How it works in Alabama

  1. Get Fingerprinted

    Visit your local police or sheriff's station. Have your fingerprints taken there.

    Fingerprint fee: $25.00 — Personal review; $5.00 each additional copy

  2. Request your Record

    Fill out the application for an official copy of your Alabama criminal history record. Send it in. ALEA accepts only a cashier's check or money order.

    Record request fee: $25 — statutory uniform statewide

  3. Review your Record

    Check your history for anything that would disqualify you. If something is wrong, follow the process to challenge it. If it is all correct, copy it for your file and keep the original somewhere safe.

  4. Request Certified Documents

    Collect certified copies of the key papers. You need the disposition and the case action summary from the clerk of court that handled the case. You also need the arrest record from the arresting agency. Did you have probation, parole, classes, fees, or other duties? Get certified proof that you completed each one.

    Certified copy fee: $10.00 to certify; $0.50 per photocopied page

  5. Verify the Final Documents

    Review each paper for accuracy. Confirm it is certified and clearly shows you completed your duties. Make copies of every original.

  6. Prepare your Petition

    Complete the petition for your type of charge and outcome. Note the timing rules in Ala. Code §§ 15-27-1 to 15-27-2. Certain arrest records need 90 days to pass. Certain misdemeanor and similar convictions need one year; others need three. Certain felony convictions need 180 days after the pardon issues.

  7. Finalize your Petition

    Build one complete package: the petition from Step 6, the papers from Step 4, and the record from Step 2. Double-check every file in it is the original. Keep a copy of the whole package for your personal file.

  8. File your Expeal Request

    First confirm you can complete service on each party. Then file the petition with the court that handled the case. Alabama also charges a separate court filing fee. It may vary by county — ask your clerk for the amount. The court can waive the petition fee if you prove substantial hardship. You handle service on every party that holds records. Keep one complete package for each. Each process server sets its own per-party fee.

    Petition fee: $500.00

  9. Work with the Court

    After the court confirms your filing, watch for the next step. Often that is a hearing notice or a request for more papers. Respond quickly to anything the court asks for. Prepare for the hearing if one is set.

  10. Receive the Court's Order

    Once the judge rules, the court issues a written order that grants or denies your petition. Read its terms with care — they spell out exactly which records it covers. Keep a certified copy for your own files.

  11. Verify the Record Update

    Alabama law directs ALEA and the arresting agency to remove or restrict the records the order covers. A background-check company may later show an outdated report. Your certified copy of the order is your proof. Under Ala. Code § 15-27-16, you can lawfully decline to disclose the cleared charges in most non-government settings.

If you mail anything, keep a copy of what you send. Use a method with a tracking number, like the USPS Flat Rate Envelope.

Official agencies

Court forms

Alabama record-clearing statutes

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