§ 15A-145.8A.  Expunction of records for offenders under the age of 18 at the time of commission of certain misdemeanors and felonies upon completion of the sentence.

(a) A person, the district attorney, or an attorney at the request of a person eligible for expunction under this section, may file, in the court of the county where the person was convicted, a petition for expunction from the person's criminal record of any misdemeanor or Class H or I felony not excluded by subsection (b) of this section if the offense was committed prior to December 1, 2019, and while the person was less than 18 years of age, but at least 16 years of age. The petition shall not be filed until (i) any active sentence, period of probation, and post-release supervision ordered for the offense has been served and (ii) the person has no restitution orders for the offense or outstanding civil judgments representing amounts ordered for restitution for the offense.

(b) An offense is not eligible for expunction under this section if it is (i) a violation of the motor vehicle laws under Chapter 20 of the General Statutes, including any offense involving impaired driving as defined in G.S. 20-4.01(24a) or (ii) an offense requiring registration pursuant to Article 27A of Chapter 14 of the General Statutes, whether or not the person is currently required to register.

(c) If the petition was not filed by the district attorney, the petition shall be served upon the district attorney of the court wherein the case was tried resulting in conviction. The district attorney shall have 30 days thereafter in which to file any objection thereto and shall be duly notified as to the date of the hearing of the petition. The district attorney shall make his or her best efforts to contact the victim, if any, to notify the victim of the request for expunction prior to the date of the hearing. Upon request by the victim, the victim has a right to be present at any hearing on the petition for expunction and the victim's views and concerns shall be considered by the court at such hearing.

(d) If the court, after hearing, finds that (i) the offense was a misdemeanor or Class H or I felony eligible for expunction under this section, (ii) the offense was committed prior to December 1, 2019, and while the person was less than 18 years of age, but at least 16 years of age, (iii) any active sentence, period of probation, and post-release supervision ordered for the offense was completed, and (iv) the person has no restitution orders for the offense or outstanding civil judgments representing amounts ordered for restitution for the offense, the court shall order that the person be restored, in the contemplation of the law, to the status the person occupied before such arrest or indictment or information, and that the record be expunged from the records of the court. A person convicted of multiple offenses shall be eligible to have those convictions expunged pursuant to this section.

(e) Any petition for expunction under this section shall be on a form approved by the Administrative Office of the Courts and shall be filed with the clerk of superior court in the county where the person was convicted. Upon order of expunction, the clerk shall forward the order to the Administrative Office of the Courts.

(f) No person as to whom such order has been entered shall be held thereafter under any provision of any laws to be guilty of perjury or otherwise giving a false statement by reason of that person's failure to recite or acknowledge such arrest, or indictment, information, or trial, or response to any inquiry made of the person for any purpose.

(g) The court shall also order that the conviction be expunged from the records of the court. The court shall direct all law enforcement agencies, the Department of Adult Correction, the Division of Motor Vehicles, and any other State or local government agencies identified by the petitioner as bearing record of the same to expunge their records of the petitioner's conviction. The clerk shall notify State and local agencies of the court's order as provided in G.S. 15A-150.

(h) A person who files a petition for expunction of a criminal record under this section must pay the clerk of superior court a fee of fifty-two dollars and fifty cents ($52.50) at the time the petition is filed. Fees collected under this subsection are payable to the Administrative Office of the Courts. The fee shall be retained by the Administrative Office of the Courts and used to pay the costs of processing petitions for expunctions under this section. This subsection does not apply to petitions filed by an indigent. (2020-35, s. 1(a); 2021-118, s. 2; 2021-180, s. 19C.9(s); 2023-134, s. 19F.4(oo).)