Guide
Maine Expungement Research Resources
Maine courts can seal some criminal history record information on a motion, under 15 M.R.S. sections 2261 and following. The official Maine sources are listed below.
- Maine Judicial Branch, Sealing Your Criminal RecordCourt self help page on motions to seal
- 15 M.R.S. Section 2262Statutory prerequisites for sealing criminal history record information
This directory is for informational and research use only. Expungement eligibility, waiting periods, filing fees, notice rules, and the effect on background checks can differ significantly depending on the state, offense level, case outcome, and later law changes.
Guide
Sealing a divorce or civil file in Maine
Maine closes the money pages of a divorce by rule and keeps the rest of the file off the internet. Under the Maine Rules of Electronic Court Systems, Rule 7(C)(3) makes divorce, annulment and judicial separation records accessible to the public only at a courthouse, and Rule 7(D)(6) makes the personal financial documents filed in family matters nonpublic: child support affidavits and worksheets, qualified domestic relations orders, financial statements, tax documents, W-2s, pay stubs, bank and account statements and payment histories. Maine Rule of Civil Procedure 108(d)(3) adds that the court shall keep each financial statement and child support affidavit separate from the other papers and shall not permit them to be available for public inspection. None of this requires a motion.
To limit access to anything else, a party moves under MRECS Rule 10, and the court will limit access to a case or a court record if it finds that a reasonable expectation of privacy substantially outweighs the public interest in public access, or the party's interest in access, weighing a person's safety, health or well-being, a person's substantial personal, business or reputational interest and the public's and party's interests in access to the information. Sealed, impounded and nonpublic records are never available remotely. The rules are at courts.maine.gov.
Guide
Research Notes
- Start with the court and the originating agency. Expungement or sealing requests are often handled through the court that heard the case, sometimes with supporting records from police, prosecutors, or corrections agencies.
- Terminology differs by state. Some jurisdictions use terms such as sealing, set-aside, vacatur, dismissal relief, or nondisclosure instead of expungement.
- Verify current law. Eligibility rules can change through legislation or court decisions, so always confirm the current process before relying on older instructions or third-party summaries.
- Understand downstream effects. Even after record relief, treatment of court, police, private-background check, and federal records may differ depending on the system involved.
By state