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DUI expungement and record-relief costs: what clearing a DUI actually costs — where it is possible at all

The first fact about DUI expungement is that for a conviction, much of the country simply does not sell it at any price. Record relief for DUI exists mainly where the case ended without a conviction, or through a different legal mechanism with a narrower effect. This page prices the routes that exist and names the states where the conviction itself is permanent.

Where a DUI conviction cannot be cleared

Florida. A Florida DUI conviction cannot be sealed or expunged. Florida law requires adjudication of guilt on a DUI conviction — the court may not withhold it — and only records without an adjudication of guilt are eligible for sealing or expungement. For arrests that are eligible (for example, a charge that was dismissed), the process starts with a Certificate of Eligibility from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, which costs a $75 processing fee, followed by a court petition whose filing fee is set by the county clerk — Citrus County, as one published example, charges $42.

Texas. Expunction under Chapter 55 of the Code of Criminal Procedure is limited to arrests that did not end in a conviction. A convicted DWI is not eligible. A separate, narrower remedy — an order of nondisclosure — is available for a first-time DWI only in defined circumstances (Gov't Code § 411.0731, including completion of an interlock period), and it seals the record from public disclosure rather than destroying it; government agencies still see it.

Where relief exists, and its price

California — dismissal under Penal Code § 1203.4. A completed DUI probation can be followed by a petition asking the court to withdraw the plea and dismiss the case. Filing fees are set by the county: published county schedules run roughly $60 for a misdemeanor and $120 for a felony (San Diego County's published figures), and fee waivers exist for those who cannot pay. Two limits matter more than the fee: the dismissal does not remove the DUI from your DMV record, where it stays for 10 years, and it still counts as a prior if you are arrested again inside the 10-year window — the second-offense enhancements apply in full.

Arizona — set aside, not expungement. Arizona offers no expungement of a DUI conviction. Under A.R.S. § 13-907, after every term of the sentence is fulfilled you may apply to have the conviction set aside: the judgment is vacated on the record and you are released from the penalties, but the record of the conviction remains visible. There is no state certificate fee comparable to Florida's; the cost is the court process in the county of conviction.

Sources: Florida Statutes §§ 943.0585, 943.059 and § 316.193 (mandatory adjudication); Florida Department of Law Enforcement, Certificate of Eligibility instructions ($75 fee); Citrus County Clerk of Courts fee schedule; California Penal Code § 1203.4; San Diego County expungement fee information; Arizona Revised Statutes § 13-907; Texas Code of Criminal Procedure ch. 55 and Government Code § 411.0731. Checked October 2026.

What lawyers charge to run the process

Because eligibility turns on the exact disposition of your case, many people hire counsel for the petition itself. Published fee guides put flat fees for expungement work at roughly $400 to $2,500 for a straightforward California misdemeanor dismissal, and $750 to $5,000 in Florida for eligible sealing/expungement cases. Those are market prices from published guides, not official fees — and paying them does not change eligibility: if your disposition is a DUI conviction in a state that excludes DUI convictions, no fee reopens the door. If you are quoted a price to "expunge a DUI," the first question is which statute the lawyer would file under — the answer is on this page.