NOTIFICATION: Expungement Screening will be closed on 11/23, 12/14, 12/21, 12/25 and 12/28

 

Please be advised that Expungement Screenings will only be offered on Thursdays starting in 2024.

Expungements

Legal Advice Information

  • If you were represented by the Public Defender’s Office, contact their office at 865.594.6120 for assistance.
  • If you don’t have an attorney and need legal advice or court costs/fee waiver assistance, contact the University of Tennessee College of Law Expungement Hotline at 865.974.6775.

Expungement Screening

If you would like assistance with the expungement process, an Assistant District Attorney General, along with a General Sessions/Criminal Court Clerk, will be available to assist pro se defendants and private attorneys regarding the application for Expungement of eligible criminal cases during the following times:

Mondays & Thursdays
3:00 p.m. – 4:15 p.m.
4th Sessions Courtroom
Main Floor of the City-County Building

Helpful Contact Information

  • Contact the General Sessions Court Clerk at [email protected] or at 865.215.2375 to ask questions and to sign and submit Expungement Forms.
  • Visit the District Attorney General’s Website for Expungement Information, Forms, and FAQs:  https://knoxcounty.org/dag/resources/expungements.php.
  • Contact Assistant DA Samyah Jubran at 865.215.2515 with questions about eligibility for Expungements of Conviction.
  • Contact Assistant DA Steve Garrett at 865.215.2515 regarding Certificates of Employability and Restoration of Citizenship, Voting, & Handgun Carry Permit Rights.

Expungement Fees

  • All restitution, court costs, fines, & probation fees (if ordered) must be paid in full prior to submission of the Expungement.  Please confirm payment information with the General Sessions Court Clerk by calling 865.215.2375 and/or Criminal Court Clerk at 865.215.2492. Make all payments to the Clerk’s Office – do not send payments to the DA’s Office.
  • Expungements for judgments of Dismissal, Nolle Prosequi, No True Bill, and Not Guilty Verdicts are free of charge.
  • Expungements for judgments of Dismissal After Successful Completion of Judicial Diversion/Pretrial Diversion/Conviction require payment of a non-refundable $100 fee to the Clerk of the Court.

Expungements (FAQs)

  • Expungement is the process to remove a charge or charges from a public criminal record. For more information, see T.C.A. § 40-32-101.
  • Expungement is not an automatic process and you must file with the court to receive it.

  • The process starts on the local level at the court in the county where the arrest occurred.
  • Charges that were “Dismissed,” “Nolle Prosequi,” “No True Bill,” or a verdict of “Not Guilty” are eligible for Expungement at no cost to you. Charges that were on “Diversion” (Pretrial or Judicial) and certain qualifying convictions are subject to additional fees.

  • Once the court completes the Expungement process locally, the Expungement Order is sent to various agencies including the arresting agency, county jail, Tennessee Department of Correction (TDOC), and the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI). Each agency then follows their own procedures to expunge the charges. You may want to contact the TDOC and TBI to make sure each agency received a copy of your Order.

  • Please note that if a background check is requested through a private background check company (not through the TBI or other state bureau or FBI) criminal charges will probably still appear on file. Background check companies gather information as it becomes public and it is rarely updated. If charges are showing at a background check company, you will need to contact the company directly.

  • Once charges have been expunged, it is very important for you to keep a certified copy of the Expungement Order. It is the only way you will be able to prove the Expungement has been completed by the court and is valid.

To Learn More about Expungements, click here.