Michigan Expungement Cost Breakdown: Filing Fees, Fingerprints, and Attorney Prices

Common Costs and Required Fee

A standard MC 227 petition includes a $50 MSP background-check processing fee. The separate MC 227a marijuana process has no filing fee. Other common costs depend on record retrieval and local services.

For MC 227, the $50 MSP processing fee is the required state charge. Fingerprinting, certified copies, mailing, and notarization add costs that depend on local providers. A separate $10 ICHAT search or $30 MSP Personal Records Check can be used to verify status but is not itself the petition fee. The MC 227a marijuana application has no filing fee.

MC 227 applications have no direct court filing fee. Local document and copy costs may vary; Form MC 20 can be used to request a waiver of eligible court costs. The $50 MSP processing fee is mandatory and cannot be waived by the court.

Fee Waiver for Indigent Filers

SCAO Form MC 20 (Fee Waiver Request, revised January 2026) allows individuals to request waiver of court-imposed fees — certified copy charges, local document fees, and any residual court costs. The request is based on indigence.

For a standard MC 227 petition, the waiver does not cover the $50 MSP background-check fee. That payment is a state-mandated processing charge, not a court fee, and must be paid regardless of financial situation. No fee is charged for filing MC 227a.

Per-Petition Math for Multiple Convictions

Each convicting court requires its own separate petition. For standard MC 227 applications, a person with convictions in Wayne County District Court and Oakland County Circuit Court files two applications, serves two sets of copies, pays two $50 MSP fees, and potentially obtains two certified copies and two fingerprint cards.

For standard MC 227 applications across three courts, budget for three $50 MSP processing fees plus the local fingerprinting, certified-copy, and mailing costs for each application. The separate MC 227a marijuana process has no filing fee.

The "One Bad Night" transactional rule (MCL 780.621b) can reduce this. Multiple convictions arising from a single transaction within a continuous 24-hour period can be bundled into one petition. This rule does not apply to assaultive crimes, crimes involving the use or possession of a dangerous weapon, or offenses carrying a maximum penalty of 10 or more years.

Attorney Costs

Private expungement attorneys in Michigan charge flat fees ranging from $1,500 to $5,000 per petition. The range depends on:

• Complexity of the record (single vs. multiple convictions, single vs. multiple courts)
• Whether the prosecutor is likely to file objections
• County-specific practices (some counties have more contested hearings)
• Whether the case involves an OWI or other special-category offense

Many straightforward single-conviction petitions — especially non-serious misdemeanors with no prosecutor opposition — can be handled pro se without attorney fees, though fingerprinting, certified copies, mailing, and notarization add local costs.

Free Alternatives

Michigan offers several no-cost options for eligible residents:

• Michigan Legal Help (michiganlegalhelp.org): free interactive forms, instructions, and self-help tools for straightforward cases
• Project Clean Slate (City of Detroit): free expungement assistance for Detroit residents
• Oakland County Clean Slate Program: free services for Oakland County residents
• Volunteer expungement clinics: periodic free events organized by local bar associations and legal aid organizations

These programs generally handle standard, single-jurisdiction cases. Complex records with multi-county filings, federal overlap, or contested OWI applications may fall outside their scope.

The Automatic Alternative

If a conviction meets the Clean Slate automatic sealing criteria, the cost is $0. For eligible felonies and misdemeanors punishable by 93 days or more, a new conviction recorded in the MSP database during the wait blocks set-aside, and a pending charge in that database also blocks set-aside while pending. The system runs without a petition, court filing, or fee.

Verify whether your record has already been automatically sealed by running an ICHAT search ($10) before starting the petition process.

The Michigan Expungement & Record Sealing Guide includes a cost calculator worksheet and step-by-step instructions for the entire filing process — from record retrieval to background check disputes after the order is granted.

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