Expunge a past Travis County arrest: Application portal now live

Travis County residents who want to wipe past arrests from their record can now apply to prequalify for the county’s annual Expunction Expo, an event that pairs eligible applicants with volunteer attorneys to help file expunction paperwork for free.

The online application portal opened this month ahead of the event, which is scheduled for Saturday, Feb. 28, 2026. The expo is a partnership between District Attorney José Garza, County Attorney Delia Garza and District Clerk Velva Price.

What is expunction?

Expunction is a legal process that permanently erases certain arrests or cases from public background checks. Even if you were never charged or indicted, or if you were acquitted or pardoned, those arrests still show up on your record unless you petition the court to have the arrest expunged. For many people, expunction can make it easier to get a job, apply for housing or qualify for higher education assistance.

Who qualifies?

You may be eligible if:

• You were arrested in Travis County, but a charge was never filed or was 'no billed' by the grand jury
• You have a criminal charge that a judge or prosecutor dismissed
• You successfully completed a diversion program, such as pretrial diversion or drug court
• You were acquitted by a judge, jury or an appellate court
• You were convicted of a crime but later pardoned by the Governor of Texas or the President of the United States

Who doesn’t qualify?

Under state law, some cases may not be expunged. You are not eligible if:

• Your case is still pending
• You were convicted in the case you want to be expunged or erased — even if you just paid a fine (convictions on other cases do not prevent expunction)
• You were placed on probation, community supervision or deferred adjudication for any felony or Class A or B misdemeanor you want to be expunged, even if your case was later dismissed (Class C deferred prosecution is the only exception)

How to apply

Residents can check their eligibility on the county’s Expunction Expo website, which offers English and Spanish information pages with details about the process and required documents.

Those who qualify can submit an online application through the portal. After a review, eligible applicants will be matched with volunteer lawyers from organizations like Travis County Law Library, Capital Area Private Defender Service, the Travis County Public Defender’s Office and Volunteer Legal Services. The attorneys will help prepare and file the petitions asking a judge to clear the record.

Applicants with questions can email ExpunctionExpo@traviscountytx.gov.