Vacating a Criminal Record

If you have been convicted of a misdemeanor or a gross misdemeanor in Zillah Municipal Court, you may be eligible to have that conviction vacated. When you vacate a conviction you are not removing that charge from your criminal history, rather you are removing the conviction only. After a conviction has been vacated, the charge may still appear in any background checks performed on you. 

While there are no court costs associated with vacating a conviction, however a court appearance is mandatory. These hearings are scheduled on the Court's monthly calendar the second Wednesday of the month. Zillah Municipal Court cannot vacate a conviction from another court. For additional information about Vacating, Sealing or Expunging your record click here.  

Process OverviewListed below is a brief overview of the process:

1. Complete a “Motion for Order Vacating Conviction” form.
2. Attach to the motion, your current Criminal History Information from both the Washington State Patrol and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, along with original fingerprint cards from both agencies; there will be monetary charges for these services by both agencies.
3. If you were placed on probation as a result of the conviction you are seeking to vacate, you must also file a certification from District Court Probation Services (509-574-1860) and attach to your motion.
4. Once you have obtained all the appropriate supporting documents and your motion is completed, you must file it with Zillah Municipal Court.
5. You should bring at least two copies of all your documents.
6. You will be given a hearing date and time, and you will complete your Notice of Hearing with that information.
7. You must serve a copy of the Motion with supporting documents and the Notice of Hearing upon the Prosecuting Attorney for the City of Zillah at least 14 days before the scheduled hearing.
8. You must appear at the scheduled court appearance.
9. The judge will review your Motion and advise you of his/her decision.