Michigan Compiled Laws: Act 213 of 1965

Expungement Criteria

AN ACT to provide for setting aside the conviction in certain criminal cases; to provide for the effect of such action; to provide for the retention of certain nonpublic records and their use; to prescribe the powers and duties of certain public agencies and officers; and to prescribe penalties.
History: 1965, Act 213, Imd. Eff. July 16, 1965;Am. 1982, Act 495, Eff. Mar. 30, 1983.

The People of the State of Michigan enact:
780.621 Application for order setting aside conviction; setting aside of certain convictions prohibited; time and contents of application; submitting application and fingerprints to department of state police; report; application fee; contest of application by attorney general or prosecuting attorney; notice to victim; affidavits and proofs; court order; definitions.
Sec. 1. (1) Except as provided in subsection (2), a person who is convicted of not more than 1 offense may file an application with the convicting court for the entry of an order setting aside the conviction. A person who is otherwise eligible to file an application under this section is not rendered ineligible by virtue of being convicted of not more than 2 minor offenses in addition to the offense for which the person files an
application.
(2) A person shall not apply to have set aside, and a judge shall not set aside, a conviction for a felony for
which the maximum punishment is life imprisonment or an attempt to commit a felony for which the maximum punishment is life imprisonment, a conviction for a violation or attempted violation of section
145c, 145d, 520c, 520d, or 520g of the Michigan penal code, 1931 PA 328, MCL 750.145c, 750.145d,
750.520c, 750.520d, and 750.520g, or a conviction for a traffic offense.
(3) An application shall not be filed until at least 5 years following imposition of the sentence for the
conviction that the applicant seeks to set aside or 5 years following completion of any term of imprisonment for that conviction, whichever occurs later.
(4) The application is invalid unless it contains the following information and is signed under oath by the
person whose conviction is to be set aside:
(a) The full name and current address of the applicant.
(b) A certified record of the conviction that is to be set aside.
(c) A statement that the applicant has not been convicted of an offense other than the conviction sought to
be set aside as a result of this application, and not more than 2 minor offenses, if applicable.
(d) A statement as to whether the applicant has previously filed an application to set aside this or any other conviction and, if so, the disposition of the application.
(e) A statement as to whether the applicant has any other criminal charge pending against him or her in any court in the United States or in any other country.
(f) A consent to the use of the nonpublic record created under section 3 to the extent authorized by section 3.
(5) The applicant shall submit a copy of the application and 2 complete sets of fingerprints to the department of state police. The department of state police shall compare those fingerprints with the records of the department, including the nonpublic record created under section 3, and shall forward a complete set of fingerprints to the federal bureau of investigation for a comparison with the records available to that agency. The department of state police shall report to the court in which the application is filed the information contained in the department's records with respect to any pending charges against the applicant, any record of conviction of the applicant, and the setting aside of any conviction of the applicant and shall report to the court any similar information obtained from the federal bureau of investigation. The court shall not act upon the application until the department of state police reports the information required by this subsection to the court.
(6) The copy of the application submitted to the department of state police under subsection (5) shall be
accompanied by a fee of $50.00 payable to the state of Michigan which shall be used by the department of
state police to defray the expenses incurred in processing the application.
(7) A copy of the application shall be served upon the attorney general and upon the office of the
prosecuting attorney who prosecuted the crime, and an opportunity shall be given to the attorney general and to the prosecuting attorney to contest the application. If the conviction was for an assaultive crime or a serious misdemeanor, the prosecuting attorney shall notify the victim of the assaultive crime or serious misdemeanor of the application pursuant to section 22a or 77a of the William Van Regenmorter crime victim's rights act, 1985 PA 87, MCL 780.772a and 780.827a. The notice shall be by first-class mail to the victim's last known address. The victim has the right to appear at any proceeding under this act concerning that conviction and to make a written or oral statement.
(8) Upon the hearing of the application the court may require the filing of affidavits and the taking of proofs as it considers proper.
(9) If the court determines that the circumstances and behavior of the applicant from the date of the applicant's conviction to the filing of the application warrant setting aside the conviction and that setting aside the conviction is consistent with the public welfare, the court may enter an order setting aside the conviction. The setting aside of a conviction under this act is a privilege and conditional and is not a right.
(10) As used in this section:
(a) "Assaultive crime" means that term as defined in section 9a of chapter X of the code of criminal procedure, 1927 PA 175, MCL 770.9a.
(b) "Minor offense" means a misdemeanor or ordinance violation for which the maximum permissible
imprisonment does not exceed 90 days, for which the maximum permissible fine does not exceed $1,000.00, and that is committed by a person who is not more than 21 years of age.
(c) "Serious misdemeanor" means that term as defined in section 61 of the William Van Regenmorter crime victim's rights act, 1985 PA 87, MCL 780.811.
(d) "Victim" means that term as defined in section 2 of the William Van Regenmorter crime victim's rights
act, 1985 PA 87, MCL 780.752. History: 1965, Act 213, Imd. Eff. July 16, 1965;Am. 1982, Act 495, Eff. Mar. 30, 1983;Am. 1993, Act 342, Eff. May 1, 1994; Am. 1996, Act 573, Eff. Apr. 1, 1997;Am. 2002, Act 472, Eff. Oct. 1, 2002;Am. 2011, Act 64, Imd. Eff. June 23, 2011.

