North Carolina's Expungement Law - What the 2017 and 2020 Reforms Changed
North Carolina's expungement statutes at N.C.G.S. § 15A-145 through § 15A-151 were significantly expanded by two landmark pieces of legislation. The 2017 Second Chance Act broadened eligibility for non-violent misdemeanors and certain felonies. The 2020 Clean Slate Act created automatic expungement for dismissals and not-guilty verdicts occurring on or after December 1, 2020, and further expanded petition-based eligibility.
Key outcomes of the expanded law:
- Dismissals and not-guilty verdicts on/after December 1, 2020 are automatically expunged without a petition
- Non-violent felonies are eligible for expungement after a 10-year waiting period from discharge
- Non-violent misdemeanors are eligible without the old prior-expungement bar in most cases
- The Administrative Office of Courts (AOC) implements expungements and updates the public access portal at nccourts.gov
| Record Type | Waiting Period | Authority | AOC Portal Sealed? | Google Impact |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dismissal / Not Guilty (post-Dec 2020) | Automatic - no petition needed | § 15A-146 | Yes | After cached copies addressed |
| Dismissal / Not Guilty (pre-Dec 2020) | Petition required | § 15A-146 | Yes | After cached copies addressed |
| Non-violent misdemeanor | Typically 5 years after discharge | § 15A-145 | Yes | After cached copies addressed |
| Non-violent felony | 10 years after discharge | § 15A-145.5 | Yes | After cached copies addressed |
| DWI conviction | Ineligible | Excluded by statute | No | Not removable legally |
| Class A-G violent felony | Ineligible | Excluded by statute | No | Not removable legally |
Eligibility for North Carolina Expungement
North Carolina's expungement framework has multiple tracks depending on the nature of the record. Learn more about Spokeo removal on our blog.
Dismissals and Not-Guilty Verdicts
Under § 15A-146, cases disposed after December 1, 2020 that resulted in dismissal or not-guilty verdict are automatically expunged - no action by the defendant is required. For pre-December 2020 dismissals, a petition to the court is necessary. Dismissals are the most straightforward category and the most broadly available.
Non-Violent Misdemeanor Expungement
Under § 15A-145, non-violent misdemeanor convictions may be expunged after satisfying the applicable waiting period. General requirements include:
- Completion of all conditions of sentence including probation, fines, and restitution
- No subsequent convictions during the waiting period
- The offense must not be a Class A1 assault misdemeanor, DWI, or otherwise excluded
Non-Violent Felony Expungement
Under § 15A-145.5, non-violent felonies become eligible for expungement 10 years after discharge. Key requirements:
- Generally only one conviction expungement is permitted per lifetime (with some exceptions)
- No subsequent felony convictions during the 10-year period
- The offense must not be a Class A through G felony or otherwise excluded
North Carolina generally allows only one conviction expungement per lifetime. If you have already had a conviction expunged, a second conviction expungement petition may be denied even if you meet all other requirements. Non-conviction dismissals are generally not subject to this limitation under the expanded 2020 law.
Why North Carolina Records Persist Online After Expungement
Even when an expungement is granted and the AOC portal is updated, the online footprint from when the record was publicly accessible often remains. Each source must be addressed separately.
nccourts.gov - AOC Public Access Portal
The North Carolina AOC maintains the public court access portal at nccourts.gov. After an expungement order, the AOC is directed to restrict public access. However, there is often a processing delay of several weeks - and for automatic expungements under the 2020 law, the AOC processes these in batches, which can extend the delay further. Data broker sites that indexed the case before expungement retain their cached data independently.
SBI Criminal History Repository
The North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) maintains the state criminal history database. The expungement order should trigger an SBI update. Once updated, state criminal history background checks through the SBI should no longer return the expunged record. The FBI's NCIC database is a separate federal system not automatically updated by a state expungement order.
CourtListener and Legal Research Platforms
CourtListener indexes North Carolina Court of Appeals and Supreme Court opinions. Published appellate opinions referencing your case are generally not removed based on a trial court expungement order absent a separate appellate-level directive to the publisher.
Data Broker Sites
Major data broker aggregators scraped the nccourts.gov portal before expungement was entered. After expungement, the portal restricts new access - but each broker retains its own cached data. Opt-out requests with documentation of the expungement order are required for each platform individually.
North Carolina's 2020 automatic expungement for dismissals is a meaningful advancement - many residents have received expungements without filing a petition. The challenge is that the automatic process does not extend to the online ecosystem. Data broker sites, Google cached pages, and legal databases that indexed the case before expungement must still be addressed through the standard removal process. The expungement documentation is your key tool for accelerating opt-outs on platforms that specifically process expungement requests.
How to Remove North Carolina Court Records from Google and Data Broker Sites
After obtaining a North Carolina expungement, the following steps address the online dimension of your record. We evaluate each source and pursue removal where it is realistically achievable.
Most people in your position reach out right here.
You've already done the hard part - finding out what's out there. We handle the rest: every platform removal, Google de-indexing, and background check site. No upfront cost. Completely confidential.
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1
Obtain your expungement order and confirm AOC and SBI processing
File your petition (or confirm automatic expungement was processed for post-Dec 2020 dismissals). After the expungement order is entered, obtain a certified copy and confirm the AOC has updated the public access portal and the SBI has updated the state criminal history database. Notification of both agencies is required. -
2
Verify the nccourts.gov AOC portal is updated
Search the nccourts.gov public access portal for your name and case number to confirm the case is restricted. If the case still appears, contact the AOC directly with your expungement order to expedite the update. -
3
Audit all Google results showing your record
Search Google with your name, county, charge type, and year. Document every URL - nccourts.gov, CourtListener, Justia, data broker sites, and local news archives. This URL inventory is your removal work queue. -
4
Submit data broker opt-out requests with expungement documentation
Submit opt-out requests to all major data brokers with your expungement order. Many platforms offer expedited processing for expungement-documented requests. Re-check each site in 90 days as profiles can be repopulated from residual data sources. -
5
Contact legal databases if appellate opinions appear
If published opinions referencing your case appear on CourtListener or Justia, contact these platforms with documentation. CourtListener typically de-indexes records from expunged trial court proceedings; appellate opinions are handled differently and may require a case-by-case approach. -
6
Use Google's removal tools
After source pages are restricted or removed, submit requests through Google's Personal Information Removal Tool for URLs referencing the expunged record. Use Google's outdated content removal tool at removals.google.com to de-cache pages restricted at the source.
Post-Expungement Monitoring for North Carolina Records
After expungement and initial removal, data broker sites can re-index your record from residual data or new scraping. We monitor your name and address new appearances proactively to keep the removal results stable over time.
Ask About MonitoringOfficial sources and legal references for North Carolina court record removal:
Explore related guides on court record relief and online removal:
Frequently Asked Questions - North Carolina Court Records
Is Your North Carolina Record Still Showing Online?
Expungement seals the AOC portal - but the online removal process is a separate campaign. We help North Carolina residents address every source showing their record.
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