Dallas County has cracked open the doors for its 10th annual Expunction Expo, giving residents a tight two-day window to try to scrub certain arrest records from public view. The county’s online portal went live at 8 a.m. today and will shut down at 5 p.m. tomorrow, with accepted applicants paired with volunteer attorneys who review their cases and, if the arrests are eligible and uncontested, prepare expunction petitions for judges to sign. Getting into the Expo is not a magic eraser by itself, though, since respondents must be notified and a judge still has to sign an expunction order before records come off the books.
How to apply
According to the Dallas County District Clerk’s Office, applications have to be submitted between 8 a.m. today and 5 p.m. tomorrow and can be filed online, by phone at (214) 875-4999 during business hours, or in person at designated community sign-up locations. Computers will be on hand at partner sites for people who do not have internet access, and county officials ask applicants to gather basic identifying information and any case details they have before starting. The county’s expunction page also spells out eligibility rules and offers a short FAQ that breaks down which arrests may qualify under Texas law.
Who qualifies and what it costs
Getting in is not first come, first-served basis. Not everyone who applies will be accepted, since participants are chosen through a random lottery and must have a qualifying felony or misdemeanor arrest that fits Texas expunction statutes. Each accepted applicant is assigned a volunteer attorney, so there is no charge for legal representation, but there is a $350 filing fee to open an expunction case and potential extra costs for serving some respondents, with fee waivers available for those who qualify financially. Those details were outlined by The Dallas Express.
A decade of results
Since the Expo launched in 2017, county officials report that the program has led to 3,365 approved expunctions, a tally the DA’s office credits with helping people land jobs and housing, according to the North Dallas Gazette. “For 10 years, the Expunction Expo has helped thousands of people remove barriers that stood between them and a brighter future,” Dallas County Criminal District Attorney John Creuzot said in a statement. Local coverage has also noted the program’s focus on linking residents with volunteer lawyers and community partners who can walk them through the process.
How the process works
Expunctions are narrow legal remedies that remove qualifying arrest records from public files, but they are not the same thing as nondisclosures or pardons, and eligibility is tied to Texas statutes and waiting periods. The Expo’s three-step structure - pre-screening, a clinic-style legal review, and filings handled by volunteer attorneys - has been cited as a model county approach to record clearing by the Texas District & County Attorneys Association.
Timeline and next steps
Applicants will find out by email or mail no later than Aug. 28 if they have been accepted, and those who are selected should expect to hear from a volunteer attorney between Sept. 8 and Oct. 9 to go over their cases. The county’s FAQ states that expunction orders are expected to be signed shortly before the Expo wraps on Jan. 9, 2027, and respondents usually begin removing records about six weeks after that signature date, although timing can vary depending on the respondent and the specific case, according to the Dallas County FAQ.
