A DUI conviction stays on your record in Maryland permanently, on both your criminal record maintained by the Maryland Judiciary and your driving record kept by the Motor Vehicle Administration. The 12 license points the MVA assigns for a DUI conviction stop counting after two years, but the entry itself does not age off, and Maryland law does not allow expungement of a DUI or DWI conviction except through a full and unconditional gubernatorial pardon.1Maryland General Assembly. Maryland Code Criminal Procedure 10-105 If your case ended without a conviction, you have a path to clear it, but the rules turn on exactly how the case was resolved and whether alcohol or drugs were involved.
Your Driving Record at the MVA
The MVA record is the administrative file that tracks your violations, points, and license actions. A DUI conviction adds 12 points, which triggers automatic license revocation; a DWI conviction adds 8 points and triggers suspension.2Maryland General Assembly. Maryland Code Transportation 16-402 Points remain “current” for two years, and the MVA looks at your rolling two-year total when deciding whether to take further administrative action.3Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration. Point Accumulation
After two years the points age off. The DUI entry itself does not. Alcohol-related violations are not eligible for MVA record expungement, so the conviction stays on your driving history for as long as the MVA maintains it. That history matters if you’re charged again, because a prior DUI on your record can trigger enhanced penalties, and the MVA uses the record when it makes licensing decisions.
Maryland also reports serious traffic offenses to the National Driver Register, a federal database run by NHTSA that flags drivers whose licenses have been revoked, suspended, or denied. If you move and apply for a license in another state, that state will check the NDR and see the Maryland action.4National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. National Driver Register (NDR)
Your Criminal Record
The criminal record is a separate file that includes your charges, court dispositions, and sentences. It’s the record employers, landlords, and licensing boards see on background checks.5Maryland Courts. Case Search – Frequently Asked Questions A DUI or DWI conviction on this record is permanent, and outside of a gubernatorial pardon covering your only criminal offense, Maryland has no statutory path to expunge it.1Maryland General Assembly. Maryland Code Criminal Procedure 10-105
Maryland has recently pulled certain resolved criminal records off its public Case Search website. Charges that ended in acquittal, dismissal, or nolle prosequi no longer appear in online searches, though they can still be viewed at the courthouse in person.6Maryland Courts. Access to Court Records Removing a record from public online view is not the same as expungement. The record still exists, and law enforcement can still see it.
When a DUI Record Can Be Cleared
Whether you can expunge anything DUI-related depends entirely on how the case ended.
Acquittal, Dismissal, or Nolle Prosequi
If you were found not guilty, your charges were dismissed, or the prosecutor entered a nolle prosequi, you can petition for expungement. You can file right away if you include a signed General Waiver and Release with your petition, or you can wait three years after the disposition and file without the waiver.7Maryland Courts. CC-DC-CR-072A – Petition for Expungement of Records
Probation Before Judgment for an Alcohol Offense
A Probation Before Judgment for DUI or DWI involving alcohol, under Maryland Transportation Code §21-902(a) or (b), can be expunged, but only after a 15-year wait measured from the date you were discharged from probation.1Maryland General Assembly. Maryland Code Criminal Procedure 10-105 During that window the court will deny your petition if you were convicted of any crime other than a minor traffic violation, or if you received another PBJ for any drunk or impaired driving offense.8Maryland Courts. Expungement Part 3 PBJ Tip Sheet A single misdemeanor in that stretch resets the calculation.
Probation Before Judgment for a Drug Offense
If your PBJ was for driving while impaired by drugs, a drug-alcohol combination, or a controlled dangerous substance, under §21-902(c), (d), (h), or (i), expungement is not available at all. The statute specifically excludes these dispositions.1Maryland General Assembly. Maryland Code Criminal Procedure 10-105
Conviction
A standard DUI or DWI conviction cannot be expunged. It stays on the criminal record for life.
How to File If You Qualify
You’ll need your case number, the charges, the offense date, and the final disposition date. That information is on your court paperwork, or you can look it up through Maryland Case Search or ask the Maryland State Archives for older records.9Maryland State Archives. Expungements – FAQs
Complete the Petition for Expungement of Records (Form CC-DC-CR-072A) and, where applicable, the General Waiver and Release form, both on the Maryland Courts website. File with the clerk of the court that heard your case. There is no filing fee when the petition is based on an acquittal, dismissal, nolle prosequi, or PBJ.10Maryland Courts. Expungement (Adult)
The State’s Attorney has 30 days to respond.11New York Codes, Rules and Regulations. Maryland Rule 4-505 – Answer to Application or Petition If no objection is filed and the judge approves, the court sends an expungement order to every agency holding records for your case, including the police, the court, and the State Archives. Each agency expunges its records and sends a Certificate of Compliance back to the court.9Maryland State Archives. Expungements – FAQs Keep copies of everything, including the final order, because once a case is expunged the court destroys its documents.12Maryland Judiciary. Expungement – Part 6 (How to File)
Background Checks: What Still Shows Up
Even though a Maryland DUI conviction stays on your criminal record indefinitely, federal law limits what commercial background check companies can report. Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act, consumer reporting agencies cannot report arrests that didn’t lead to a conviction once seven years have passed from the date of the arrest.13Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 15 U.S. Code 1681c – Requirements Relating to Information Contained in Consumer Reports So a DUI charge that was dismissed or ended in acquittal should drop off commercial reports after seven years, even if you never expunged it.
Convictions are different. The FCRA sets no time limit on reporting criminal convictions, so a DUI conviction can appear on background checks indefinitely regardless of age.13Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 15 U.S. Code 1681c – Requirements Relating to Information Contained in Consumer Reports
Two Consequences That Outlast Everything Else
If you hold a commercial driver’s license, federal disqualification rules run on their own clock and are separate from anything on your Maryland record. A first DUI conviction disqualifies you from operating a commercial motor vehicle for one year, whether you were in a commercial vehicle or your personal car at the time. The disqualification is three years if you were hauling hazardous materials. A second DUI conviction in a separate incident triggers a lifetime CDL disqualification.14eCFR. 49 CFR 383.51 – Disqualification of Drivers
A DUI record also affects international travel. Canada treats impaired driving as a serious criminal offense, and Canadian border agents have access to FBI criminal databases. A DUI conviction, a pending charge, or a “wet reckless” plea can make you inadmissible at the border. Two routes exist for getting in: a Temporary Resident Permit for a specific purpose, valid for up to three years, and Criminal Rehabilitation, which you can apply for once five years have passed since you completed every part of your sentence, including fines, probation, and community service.