Clean Slate Virginia in the Media

RICHMOND — A new “clean slate” law set to take effect next year will shield some past crimes from public viewing.

Advocates say that matters for people whose convictions haunt them for years after they’ve served their time. And legal experts say there’s much to be done to prepare for the influx of people who will want to have their previous convictions sealed.

Clean Slate Virginia leads the conversation on criminal record sealing by hosting Virginia is for Second Chances – a panel discussion featuring Virginia legislators, court clerk, Commonwealth Attorneys and key stakeholders in the implementation of the Clean Slate Law.

Recently approved legislation will allow certain criminal convictions to be sealed from public view for the first time in Virginia’s history. But the bill passed by the General Assembly during the winter session creates significantalterations to the original record-sealing proposal.

*This article was written prior to the completion of the 2025 legislative session. The new effective date for these laws will be July 1, 2026.

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Beginning Jan. 1, 2026, a transformative Virginia law will allow certain criminal convictions to be sealed from public view.

Virginia’s Clean Slate Law represents a monumental shift in our approach to criminal justice and allows people currently burdened with a criminal record to earn a deserved second chance. For the first time ever in Virginia, eligible criminal convictions can be sealed, allowing people a fresh start to pursue better employment, housing and even education.

*This article was written prior to the completion of the 2025 legislative session. The new effective date for these laws will be July 1, 2026.

RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — A law that would seal certain criminal convictions, making them not available to the public, is no longer going into effect this July, as previously planned.

The bill was first passed in 2021 — as Senate Bill 1339 and House Bill 2113 — but lawmakers have decided to delay its start date. Records eligible to be sealed won’t be until Jan. 1, 2026, rather than July 1.

View the article here.

*This article was written prior to the completion of the 2025 legislative session. The new effective date for these laws will be July 1, 2026.

Effective July 1, 2025, the Clean Slate laws will seal certain criminal records, meaning they will no longer be publicly accessible. George Townsend, attorney and founder of the Clean Slate Virginia law firm, said most misdemeanors can be sealed, with the exception of DUIs and domestic assault. Class five and class six felonies will also
be eligible for sealing and those punished like grand larceny.

*This article was written prior to the completion of the 2025 legislative session. The new effective date for these laws will be July 1, 2026.