The sad thing is, though, that no matter how many Washington expungement lawyers you talk to, they are all going to tell you the same thing - Washington State DUIs are not expungeable or vacatable. You cannot expunge or vacate a DUI from your record in Washington State. Period.
The rules regarding this are controlled by statute. RCW 9.96.060(2)(c) clearly states:
An applicant may not have the record of conviction for a misdemeanor or gross misdemeanor offense vacated if any one of the following is present: (c) The offense was a violation of RCW 46.61.502 (driving while under the influence), 46.61.504 (actual physical control while under the influence), or 9.91.020 (operating a railroad, etc. while intoxicated);Sadly this means you can never have a DUI conviction vacated or expunged (though you may be able to have a lesser crime pled to in lieu of a DUI (reckless driving or negligent driving 1st degree) if you can convince the judge to do it).
There are a couple of reasons for this, though they are probably of no relevance to you. First, misdemeanor convictions are expungeable after 3 years have elapsed since your criminal case was complete. But, with DUIs, they must remain on your record for at least 7 years, since that is the time period within which a previous DUI may be used against you. Most judges are remiss to vacate a DUI conviction because they want it to be visible on a criminal history if you EVER get in trouble. But that doesn't mean your Washington expungement lawyer can't give it a shot. If we can show there is a great hardship because of this on your record, it is possible that it might get expunged.
In the end, sadly, the answer generally to this question is no. But you can't know for sure. If you think you may qualify to have your DUI or other criminal conviction expunged, call a Washington expungement lawyer. They can take a look at your specific situation and give you an analysis of your eligibility.
