MVA Driving Record Expungement

This article describes the MVA's expungement procedure.

Topics on this page

Automatic Expungement
Failure to Pay Child Support
Not eligible for expungement
Correcting Errors

Automatic Expungement

The Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration (MVA) automatically expunges eligible driving records. Before October 1, 2017, you had to request a driving record expungement, and expungements were not automatic. A driving record expungement removes specific entries from your driving record (including associated points).

Automatic expungement only applies to your driving record. If you have a related court record, learn about expunging your criminal record.

You may be eligible to have your MVA records automatically expunged. This means that you no longer have to apply for the expungement. There is no fee for this automatic expungement. The MVA will expunge the record within 31 days of the record becoming eligible for expungement (last conviction date).

This chart lists the eligibility requirements:

Waiting Period	If your license has:
3 years after last moving violation conviction date	never been suspended for driver safety offense* never been revoked one or more moving violations
5 years after last moving violation conviction date	been suspended once for driver safety offense* never been revoked
10 years after last moving violation conviction date	previously been revoked multiple suspensions for driver safety offense*

*Suspensions for the following reasons are NOT driver related suspensions and become eligible for expungement 1 year after the suspension period ends:

Suspension of a minor’s license upon the death of the co-signer
Failure to pay Child Support
Outstanding arrest warrant
Non-payment of a judgment
Dispensing motor fuel into a dirt bike in Baltimore City
Failure to appear on, failure to comply with, or failure to pay a citation, including citations issued under federal law
Possession of alcohol by a minor
Failure to pay for motor fuel
Improper use of a driver’s license or ID card by a minor to obtain alcohol
Rejection by Maryland Auto Insurance (formerly MAIF) / inability to obtain vehicle insurance

Read the Law: Md. Code, Transportation § 16-117.1

Read the Regulation: Code of Maryland Regulations 11.11.16.02

Failure to Pay Child Support

On the request of the Child Support Administration (Department of Human Services), the MVA will expunge a record of suspension for failure to pay child support if you are enrolled in and compliant with the Child Support Administration's approved employment program AND:

you have not been convicted of driving on a license that was suspended for failure to pay child support; AND
you do not have pending charges related to the suspension for failure to pay child support.

Also, if the Child Support Administration notifies the MVA that the information that led to the suspension was inaccurate, the MVA will expunge the record of the suspension for failure to pay child support.

This expungement applies to license suspensions related to child support only.

Read the Law: Md. Code, Transportation § 16-117.1,

Not eligible for expungement

Certain records entries are not eligible for expungement. The entire record is not eligible for expungement if the record entry is related to a fatal accident, related to alcohol, or is required for assessment for subsequent offender penalties. Examples are below.

If you are involved in a fatal accident and received a “failure to stop at a stop sign” citation, then that failure to stop citation cannot be expunged.
If you are convicted of driving while intoxicated and received a speeding citation, then the speeding citation cannot be expunged.

Additionally, an individual is not eligible for expungement if any of the following apply:

Active or pending suspension
Active or pending revocation
Active or pending cancellation
Active or pending refusal
Pending MVA administrative action
Restriction for the Ignition Interlock Program

In addition, the MVA will not expunge certain driving record entries related to commercial driver's license before the expiration of the time they are required to be retained under Maryland and federal laws. The MVA may refuse to expunge a driving record if the MVA determines that you have not driven a motor vehicle on the highways during the particular conviction-free period on which the expungement is based.

Read the Law: Md. Code, Transportation § 16-117.1,

Read the Regulation: Code of Md. Regulations, 11.11.16.03