You must be a resident of Franklin County, Ohio, and seeking to seal or expunge an Ohio criminal record to receive assistance through Opportunity Port.
To start the process, click here to register.
While the legal assistance provided through Opportunity Port is free, you will be responsible for paying the required filing fee at time of filing.
According to Ohio Revised Code 2953.32 and 2953.33, courts are authorized to charge up to $100 for the filing of applications to seal or expunge records of conviction.
In most circumstances, there is no filing fee for applications to seal or expungement criminal records of non-conviction (dismissed cases).
Another option to cover the filing fee is a poverty affidavit. Poverty affidavits must be notarized and are reviewed by the court. If an affidavit is approved, the court will waive the filing fee.
Opportunity Port partners with legal help organizations to work with Franklin County residents seeking criminal record sealing and expungement application assistance. These legal help organizations are called service providers.
Opportunity Port’s service providers are the Legal Aid of Southeast and Central Ohio and The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law.
At the end of the registration form, you can select which service provider you want to work with to complete your criminal record sealing and expungement applications.
Please note that providers offer different levels of service and may have income requirements.
Criminal record sealing and expungement laws are tricky! That’s why Opportunity Port was created. Our service providers can help you better understand these laws and complete the court process (see “How long will it take to receive assistance once I register?”).
If you wish to read more about Ohio’s criminal record sealing and expungement laws, you can check out our page containing information from the Ohio Justice & Policy Center.
Disclaimer: Opportunity Port is not a law firm, therefore the information shared on our website about criminal record sealing and expungement is not legal advice.
A representative from the service provider you select to work with will reach out via phone, text, or email within 24-48 hours to confirm your interest in receiving assistance and provide next steps.
Currently, service times range from 4-6 weeks and can vary depending on the complexity of your criminal record and your responsiveness.
Once you are assisted by an Opportunity Port service provider and applications are filed, the court takes an additional 45-90 days to schedule a court hearing. It can take an additional 2-3 weeks for the court’s system to reflect any changes to your criminal record.
For your application(s) to be considered, you are required to attend any hearing that is scheduled by the court(s).
Some courts may allow applicants to attend their hearings remotely using a video conferencing tool, such as Zoom. Court policies regarding remote hearings vary. Therefore, a remote hearing may not be an option for all criminal record sealing and expungement applicants.
“Sealing” and “expungement” are sometimes used to mean the same thing, but they are not the same.
When a criminal record is sealed, a very short list of individuals have access to the record. At the very least, the court will keep the record on file, but the general public cannot access it.
When a record is expunged, an even shorter list of individuals have access to the record. In this instance, a court will delete the record so that neither it nor the general public can access it.
Ohio Revised Code determines who has access to sealed records and who has access to expunged records.
If you have criminal cases that are eligible, a service provider will complete a record sealing or expungement application for submission to the court.
If you have criminal cases that are NOT eligible, the service provider will discuss your record relief options.
Most people have a mix of cases that are and are not eligible. The service provider will assist you accordingly.
After you register and connect with a service provider, they will use whatever information you provide to track down your criminal cases.
If, while tracking down your criminal cases, the service provider finds additional cases that appear to belong to you, the service provider will review those cases with you.
The attorneys, staff members, and supervised affiliates of the service provider you choose will be able to see any information entered into Opportunity Port.
Opportunity Port is managed by the Drug Enforcement and Policy Center (DEPC) at The Ohio State University. DEPC is responsible for producing reports on the program’s activities and impact. To do this, a limited number of DEPC staff will also have access to your information.
DEPC abides by The Ohio State University Office of Research policy. Any research done using Opportunity Port data must be approved by the Institutional Review Board and reports written about Opportunity Port users will not contain any identifiable personal details.
The staff of DEPC uses Opportunity Port data to produce reports on the program’s activities and to improve Opportunity Port services.
DEPC abides by The Ohio State University Office of Research policy.
Any research done using Opportunity Port data must be approved by the Institutional Review Board and reports written about Opportunity Port users will not contain any identifiable personal details.