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Juvenile Crimes

How to Seal a Juvenile Record Before Your Teen Applies to College

Sealing a juvenile record can take months, and college applications go out in the fall of senior year. This four-step checklist for parents uses California and Texas law as examples and covers what colleges can still ask.

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If you are trying to work out how to seal juvenile record files before college applications go out, there are four steps. Confirm your teen is eligible under your state's law, gather the case and agency records, file a petition or application with the juvenile court, and then confirm that every agency got the sealing order. California and Texas charge no filing fee.

  • Confirm eligibility under your state's juvenile sealing law, and find out whether the case is already sealed automatically.

  • Gather the records: case or cause number, dates, probation records, and a list of every agency that may hold records.

  • File the petition or application with the juvenile court.

  • Confirm the order reached every agency, and keep certified copies.

Why timing matters

Most college applications go out in the fall of senior year. Sealing is not instant. The California courts' self-help site puts it plainly: "There is no cost to ask to seal your records. But, it can take months" (California Courts Self-Help). In Texas, automatic sealing for many cases does not happen until age 19, which is after most students have applied. If your teen has a juvenile case, start this checklist as early as you can.

Each state writes its own juvenile sealing law. This guide uses California and Texas as worked examples. If you live somewhere else, the steps will look similar, but the ages, waiting periods and forms come from your own state's statute and juvenile court.

Step 1: Confirm eligibility

California

Check first whether the case is already sealed. According to the California Courts self-help site, many less serious cases are sealed without a petition:

  • For less serious cases dismissed after January 1, 2015, the court must dismiss and seal once probation is completed successfully.

  • Deferred entry of judgment ends with the court dismissing the case and sealing the arrest and court records.

  • With pre-petition diversion, probation seals its own records and notifies the arresting agency.

Under Welfare and Institutions Code 786, satisfactory completion of probation leads the court to dismiss the petition and seal the juvenile court records. Records held by law enforcement, probation and the state Department of Justice are sealed as well. Unpaid restitution by itself does not make completion unsatisfactory.

If the case was not sealed automatically, you will likely need to file a petition. The self-help site says that if a case was dismissed before January 1, 2015, "it is very likely you will need to" file one. Under Welfare and Institutions Code 781, a person can petition "at any time after the person has reached 18 years of age," or "five years or more after the jurisdiction of the juvenile court has terminated." The court also has to be satisfied that the person has been rehabilitated. A person convicted as an adult of a crime of moral turpitude is not eligible.

Serious offenses have extra limits. For offenses listed in Welfare and Institutions Code 707(b), the self-help site says the person must be 21 and have completed Division of Juvenile Justice supervision, or 18 and have completed probation supervision. A 707(b) sex offense committed at 14 or older that required sex-offender registration makes the person ineligible.

Texas

Automatic sealing at 19. Under Texas Family Code 58.253, records are sealed without an application if the person:

  • is at least 19;

  • has no felony-grade delinquency adjudication;

  • has no pending delinquent matters;

  • was not transferred to criminal court; and

  • has no adult felony or jail-eligible misdemeanor conviction, and no such adult charges pending.

That section does not apply to children referred only for conduct indicating a need for supervision. Under Texas Family Code 58.262, automatic sealing "does not require any action by the child or the child's family." The catch is the timing. A teen applying to college at 17 or 18 cannot wait for it.

Early sealing by application. Texas Family Code 58.256 lets a person apply to the juvenile court connected to the probation department they were referred to. The court may seal the records if the person is at least 17, or is under 17 and at least one year has passed since final discharge in each matter, as long as the other conditions are met.

Some people are barred. Under 58.256(d), a court may not seal for someone who received a determinate sentence for certain offenses or for habitual felony conduct, or who is currently required to register as a sex offender. A person committed to the Texas Juvenile Justice Department or a post-adjudication secure facility cannot have records sealed until discharged.

Step 2: Gather the records

Before you file, collect:

Illustration of a dark wooden desk with stacked manila folders, a brass pen on a form and a tray of index cards under a single warm lamp.

  • The court case number (California) or cause number and court (Texas)

  • The dates of the conduct and a description of each offense

  • Probation records and discharge or completion paperwork

  • The arresting agency's name and report information

  • Any Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) tracking numbers

Build a list of every agency that may hold records. This step matters in both states. A Texas application must include a list of entities believed to hold records, according to 58.256. In California, under section 781, "The court shall send a copy of the order to each agency, entity, and official named in the order." An agency missing from the order may not get it. Think about the arresting police department, the sheriff, probation, the prosecutor's office, the juvenile court, any detention facility, and the state records agency.

Step 3: File the petition or application

California

The court's information form is JV-595-INFO, "How to Ask the Court to Seal your Records," available through the California Courts self-help site. There is no fee. Plan for the process to take months.

Texas

Under 58.256, the court cannot charge a filing fee. The application must include identifying information, the conduct and its dates, the cause number and court, and the list of entities believed to hold records. The court can grant the application without a hearing or can schedule one.

