Do criminal charges stop showing up after 7 years in Georgia?

Many people believe that criminal charges don’t show up or can’t be used against you after seven years. There is no Georgia law that erases criminal records after seven years or a law that prevents people from using your criminal record against you after seven years.

Georgia law allows criminal charges to stay on your official record FOREVER unless:

  • They were dismissed after July 2013 
  • They were restricted or sealed
  • They were discharged under the First Offender Act

The 7 year idea comes from the Fair Credit Reporting Act, which requires NON-CONVICTIONS to be removed from a private background check after seven years.

In Georgia, criminal convictions stay on your record forever, unless you get them restricted and sealed or they were discharged under the First Offender Act.

Employers can run backgrounds for 5, 10, even 20 years. There is no law that limits how far back they can go, though old charges are often not relevant to most jobs, so going back too far may be a violation of the Civil Rights Act.

Need to know if you are eligible for restricting or sealing a charge from your record? Call us to get started on your case today!

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DISCLAIMER: THE ABOVE STATEMENTS ARE GENERAL INFORMATION AND THE CIRCUMSTANCES OF YOUR CASE MAY BE DIFFERENT. DEVETTER LAW MAKES NO GUARANTEE OF ANY OUTCOME. THE ABOVE IS NOT LEGAL ADVICE AND NO ATTORNEY-CLIENT RELATIONSHIP IS CREATED BY PROVIDING THIS INFORMATION.

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