Louisiana Juvenile Expungement: How to Seal a Juvenile Record

Juvenile Records Are Not Uniformly Sealed at 18

A common misconception is that juvenile records in Louisiana disappear when you turn 18. They are not uniformly sealed at 18: some categories are expunged automatically or may be expunged after conditions are met, while other records require a petition. While juvenile proceedings are handled differently than adult cases — they are adjudications rather than convictions, heard in juvenile court rather than criminal court — records not already expunged may remain on file with the clerk of court, the arresting agency, and the Louisiana State Police.

Juvenile records are not disseminated as a criminal background check to anyone outside the criminal justice system, but authorized criminal-justice or other legally permitted processes can still access them.

Eligibility for Juvenile Expungement

Louisiana provides expungement for juvenile records under the Children's Code (Title VII) and related provisions. The eligibility rules differ from adult expungement in important ways:

Informal adjustments and counseling dispositions. A juvenile matter that did not result in adjudication may be expunged and sealed at any time; depending on the case, records may already be expunged under automatic rules.

Adjudications of delinquency. For an adjudication other than murder, manslaughter, a sex offense requiring registration, kidnapping, or armed robbery, the juvenile court must have ceased to exercise jurisdiction under Article 313. The applicant must also have no adult criminal-court felony conviction, no adult criminal-court misdemeanor conviction against a person involving a firearm, and no pending indictment or bill of information.

Dismissed or refused cases. Juvenile records and reports from a delinquency matter that did not result in adjudication may be expunged and sealed at any time under Children's Code Article 918; the adult Article 976 pathway does not govern juvenile records.

Serious offenses. For murder, manslaughter, a registrable sex offense, kidnapping, or armed robbery, a petition may be filed after juvenile jurisdiction ends and five years have elapsed since the most recent judgment was satisfied, subject to the adult-conviction and pending-charge conditions above.

Fee Exemptions for Juveniles

One of the most significant differences between juvenile and adult expungement is cost. While adult expungement carries a standard $550 filing fee, several juvenile categories qualify for complete fee exemptions:

Juvenile drug court graduates. Juveniles who successfully completed a certified juvenile drug court program are exempt from all filing and processing fees. This includes the State Police fee, Clerk of Court fee, DA fee, and Sheriff fee.

Trafficking victims. Juvenile trafficking-victim relief is governed by Children's Code Article 923, which covers specified prostitution and solicitation adjudications after completion of the disposition and requires proof that the conduct resulted from trafficking.

Indigency. Under Children's Code Article 924(B), the court may waive other fees and costs and must do so upon finding the applicant indigent.

The Process

Filing for juvenile expungement follows a similar mechanical process to adult expungement, with some differences in the court venue and forms:

1. Obtain records. Request your juvenile records from the parish where the adjudication occurred. Contact the Clerk of Court's juvenile division and the Louisiana State Police BCII for your state-level juvenile record.

2. Determine eligibility. Verify that the offense category is eligible, any required waiting period has elapsed, and there are no subsequent adjudications or adult convictions that would disqualify you.

3. Prepare the petition. Use the Children's Code Article 925 juvenile expungement form; contact the juvenile division of your parish clerk's office for local filing instructions.

4. File and serve. File with the court possessing the records or the court exercising juvenile jurisdiction over the arresting agency. Serve the DA, the clerk whose records are sought, and each agency whose records are sought, including LSP BCII and local law enforcement.

5. Allow time for objections. Any person or agency may object; if an objection is filed, a contradictory hearing is required.

6. Obtain the order. If no objection is filed (or if you prevail at a hearing), the judge signs the order and the agencies seal their records.

Juvenile Records and Adult Consequences

If you committed an offense as a juvenile but were tried as an adult — through transfer or certification to adult court — the adult conviction rules apply, not the juvenile rules. This matters because adult convictions carry different eligibility criteria, longer waiting periods, and the full $550 filing fee.

Also be aware that while juvenile adjudications are not "convictions" under Louisiana state law, a federal or military process may apply its own rules. Get specialized advice before relying on the state classification for immigration, enlistment, or firearms questions.

Taking Action

If you have a juvenile record in Louisiana that is interfering with your adult life — showing up on background checks, creating complications for professional licensing, or just sitting there as an unresolved piece of your past — filing for expungement is straightforward and often cheaper than the adult process.

For adults who also have juvenile records, it may make sense to expunge both the juvenile and adult records simultaneously. Each requires a separate petition, but they can be filed in parallel.

The Louisiana Expungement & Record Sealing Guide focuses primarily on adult expungement but covers the key differences in juvenile filing requirements and fee exemptions.

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