780.621a Definitions.
Sec. 1a. As used in this act:
(a) "Conviction" means a judgment entered by a court upon a plea of guilty, guilty but mentally ill, or nolo
contendere, or upon a jury verdict or court finding that a defendant is guilty or guilty but mentally ill.
(b) "Traffic offense" means a violation of the Michigan vehicle code, Act No. 300 of the Public Acts of
1949, being sections 257.1 to 257.923 of the Michigan Compiled Laws, or a local ordinance substantially
corresponding to that act, which violation involves the operation of a vehicle and at the time of the violation is a felony or misdemeanor. History: Add. 1982, Act 495, Eff. Mar. 30, 1983.

780.622 Entry of order; effect.
Sec. 2. (1) Upon the entry of an order pursuant to section 1, the applicant, for purposes of the law, shall be
considered not to have been previously convicted, except as provided in this section and section 3.
(2) The applicant is not entitled to the remission of any fine, costs, or other money paid as a consequence
of a conviction that is set aside.
(3) If the conviction set aside pursuant to this act is for a listed offense as defined in section 2 of the sex
offenders registration act, the applicant is considered to have been convicted of that offense for purposes of
the sex offenders registration act.
(4) This act does not affect the right of the applicant to rely upon the conviction to bar subsequent proceedings for the same offense.
(5) This act does not affect the right of a victim of a crime to prosecute or defend a civil action for damages.
(6) This act does not create a right to commence an action for damages for incarceration under the sentence that the applicant served before the conviction is set aside pursuant to this act.
History: 1965, Act 213, Imd. Eff. July 16, 1965;Am. 1982, Act 495, Eff. Mar. 30, 1983;Am. 1993, Act 342, Eff. May 1, 1994; Am. 1994, Act 294, Eff. Oct. 1, 1995.

780.623 Sending copy of order to arresting agency and department of state police; retention and availability of nonpublic record of order and other records; providing copy of nonpublic record to person whose conviction set aside; fee; nonpublic record exempt from disclosure; prohibited conduct; misdemeanor; penalty.
Sec. 3. (1) Upon the entry of an order pursuant to section 1, the court shall send a copy of the order to the
arresting agency and the department of state police.
(2) The department of state police shall retain a nonpublic record of the order setting aside a conviction and of the record of the arrest, fingerprints, conviction, and sentence of the applicant in the case to which the order applies. Except as provided in subsection (3), this nonpublic record shall be made available only to a court of competent jurisdiction, an agency of the judicial branch of state government, a law enforcement agency, a prosecuting attorney, the attorney general, or the governor upon request and only for the following purposes:
(a) Consideration in a licensing function conducted by an agency of the judicial branch of state government.
(b) To show that a person who has filed an application to set aside a conviction has previously had a conviction set aside pursuant to this act.
(c) The court's consideration in determining the sentence to be imposed upon conviction for a subsequent offense that is punishable as a felony or by imprisonment for more than 1 year.
(d) Consideration by the governor if a person whose conviction has been set aside applies for a pardon for another offense.
(e) Consideration by a law enforcement agency if a person whose conviction has been set aside applies for employment with the law enforcement agency.
(f) Consideration by a court, law enforcement agency, prosecuting attorney, or the attorney general in determining whether an individual required to be registered under the sex offenders registration act has violated that act, or for use in a prosecution for violating that act.
(3) A copy of the nonpublic record created under subsection (2) shall be provided to the person whose
conviction is set aside under this act upon payment of a fee determined and charged by the department of state police in the same manner as the fee prescribed in section 4 of the freedom of information act, Act No. 442 of the Public Acts of 1976, being section 15.234 of the Michigan Compiled Laws.
(4) The nonpublic record maintained under subsection (2) is exempt from disclosure under the freedom of
information act, Act No. 442 of the Public Acts of 1976, being sections 15.231 to 15.246 of the Michigan
Compiled Laws.
(5) Except as provided in subsection (2), a person, other than the applicant, who knows or should have known that a conviction was set aside under this section and who divulges, uses, or publishes information
concerning a conviction set aside under this section is guilty of a misdemeanor punishable by imprisonment for not more than 90 days or a fine of not more than $500.00, or both.
History: Add. 1982, Act 495, Eff. Mar. 30, 1983;Am. 1988, Act 11, Imd. Eff. Feb. 8, 1988;Am. 1993, Act 342, Eff. May 1, 1994;Am. 1994, Act 294, Eff. Oct. 1, 1995.

780.624 Setting aside of convictions; limitation.
Sec. 4. A person may have only 1 conviction set aside under this act.