Juvenile records do not
disappear at eighteen.
Some seal by operation of law. Others require a petition. Sealing is the single best thing many families can do years after the case ends.
What sealing does
It reaches more than the court file.
A sealing order can cover court records, probation, law enforcement, and school records relating to the case.
You may lawfully say it did not happen.
Once sealed, the proceedings are deemed never to have occurred, and the person may answer accordingly on most applications.
Some records seal automatically.
Where a petition is dismissed, or probation is completed satisfactorily, sealing can occur by operation of law — but automatic does not mean instant, and it does not reach every case.
Others require a petition.
Filing is required where automatic relief does not apply, and the court considers rehabilitation since the case closed.
Limits worth knowing
Serious offenses at 14 or older may be ineligible.
Certain enumerated offenses committed at age 14 or older cannot be sealed, though other relief may exist.
Sealing is not the same as never disclosing.
Some licensing, law enforcement, and military contexts still reach sealed records. Ask before answering an application question that carries perjury exposure.
Waiting costs opportunity.
Employment, housing, financial aid, and enlistment all turn on what a background check shows. Ask early rather than after a denial.
The sealing statutes and what each covers.
Authorities current as of 2025. Law changes; nothing here is a substitute for advice on your own facts.
Before the petition is filed.
In juvenile law, the widest set of options exists at the very beginning — at intake, before an interview, before anything is signed. Bring us the situation as it stands and we'll map what happens next.
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