Does a Misdemeanor get expunged from your record after a certain period of time?

Question

I wrote a check to a Wal Mart back in late 2001 that bounced. Because I was laid off from my job in the airline industry right after, I was unable to pay the check until Wal Mart had a warrant put out for me. I found this out when I went to the store to pay it back in early '02. I paid the fees, and restitution to the courts and plead guilty to simple worthless check. My question is, does a misdemeanor such as this get expunged from my record after a certain period of time, or do I have to ask to have it expunged. This has affected my ability as of late to apply for a few jobs that had nothing to do with handling any kind of money. Serious answers only please. Thanks.

Answer 1

The answer depends on the state you live in. Some states will automatically expunge misdemeanors, but typically this only applies to juveniles. For adults you typically have to ask and there is no guarantee that they will in fact expunge your record. As an additional note, many crimes can be put on your credit report, you may want to check with the big three credit agencies (Experian, Equifax and Transunion) to ensure your misdemeanor isn't being seen by more people than you're aware of.