VACATING A CONVICTION RECORD
What does ’vacating a record’ mean?
Vacating a conviction for a misdemeanor crime means the Court determines you meet certain conditions and orders. If you pled guilty to a crime, your plea will be changed to not guilty and then the charges are dismissed. If you were found guilty, the court may set aside the conviction, dismiss the case and vacate the judgment and sentence. If your record is vacated, your name, the case number, the charge, a "V" for vacated, and, "DV" if the file was related to domestic violence may still show up on the Court’s information system.
Vacating a record does not remove information from the Court’s electronic record keeping system. The record will remain, and it will be available to the public. The record will be updated to contain additional information about the vacation of the record.
If you were arrested and fingerprinted that record may still be maintained by the arresting agency, the Washington State Patrol and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Questions regarding arrest records should be forwarded to the arresting agency or the Washington State Patrol.
APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS
Where do I go to apply for vacating my conviction?
You must apply at the court where you were convicted. To vacate a Spokane County District Court conviction please review these Application Instructions