Does Your Criminal Record Clear After 7 Years? Here’s The Answer

August 4, 2021

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Does your criminal record clear after 7 years? And does a misdemeanor show up on a background check after 7 years? Read on and find out.

Imagine yourself to be an honest, law-abiding person that has committed an insignificant offense at some point in life. What if, while surfing online, you discover less than flattering records that testify to your doings?

Oh, oh…here comes trouble.

In today’s day and time, even the slightest mistakes tend to be punished by society. Unfortunately, for many people out there, slipping up translates into a series of unpleasant scenarios like getting a mugshot, a criminal record, and sometimes, even jail time.

Every single one of these unfortunate events can feel overwhelming to anyone, but let’s just focus on the criminal record for a sec. Will you be tied to it forever and ever? Or will the curse break after 7 years?

Let’s see…

What Happens When You Have a Criminal Record?

The law can be pretty cruel, regardless if we’re talking about a major felony or a less impactful misdemeanor. It may not be the punishment itself but the actual aftermath of the crime.

This is because having a record can often put a damper on a person’s social status, professional perspectives, and self-perception. A criminal history can weigh heavily on a person and impact how the rest of their lives unfolds.

Employment is one area that significantly changes after you’ve suffered an arrest or have been convicted. Employers usually turn a blind eye to the person’s ability to fit that certain job description and focus instead on the criminal conviction at hand, seeing the potential job candidate through a completely different lens.

It doesn’t matter how much time has passed since you got your criminal record. Its mark is tough to clear from memory, sometimes even spreading far beyond the 7 years rule. The stigma associated with having convictions or having committed crimes prevails, making it hard to overlook in today’s society. But, after all, does it have to be that way?

What Is The 7 Year Rule In Background Checks?

We will delve deeper into this, but in short, this rule entails that your criminal records can’t be disclosed in your background check after a period of 7 years. To frame your question differently…

How Long Until a Criminal Record Is Wiped?

A criminal record may exist for an indefinite period. The difference here is that in some states, after 7 years these records won’t show up on your background check.

Know that sometimes “criminal record” and “background check” can be used interchangeably, even though they are not the exact same thing.

Criminal records are usually available to the general public, which means that more than one demographic has access to them. We’re talking about a court, prosecutors, police, but also employers and landlords — they can all search for crimes from far back for free.

It is important to remember a few things about criminal records, though. For once, you can have a record sealed or expunged by a court or a judge.

An expungement is what most people desire as it completely removes arrests and/or convictions from a criminal record. To expunge or have your record sealed, one needs to go through quite the process, which involves spending hundreds of dollars in legal and administrative fees.

Still, for most people out there, it’s completely worth it in the end.

Jurisdiction will have the last say in this as it can differ from state to state. It ultimately depends on the jurisdiction of each state how and how often they will perform their background checks.

What Does a Background Check Reveal?

Contrary to what most people may think, background checks do not only reveal serious crimes, so the question becomes: does a misdemeanor show up on a background check after 7 years? Yes…and no. It really depends. Again, the states that abide by the 7 year rule won’t show it, but others will.

Background checks are usually helpful when someone needs to know about a criminal activity such as embezzlement, fraud, sex or violent crimes, or other felony convictions.

These checks are, in fact, very comprehensive and will reveal pretty much everything you could wish to know about another person’s past, including any misdemeanors or felony criminal convictions, but also ending criminal cases.

A report may also reveal arrests pending prosecution, so there’s really no escape from laws like this.

Which States Follow the 7 Year Rule Background Checks?

As you can see, background checks are pretty invasive and will reveal more than you’d perhaps like them to. When it comes to the question “does your criminal record clear after 7 years?” we must clarify one more time that a criminal record is not the exact same thing as a background check, even though some use these terms interchangeably.

The states following the 7 year rule are New York, Colorado, Nevada, Maryland, Texas, Massachusetts, Kansas, California, Montana, New Hampshire, New Mexico, and Washington.

In some states, applicants cannot have their records cleared if they don’t meet a certain salary threshold. Some states and local jurisdictions across the US are making more criminal records eligible for expungement and sealing — including marijuana offenses and human trafficking cases.

What States Go Back 10 Years On Background Checks?

On the other hand, the 7 year rule is not applicable in all states across the US. In fact, some are even more stringent, performing background checks that go as long as 10 years back.

Does your criminal record background check clear after 7 years? Not in these states, where it actually requires 3 more years to do so.

So, for instance, a company in Alaska, Indiana, Massachusetts, or Michigan may ask for a screening process that requests information on the person’s history going back 10 years.

We Can Help You Clear Your Criminal Records’ Background Checks

As you’ve probably already understood, it’s pretty difficult to avoid the strict law enforcement around background checks, regardless of where you are in the United States.

However, here at erasemugshots.com, we can help you remove your records and restore your privacy at the same time. Our service is fast and reliable — you can count on us to have a clean background check in 45 days or less.

The best news is that anyone can request our services, as there are no eligibility factors involved.

Requesting our help will enable you to find your way back into society faster and easier. You can, for instance, apply for college without having anything from the past holding you back, or you can get that dream job without your potential employer seeing your records.

If this sounds like an incredible opportunity to bounce back, then know it is! Don’t hesitate to reach out to us, and we’ll make all that heavy-weighing history disappear.