How much does an expungement cost?

An expungement is actually not expensive. Relative to the long-term cost of having a public criminal record, expungement is a low-cost way to protect yourself and your future career, earnings and opportunities.

Expungements generally will cost $750 - $2,000. The reason we say generally is that while an expungement petition itself is almost always the same in terms of process and forms, the process itself is specific to each Circuit Court jurisdiction where the criminal charge occurred. So, if someone has a dismissed charge in two different jurisdictions, it will require two separate petitions in two separate courts, and each of those courts may have their own process for handling the expungement petition itself. 

Some things that may be different depending on the type of charge are whether a court appearance is needed, and as a result a different cost. For example, often a misdemeanor charge can be expunged without you even needing to appear in court, while a felony charge may actually require a short hearing that you need to attend. All of these factors will be discussed ahead of time so you understand the entire process, what to expect, and why it may be that expunging the exact same charge in two different courthouses may have a different cost. 

The one thing you can be assured is that we use our experience in courthouses throughout Virginia and our existing criminal defense practice to deliver you as much value as we can in this process.