Local courts add their own steps. Tarrant County's juvenile services page says the application must identify each offense, any DPS tracking numbers, and all agencies involved. The application and order must be sent by certified mail. If someone filing without a lawyer is under 17, a parent or guardian must attend the hearing (Tarrant County Juvenile Services). That page was last updated in 2020, so ask the clerk in your county what the current requirements are.

Step 4: Confirm the order reached every agency

An order does not help much if an agency's copy of the file stays open. In California, section 786 requires the court to send the order to each agency and official named in it. Each agency must seal its records and tell the court it has done so. Ask the court whether those confirmations have come in.

Illustration of a rain-wet courthouse staircase at dusk with tall stone columns and a lone mailing envelope resting on a step beside a brass handrail.

In Texas, 58.262 requires probation to give the child and parent a written explanation of sealing. That explanation must say that a juvenile record exists with state and federal agencies and that the record is permanent unless sealed. Keep the explanation, and get certified copies of any sealing order for your family's files.

What colleges can still see or ask

The Common App's shared form. NACAC's Admitted blog reported in August 2018 that the Common Application "will no longer ask students about their criminal history," starting with the 2019-20 application (NACAC; see also the Common App's announcement). The same report noted that "individual colleges using the Common App will still be able to ask about an applicant's criminal history" in their own supplements.

School discipline. In October 2020, Inside Higher Ed reported that the Common App would stop asking whether applicants had gotten in trouble in high school, though member colleges could still ask in supplements. The article cited Common App data: in 2019, 22% of students who reported a disciplinary history did not finish their applications, compared with 12% of those who reported none.

Read every supplement and every non-Common App application. In May 2023, BestColleges reported that the U.S. Education Department had updated its "Beyond the Box" guidance, urging colleges not to treat criminal history as a barrier. BestColleges quoted the department as saying "nearly 72% of schools still require applicants to disclose criminal history information." Read each question's exact wording, because it determines what your teen is being asked.

How a sealed California record affects the answer. Under section 781, once records are sealed, "the proceedings in the case shall be deemed never to have occurred" and "the person may properly reply accordingly to any inquiry about the events." The self-help site says a person generally does not have to report a sealed case on job or school applications. If a question is worded broadly or you are unsure, talk to a lawyer before your teen answers.

Financial aid. Federal Student Aid's announcement APP-22-21 lists the "Removal of the drug conviction questions and corresponding eligibility worksheet" among the changes to the 2023-24 FAFSA, along with the removal of the Selective Service questions.

What employers and others can still see

According to the California Courts self-help site, a sealed case "no longer exists for most purposes," and the person generally does not have to report it on job applications. The site lists exceptions:

  • Military service

  • Federal security clearances

  • The DMV sharing vehicle and traffic records with insurers

  • The state Department of Justice checking eligibility to own a gun

  • Prosecutors, who can ask to unseal if a 707(b) offense is later charged as a felony

If your teen is considering the military or a career that needs a federal clearance, get legal advice on disclosure before any application or interview.

Printable checklist

  • ☐ Eligibility: Check whether the case is already sealed automatically. If not, confirm the age, waiting period and exclusions under your state's law.

  • ☐ Records: Collect the case or cause number, dates of conduct, probation papers, the arresting agency, and any DPS tracking numbers.

  • ☐ Agency list: Write down every agency that may hold records and put each one in the petition or application.

  • ☐ File: California: use the JV-595-INFO guidance (no fee). Texas: apply to the juvenile court (no filing fee) and check your county's local rules.

  • ☐ Follow up: Confirm each agency got the order and sealed its records. Keep certified copies.

  • ☐ Applications: Read every college supplement question word for word before your teen answers.

  • ☐ Outside California or Texas? Look up your state's juvenile sealing statute and call the juvenile court clerk in the county that handled the case.

Sources

Note: This article contains AI-assisted content and has been reviewed by our editorial team.

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Frequently asked questions

How long does it take to seal a juvenile record in California?

California's court self-help site says there is no cost to ask, "But, it can take months." Families should start well before college applications are due.

At what age are juvenile records sealed automatically in Texas?

Under Texas Family Code 58.253, records seal automatically at 19 if the person has no felony-grade delinquency adjudication, no pending matters, no transfer to criminal court, and no disqualifying adult convictions or pending charges. Under 58.256, families can apply earlier once the teen is 17, or sooner if a year has passed since final discharge.

Does it cost money to seal a juvenile record?

Not in California or Texas. California's self-help site says there is no cost to ask, and Texas Family Code 58.256 bars the court from charging a filing fee for an application.

Do colleges ask about juvenile records?

The Common App removed the criminal-history question from its shared form starting with the 2019-20 cycle, but member colleges can still ask in their own supplements. Under California law, once a record is sealed the proceedings are deemed never to have occurred, and the person may answer questions about them accordingly.

Can anyone still see a sealed California juvenile record?

Yes, in limited situations. California's self-help site lists military service, federal security clearances, DMV records shared with insurers, state Department of Justice gun-eligibility checks, and prosecutors seeking to unseal if a 707(b) offense is later charged as a felony.

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Gavel Daily is an AI-operated publication. Articles may summarize statutes, court filings, or public reporting, but readers should verify time-sensitive legal details with primary sources or a licensed attorney.