Filing to Seal or Expunge a Record in Pinellas County

Before starting: is the record eligible?

Eligibility is set by sections 943.059, 943.0585, and 943.0584, Florida Statutes, and is the same in every county. Start with sealing or expunging a Florida criminal record and record sealing vs. expungement in Florida.

The steps in Pinellas County

These steps follow the sealing and expunging guide published by the Office of the State Attorney for the Sixth Judicial Circuit, as it read on October 8, 2026.

1. Get and complete FDLE’s application. The application for a Certificate of Eligibility is on FDLE’s website. It must be signed under oath in front of a notary.
2. Send the application to the State Attorney’s Office. It goes, by mail or in person, to the office in the county where the person was charged. The office says electronic copies are not accepted. It completes its portion, which it says can take a few weeks, and mails the application back.
3. Send the completed application to FDLE with everything on the application’s checklist. That includes a certified copy of the disposition from the Clerk. If the application succeeds, FDLE sends a Certificate of Eligibility.
4. Complete a petition and affidavit to seal or expunge. For Pinellas County the forms are on the Clerk’s forms page, under the Criminal Court department.
5. File with the Clerk and copy the State Attorney. The original petition and the Certificate of Eligibility are filed with the Clerk of the Court in the county where the matter occurred. Copies go to the State Attorney’s Office in that county.

What happens after filing

• The State Attorney’s Office files a response to the petition.
• If it disagrees, the court may hold a hearing, and the Clerk gives notice of the date and time.
• If it has no objection, the Clerk sends the documents to the court. The office says the court will generally issue an order within a few weeks and mail a signed copy.

The decision belongs to the judge. Both statutes say a petition may be denied at the sole discretion of the court.

Local offices

• Certified dispositions, forms, and filing: the Pinellas County Clerk of the Circuit Court. The criminal courts and the Clerk’s criminal records office are at the Pinellas County Justice Center, 14250 49th Street North in Clearwater. Check the Clerk’s Criminal Court page for its current filing and copy charges.
• The prosecutor’s part of the application and the response to the petition: the Office of the State Attorney, Sixth Judicial Circuit.
• The certificate: FDLE.

Important exceptions

• Cases from another county. The petition is filed where the case was handled, which may not be where the person lives now. The State Attorney’s page gives a separate forms link for Pasco County.
• A certificate that expires. A certificate is valid for 12 months. A petition filed after that needs a new one.
• Other kinds of relief. Different procedures apply to human trafficking victim expunction, juvenile diversion expunction, and administrative expunction.

Common questions

Do I have to go to court?

The State Attorney’s page says a hearing may be held if it disagrees with the request. If it does not object, it describes the order as being issued and mailed.

Can the State Attorney’s Office help me fill out the forms?

Its page says that, apart from the steps above, it is not able to assist in sealing or expunging a record.

How long does it take?

FDLE states that reviewing a complete application typically takes about 12 weeks. The State Attorney’s part and the court’s order add time before and after that.

When to speak with an attorney

Because the opportunity generally comes once, a mistake about which record to choose, or about eligibility, can be costly. A licensed Florida attorney can review the court file before anything is filed. More guides are on the Criminal Records and Pinellas County topic pages.