A Detroit expungement fair is a free, one-day clinic where volunteer attorneys, screeners, and fingerprinting staff help you prepare and file a petition to clear eligible Michigan convictions from your record. To get the most out of one, bring a government photo ID, your ICHAT criminal history report, and the court information for each conviction, then plan on a few hours moving through screening, fingerprinting, and a one-on-one review with an attorney.
What to Bring
Arriving prepared is the single biggest factor in whether you leave with a filed application. Without the right documents, the attorneys can advise you but cannot file anything.
- Government-issued photo ID. A Michigan driver’s license, state ID, or passport. Staff verify your identity before any legal work begins.
- Your criminal history report. Run a search through ICHAT, the Michigan State Police’s online criminal history tool, or request certified records from the court where you were convicted. The report gives attorneys the case numbers, conviction dates, and statute citations they need to complete the petition.
- Court information. The name and location of the court that handled each conviction, and ideally the sentencing judge’s name. This speeds up the paperwork significantly.
- A check or money order to the State of Michigan. Fingerprint processing and court filing fees are not always covered by the fair. Bring payment in case, or ask about fee waivers (see below).
The main form you will complete is the Application to Set Aside Conviction, Form MC 227, published by the State Court Administrative Office.1Michigan Courts. State Court Administrative Office – Form MC 227 Application to Set Aside Conviction(s) You don’t need to fill it in beforehand; the attorneys walk you through it. Reviewing a blank copy helps you spot information gaps you need to fill.
One thing most people don’t think about: get a certified copy of your conviction records before the expungement is granted. Once a court sets aside a conviction, that record becomes far harder to access. If you ever need proof of what happened for a professional license, immigration petition, or security clearance, having a certified copy on hand saves you from filing formal requests to unseal records later.
What Happens at the Fair
The fairs are built to move hundreds of people through in a single day, and the flow is station-based.
You check in at a registration desk where staff confirm you have your ID and criminal history. From there you move to a screening station, where legal volunteers compare your record against the eligibility rules, checking conviction types, waiting periods, and any disqualifying offenses. This is where some people learn they don’t yet qualify, and the attorneys will explain exactly why and when they will.
If you clear screening, you proceed to fingerprinting. Michigan requires a fingerprint-based background check through the Michigan State Police for every expungement application.2State of Michigan. Attorney General – Expungement Assistance Many fairs have MSP personnel or live-scan equipment on site, so this happens in minutes instead of requiring a separate trip.
The last stop is a one-on-one consultation with an attorney who reviews your completed Form MC 227 for accuracy, explains the court hearing process, and either collects your application package for filing or gives you clear instructions on where and how to submit it. Most people are in and out within a few hours, though wait times vary with turnout.
Costs and Fee Waivers
The legal help is free. The government processing fees are a separate question. The Michigan State Police charges a processing fee for the fingerprint-based background check that accompanies every petition.3State of Michigan. Search, Expunge, Modify, or Update Criminal History Records Some fairs cover this through grant funding or donations; others don’t. Individual courts may also charge a filing fee when you submit the petition.
If costs are a barrier, Michigan courts allow you to request a fee waiver using Form MC 20. The court will grant it if your household income falls below 125% of the federal poverty guidelines, or if paying the fees would create a financial hardship even at a higher income.4Michigan Courts. Fee Waiver Request Many fair attorneys can fill out the waiver at the same time they prepare your petition, so don’t let money stop you from showing up.
Who the Fair Can Help
Michigan law allows you to petition to have up to three felony convictions set aside, with no cap on misdemeanors in the same petition. You can never have more than two assaultive-crime convictions set aside in your lifetime, and only one felony conviction for the same offense can be cleared if that offense carries more than ten years in prison.5Michigan Legislature. MCL 780-621 A single felony generally requires a five-year wait after you finish your sentence, multiple felonies require seven years, and most misdemeanors become eligible after three.
Some convictions can never be cleared, including life-maximum felonies, criminal sexual conduct in the first through fourth degrees, traffic offenses causing injury or death, human trafficking and terrorism convictions, and a felony domestic violence conviction when you already have a prior misdemeanor domestic violence conviction.6Michigan Legislature. MCL 780-621c First-offense OWI became petitionable in February 2022, five years after probation ends, limited to one in a lifetime and only for standard impaired-driving offenses.7Michigan Legal Help. What Convictions Can You Expunge (Set Aside) with an Application?
