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HB0187 • 2026

Criminal Procedure - Expungement - No Finding and Case Terminated Without Finding

Criminal Procedure - Expungement - No Finding and Case Terminated Without Finding

Crime
Enacted

This bill passed the Legislature and reached final enactment based on the latest official action.

Sponsor
Delegate Taylor
Last action
2026-05-12
Official status
Approved by the Governor - Chapter 466
Effective date
2026-10-01

Plain English Breakdown

The official source material does not provide specific details on how cases are handled when they are part of larger sets of charges with mixed outcomes.

Expungement for Cases Without a Finding

This law allows people to file a petition with the court to remove certain criminal records if their case ended without a guilty verdict or was dismissed.

What This Bill Does

  • Allows someone to file a request with the court to erase police, court, and other government records related to cases that were closed without finding them guilty of a crime.

Who It Names or Affects

  • People who have had cases dismissed without finding them guilty
  • Courts and government agencies that keep records

Terms To Know

Expungement
The process of removing criminal records from public view.
No Finding Designation
A court decision where the case is closed without a guilty verdict.

Limits and Unknowns

  • Does not apply if someone has been convicted of another crime during the waiting period.
  • The law only applies to certain types of criminal cases as listed in the bill.

Amendments

These notes stay tied to the official amendment files and metadata from the legislature.

983028/1

None

Favorable with Amendments { 983028/1 Adopted

Plain English: AMENDMENTS TO HOUSE BILL 187 (Third Reading File Bill) AMENDMENT NO.

  • AMENDMENTS TO HOUSE BILL 187 (Third Reading File Bill) AMENDMENT NO.
  • 1 On page 1, in line 4, strike the second “the” and substitute “ a person to file a petition for”; strike in their entirety lines 8 through 12, inclusive; in line 15, strike “10– 110(d)” and substitute “ 10–110(a)”; and strike in their entirety lines 18 through 21, inclusive.
  • On page 2, strike line 1 in its entirety.
  • AMENDMENT NO.

Bill History

  1. 2026-05-12 Post Passage

    Approved by the Governor - Chapter 466

  2. 2026-04-08 Senate

    Favorable with Amendments Report by Judicial Proceedings

  3. 2026-03-24 House

    House Concurs Senate Amendments

  4. 2026-03-24 House

    Third Reading Passed (132-0)

  5. 2026-03-24 House

    Passed Enrolled

  6. 2026-03-21 Senate

    Third Reading Passed (41-0)

  7. 2026-03-19 Senate

    Favorable with Amendments { 983028/1 Adopted

  8. 2026-03-19 Senate

    Second Reading Passed with Amendments

  9. 2026-03-16 House

    Favorable Report by Judiciary

  10. 2026-03-05 House

    Third Reading Passed (133-0)

  11. 2026-03-03 Senate

    Referred Judicial Proceedings

  12. 2026-03-02 House

    Favorable Adopted Second Reading Passed

  13. 2026-01-29 House

    Hearing 3/03 at 1:00 p.m.

  14. 2026-01-14 House

    First Reading Judiciary

  15. 2025-09-15 House

    Pre-filed

  16. Maryland General Assembly

    Text - First - Criminal Procedure - Expungement - No Finding and Case Terminated Without Finding

  17. Maryland General Assembly

    Text - Racial Equity Impact Note

  18. Maryland General Assembly

    Vote - House - Committee - Judiciary

  19. Maryland General Assembly

    Text - Third - Criminal Procedure - Expungement - No Finding and Case Terminated Without Finding

  20. Maryland General Assembly

    Vote - Senate - Committee - Judicial Proceedings

  21. Maryland General Assembly

    Text - Enrolled - Criminal Procedure - Expungement - No Finding and Case Terminated Without Finding

  22. Maryland General Assembly

    Text - Chapter - Criminal Procedure - Expungement - No Finding and Case Terminated Without Finding

