Can a charge of Underage Drinking be expunged from the records?
State College Underage Drinking Charge Expungement Attorney
Generally, a charge of Underage Drinking can be expunged under two circumstances:
- expungement of “non-conviction” information, meaning charges have been dismissed, withdrawn, or the person was found not guilty
- expungement of convictions and guilty pleas of Underage Drinking after the person has turned 21-years-old
Expungement of Dismissed Charges
As an attorney near Penn State University, I see many cases in which students and parents mistakenly think that a charge that is dismissed or withdrawn is removed from government records. 
That is simply not the case. The only way to have records destroyed and removed from government databases is via an expungement. Non-conviction information will be moved to “limited access,” which means not publicly accessible, but the information still remains in the government databases. If the person got into trouble again, the police, prosecutor, and judge could see the prior offense and hold it against the person. It is important to go through the expungement process to have records of an incident destroyed. For more information about the expungement process, click here.
Expungement of Underage Drinking Conviction
If a person is convicted or pled guilty to Underage Drinking, expungement of the conviction is possible after the person turns 21. Not only is such an expungement possible, the law actually states that a person is entitled to an expungment, but that does not mean that this happens automatically. Instead, an expungement petition must be filed in the county in which the case was filed.
If you want to have an experienced expungement attorney review your case to see if you qualify for an expungement or the sealing of your Pennsylvania criminal record, contact our office via email or by leaving a message at (814) 689-9139.