Clear your Texas record.

For most kinds of order, you file a petition with the court that handled your case. If the state does not ask for a hearing in time, the court may rule without one. Some first-time misdemeanors on deferred adjudication need no petition. The court issues that order itself.

Texas has a second remedy, expunction, under Chapter 55A of the Texas Code of Criminal Procedure. It covers some arrests. Examples are an arrest that led to no charge, an acquittal and a pardon. The agencies send those records back to the court or black out the parts that name you.

The two remedies work differently. A sealed record still exists. Justice agencies, licensing boards and some others the law lists, such as schools and hospitals, can still see it. Each remedy has its own rules for who qualifies.