Official Summary Text

Authorizing a person to file a petition for expungement of a disposition under a certain provision of law if the disposition was included in a case that was disposed of by the court with a no finding designation or designated by the court as having been terminated without finding.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text
EXPLANATION: CAPITALS INDICATE MATTER ADDED TO EXISTING LAW.
[Brackets] indicate matter deleted from existing law.
Underlining indicates amendments to bill.
Strike out indicates matter stricken from the bill by amendment or deleted from the law by
amendment.
Italics indicate opposite chamber/conference committee amendments.
*hb0187*

HOUSE BILL 187
E2 (6lr0845)
ENROLLED BILL
— Judiciary/Judicial Proceedings —
Introduced by Delegate Taylor

Read and Examined by Proofreaders:

_______________________________________________
Proofreader.
_______________________________________________
Proofreader.

Sealed with the Great Seal and presented to the Governor, for his approval this

_______ day of _______________ at _________________ _______ o’clock, ________M.

______________________________________________
Speaker.

CHAPTER ______

AN ACT concerning 1

Criminal Procedure – Expungement – No Finding and Case Terminated Without 2
Finding 3

FOR the purpose of authorizing the a person to file a petition for expungement of a 4
disposition under a certain provision of law if the disposition was included in a case 5
that was disposed of by the court with a no finding designation or designated by the 6
court as having been terminated without findin g; and generally relating to 7
expungement. 8

BY repealing and reenacting, without amendments, 9
Article – Criminal Procedure 10
Section 10–110(a) 11
Annotated Code of Maryland 12
(2025 Replacement Volume) 13

2 HOUSE BILL 187

BY repealing and reenacting, with amendments, 1
Article – Criminal Procedure 2
Section 10–110(d) 10–110(a) 3
Annotated Code of Maryland 4
(2025 Replacement Volume) 5

BY adding to 6
Article – Criminal Procedure 7
Section 10–110(j) 8
Annotated Code of Maryland 9
(2025 Replacement Volume) 10

SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 11
That the Laws of Maryland read as follows: 12

Article – Criminal Procedure 13

10–110. 14

(a) A person may file a petition listing relevant facts for expungement of a police 15
record, court record, or other record maintained by the St ate or a political subdivision of 16
the State if the person is convicted of: 17

(1) a misdemeanor that is a violation of: 18

(i) § 6–320 of the Alcoholic Beverages and Cannabis Article; 19

(ii) an offense listed in § 17–613(a) of the Business Occupations and 20
Professions Article; 21

(iii) § 5–712, § 19–304, § 19–308, or Title 5, Subtitle 6 or Subtitle 9 of 22
the Business Regulation Article; 23

(iv) § 3–1508 or § 10–402 of the Courts Article; 24

(v) § 14 –1915, § 14 –2902, or § 14 –2903 of the Commercial Law 25
Article; 26

(vi) § 5–211 of this article; 27

(vii) § 3–203 or § 3–808 of the Criminal Law Article; 28

(viii) § 5 –601 not involving the use or possession of cannabis, § 29
5–602(b)(1), § 5–618, § 5–619, § 5–620, § 5–703, § 5–708, or § 5 –902 of the Criminal Law 30
Article; 31

HOUSE BILL 187 3

(ix) § 6–105, § 6 –108, § 6 –205 (fourth degree burglary), § 6 –206, § 1
6–301, § 6–303, § 6–306, § 6–307, § 6–402, or § 6–503 of the Criminal Law Article; 2

(x) § 7–104, § 7 –203, § 7 –205, § 7 –304, § 7 –308, or § 7 –309 of the 3
Criminal Law Article; 4

(xi) § 8–103, § 8–106, § 8–204, § 8–206, § 8–401, § 8–402, § 8–404, § 5
8–406, § 8–408, § 8–503, § 8–521, § 8–523, or § 8–904 of the Criminal Law Article; 6

(xii) § 9–204, § 9–205, § 9–503, or § 9–506 of the Criminal Law Article; 7

(xiii) § 10 –110, § 10 –201, § 10 –402, § 10 –404, or § 10 –502 of the 8
Criminal Law Article; 9

