Record Sealing Calculator

Record sealing is a distinct legal remedy from expungement — a sealed record still exists but is hidden from most public and employer background checks — and this calculator models it with its own logic. Six record types (bare arrest, dismissal, diversion, misdemeanor, non-violent felony, and juvenile record) each carry a different starting eligibility score (as high as 95 for juvenile records, as low as 35 for felony convictions) and a different required waiting period, from immediate eligibility for arrests and dismissals up to seven years for felony convictions. Any pending charge zeroes eligibility immediately, since virtually every jurisdiction requires a closed case before sealing. From the base score, the calculator adds a 10-point bonus for satisfying the waiting period (or subtracts 20 if you haven't), adds up to 10 more points for extra years beyond the minimum, and then subtracts 5 points per additional record being sealed and 10 points per previously sealed record — reflecting how courts in many states grow more cautious about repeat petitioners.

Costs scale with jurisdiction size (rural courts charge less than urban ones) and are multiplied by the number of records, with attorney fees varying by record type from $500 for a simple arrest up to $3,000 for a felony conviction; a self-represented cost estimate is also broken out separately. An employment-benefit score rounds out the output, estimating how much sealing these particular records might improve job prospects. As with any general-purpose legal calculator, real state statutes differ substantially in what may be sealed and under what conditions, so treat the eligibility score as directional, not determinative.