What exactly does it mean when a court record gets “sealed.”  This is a question we get a lot at the Library. The sealing of court records is governed by General Rule 15 of the Washington Court Rules. GR 15 defines sealing as follows: “To seal means to protect from examination by the public and unauthorized court personnel a portion or portions or a specified court record.”

Generally, the effect of sealing a court record has one of two effects:

  1. If you are sealing a criminal conviction record that resulted in a non-conviction… for instance, if the case was dropped or you were found not guilty…then sealing the record will result in the Washington State Patrol (WSP) deleting the information from their database.
  2. Sealing any type of criminal record that led to a conviction allows you to legally say that the crime never occurred. Also, the conviction cannot be included on your criminal history record.

This does not mean that the court records are destroyed. They are merely “sealed,” or protected from public scrutiny. Tell-tale signs of the court record may still exist in public databases. For instance, the online database SCOMIS may still show the case type, especially if the charge involved domestic violence, but typically the computerized index will show the notation “case vacated” in place of  the charge and the conviction after the order to seal is entered.  If you commit another criminal offense, these cases may be re-opened and used against you in court.

For more information, please read the following guides from Washington LawHelp:

Sealing Juvenile Court Records in Washington State

Can I Clear My Criminal Record?

Criminal History Records: A Guide on Whenand How to Seal/Vacate…