(xiv) § 11–303, § 11–306, or § 11–307 of the Criminal Law Article; 10

(xv) § 12–102, § 12 –103, § 12 –104, § 12 –105, § 12 –109, § 12 –203, § 11
12–204, § 12–205, or § 12–302 of the Criminal Law Article; 12

(xvi) § 13–401, § 13–602, or § 16–201 of the Election Law Article; 13

(xvii) § 4–509 of the Family Law Article; 14

(xviii) § 18–215 of the Health – General Article; 15

(xix) § 4–411 or § 4–2005 of the Housing and Community Development 16
Article; 17

(xx) § 27–403, § 27–404, § 27–405, § 27–406, § 27–406.1, § 27–407, § 18
27–407.1, or § 27–407.2 of the Insurance Article; 19

(xxi) § 8–725.4, § 8–725.5, § 8–725.6, § 8–725.7, § 8–726, § 8–726.1, § 20
8–727.1, or § 8–738.2 of the Natural Resources Article or any prohibited act related to speed 21
limits for personal watercraft; 22

(xxii) § 10 –301, § 10 –306, § 10 –308.1, § 10 –413(e)(1), § 10 –418, § 23
10–502, § 10–611, or § 10–907(a) of the Natural Resources Article; 24

(xxiii) § 5 –307, § 5 –308, § 6 –602, § 7 –402, or § 14 –114 of the Public 25
Safety Article; 26

(xxiv) § 7–318.1, § 7–509, or § 10–507 of the Real Property Article; 27

(xxv) § 9–124 of the State Government Article; 28

(xxvi) § 13 –1001, § 13 –1004, § 13 –1007, or § 13 –1024 of the 29
Tax – General Article; 30
4 HOUSE BILL 187

(xxvii) § 16–101 or § 16–303 of the Transportation Article; or 1

(xxviii) the common law offenses of affray, rioting, criminal 2
contempt, battery, or hindering; 3

(2) a felony that is a violation of: 4

(i) § 7–104 of the Criminal Law Article; 5

(ii) the prohibition against possession with intent to distribute a 6
controlled dangerous substance under § 5–602 of the Criminal Law Article; or 7

(iii) § 6–202(a), § 6–203, or § 6–204 of the Criminal Law Article; or 8

(3) an attempt, a conspiracy, or a solicitation of any offense listed in item 9
(1) or (2) of this subsection; OR 10

(4) AN OFFENSE LISTED IN ITEM (1), (2), OR (3) OF THIS SUBSECTION 11
WHERE A REMAINING CHARGE WAS: 12

(I) DISPOSED OF BY A COU RT WITH A NO FINDING 13
DESIGNATION; OR 14

(II) INCLUDED IN A CASE THAT WAS DESIGNATED BY A COURT AS 15
HAVING BEEN TERMINATED WITHOUT FINDING. 16

(d) (1) If the person is convicted of a new crime during the applicable time 17
period set forth in subsection (c) of this section, the original conviction or convictions are 18
not eligible for expungement unless the new conviction becomes eligible for expungement. 19

(2) A person is not eligible for expungement if the person is a defendant in 20
a pending criminal proceeding. 21

(3) [If] SUBJECT TO SUBSECTION (J) OF THIS SECTION, IF a person is 22
not eligible for expungement of one conviction in a unit, the person is not eligible for 23
expungement of any other conviction in the unit. 24

(J) A DISPOSITION MAY BE E XPUNGED UNDER THIS S ECTION IF THE CASE 25
WAS NOT DISPOSED OF BY AN UN EQUIVOCAL CONVICTION BUT WAS INSTEAD 26
INCLUDED IN A CASE THAT WAS: 27

(1) DISPOSED OF BY THE C OURT WITH A NO FINDI NG DESIGNATION; 28
OR 29

HOUSE BILL 187 5

(2) DESIGNATED BY THE CO URT AS HAVING BEEN T ERMINATED 1
WITHOUT FINDING. 2

SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect 3
October 1, 2026. 4

Approved:
________________________________________________________________________________
Governor.
________________________________________________________________________________
Speaker of the House of Delegates.
________________________________________________________________________________
President of the Senate.