool at removals.google.com for pages that have already been de-indexed at the source but remain cached.
More Resources on Court Record Removal
Understanding your options means looking at the full picture - legal relief, online removal, and what actually shows up on background checks. These guides cover the details:
- Expungement vs. Record Sealing - What's the Difference? - How the two forms of legal relief differ in scope, accessibility, and effect on background checks.
- Can Court Records Be Removed? - A frank breakdown of what we may be able to remove from public record systems.
- How Court Records Appear on Background Checks - Why some records show up even after legal relief, and how to address each source.
- How to Remove Court Records from Spokeo - Step-by-step guide for one of the most common data broker sources.
Official Michigan Court Record Resources
Use these authoritative sources to research Michigan expungement eligibility, petition procedures, and your rights under the Clean Slate Law. Always verify current statute language directly with the court or a licensed attorney.
- Michigan Courts (courts.michigan.gov) - Official portal for case search, expungement forms (MC 227), and court contact information.
- Michigan Legislature (legislature.mi.gov) - Full text of MCL 780.621 (Clean Slate expungement) and MCL 780.621e (marijuana expungement).
- U.S. Federal Courts (uscourts.gov) - Federal court records are governed separately and are not affected by Michigan state expungement orders.
- FTC: What to Know About Background Checks - Consumer guidance on how background check companies use public records and your rights under the FCRA.
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