For cases which do not qualify for an Expunction under Texas law, there is another option available. 

A nondisclosure is a court order prohibiting public entities, such as courts and police departments, from disclosing certain criminal records to the public. A nondisclosure does not completely remove a criminal arrest from a person’s record, but it will keep the records available only to the courts and law enforcement agencies. 

To qualify for a nondisclosure, a certain criterion MUST be met. You are entitled to file a petition if the following conditions are met:

• You must have been place on deferred adjudicated community supervision (probation)
• You must have successfully completed the deferred adjudicated probation with no violations or revocations
• The court has issued an order of dismissal and discharge on your case
• For a misdemeanor offense, you cannot have any new offenses (arrests) during a period of two (2) years from the date of dismissal
• For felony offenses, you cannot have any new offenses (arrests) during a period of five (5) years from the date of dismissal

Any charge with a finding of Family Violence, does NOT qualify for a nondisclosure. 

It is important to keep and maintain any records regarding an arrest/case, especially if the case was ultimately dismissed. When petitioning for an expunction or nondisclosure, accurate information will be needed. Good record keeping will be extremely beneficial as it will help minimize any potential delays during the petition process. 

You can request copies of court documents via the County and District Clerk offices. Copies of dismissals and discharge documents from probation will be required as part of the petition process.