Before you attend, check whether Michigan has already cleared some of your convictions automatically. Since April 2023, the Michigan State Police have run an automatic set-aside program that clears eligible records without any application — seven years after sentencing for qualifying misdemeanors, ten years after sentencing or release for up to two qualifying felonies.8State of Michigan. Clean Slate The automatic program excludes assaultive crimes, serious misdemeanors, crimes of dishonesty, OWI, and several other categories, so a conviction that doesn’t qualify there may still be clearable through a petition at a fair. The attorneys at the fair can pull your ICHAT record and tell you which convictions were already cleared automatically and which still need a petition.
If you fall short of a waiting period by a few months, it is still worth attending. The attorneys can tell you exactly when your eligibility window opens and what to prepare in the meantime.
After You File
Leaving the fair with a completed application does not mean your record is cleared. The Michigan Attorney General’s office estimates the full process can take up to eight months from filing to final order.2State of Michigan. Attorney General – Expungement Assistance The MSP processes your fingerprints and produces a background report, the prosecuting attorney’s office reviews and may respond — the Attorney General alone takes up to three months after receiving the report — and the court then schedules a hearing where a judge decides whether to grant the set-aside.
If the judge grants the petition, the conviction is removed from your public criminal record, and you can legally answer “no” when most employers ask whether you’ve been convicted of a crime. Courts and law enforcement databases take time to update, so follow up to confirm your ICHAT record reflects the change.
What Expungement Does Not Erase
A Michigan set-aside is powerful but has blind spots that catch people off guard.
Federal Background Checks
State expungement clears your Michigan State Police record. It does not automatically remove the conviction from FBI databases. Federal agencies and employers with federal security requirements run checks that go beyond state records, and some private background check companies may continue showing a conviction even after a state court has set it aside.
Immigration Applications
If you are not a U.S. citizen, read this carefully. USCIS treats expungement as a state-level process that does not bind federal immigration decisions. An immigration officer may require you to submit evidence of a conviction regardless of whether the record has been expunged, and it remains your responsibility to obtain those records even after a court has sealed them.9USCIS. Chapter 2 – Adjudicative Factors USCIS runs its own fingerprint-based checks through the FBI, so failing to disclose an expunged conviction on a naturalization or visa application creates a credibility problem on top of the original conviction. Talk to an immigration attorney before filing a petition; the strategy for disclosure matters.
Firearm Rights
Federal law treats an expunged conviction as non-disqualifying for firearm possession only if the state expungement restores your civil rights and does not expressly prohibit you from possessing firearms.10Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 921 If your Michigan order or state law still bars you from having guns, the federal prohibition stays in place. A general-purpose expungement fair may not address firearms eligibility in detail, so ask directly or seek specific legal advice.
Professional Licensing
Some licensing boards, particularly in healthcare and law enforcement, run fingerprint-based background checks that may reveal set-aside convictions. Whether you must disclose an expunged record on a licensing application varies by profession. The safest approach is to assume the board may discover it and plan your disclosure accordingly. Being caught concealing a conviction, even one you believed was fully erased, is almost always worse than disclosing it.
How to Find a Fair in Detroit
Detroit’s main year-round program is Project Clean Slate, run through the Mayor’s Office. Register online, call (313) 237-3024, or email projectcleanslate@detroitmi.gov to get started.11City of Detroit. Project Clean Slate Project Clean Slate offers both scheduled clinics and larger fair-style events throughout the year.
The Michigan Attorney General’s office runs expungement events across the state, including in Detroit, and posts scheduling details on its website.2State of Michigan. Attorney General – Expungement Assistance Safe & Just Michigan maintains an event calendar that lists upcoming fairs; as of mid-2026, that calendar shows a Detroit expungement event scheduled for June 27, 2026 at the Detroit Hispanic Development Corporation.12Safe & Just Michigan. Events Lakeshore Legal Aid also runs regular expungement clinics in the metro Detroit area, usually with pre-registration.
Fairs fill up. If an event requires pre-registration, sign up as soon as slots open. Even where walk-ins are accepted, arriving early gives you the best chance of getting through every station before the attorneys leave for the day.