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Expunge Your Convictions. Get a Fresh Start.


In Montana, you can successfully expunge a misdemeanor or a marijuana felony conviction with the help of an experienced lawyer. A successful expungement helps you put your past behind you. You won’t have to worry about your record coming back to haunt you on...

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Background Checks

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Firearm ownership & Hunting Opportunities


Don’t Forget: Your criminal record can prevent you from owning a gun or being able to legally hunt in Montana. An expungement in Montana could clear your record and allow you to restore your hunting and gun ownership rights!



Ready For a Fresh Start? The Judnich Law Office Can Help.




The Expungement Process: What to Expect

In order to pursue an expungement for all misdemeanor convictions in Montana:

  1. You must have never previously attempted expungement in Montana before.

  2. 5 years must have passed since you completed the terms of the sentence for the last conviction you are attempting to expunge, and you cannot have additional criminal convictions after the conviction you are trying to expunge. The more time that has passed, the more likely your Montana expungements will be successful.

  3. You must pay for and file a misdemeanor expungement petition in District Court which has very specific legal requirements. To do this right you NEED the help of an experienced Montana expungement lawyer. Some expungements are “presumed” to be granted by the Court, and others are “not presumed” and are more difficult. Correct legal categorization and court pleadings are vital to success.


  4. If a victim was involved, the victim will be contacted and asked for their input.

After Your Expungement

When your expungement is successful, your misdemeanor court convictions on your official record will be removed. In addition, all court records and notes relating to your misdemeanor, including court records will be sealed.

There will be no record that you were ever arrested, charged, convicted, or sentenced.


You only get one chance to expunge your record. If denied, you can never attempt to expunge it again in the future.

The Montana Expungement Lawyers at Judnich Law Office has a success rate exceeding 99%.

Find Out If You’re Eligible For an Expungement in Less Than 2 Minutes.

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Or Call: (406) 721-3354


Felony-Level Marijuana-Related Convictions


A new Montana law now allows any Felony conviction for a marijuana-related offense to be either expunged from your record, or “redesignated” from a felony to a misdemeanor, or civil infraction.

Convictions that are eligible for this type of records expungement/redesignation are:

  • Criminal Possession of Dangerous Drugs (marijuana)
  • Criminal Possession of Dangerous Drugs with Intent to distribute (marijuana)
  • Criminal Distribution of Dangerous Drugs (marijuana)
  • Criminal Production or Manufacture of Dangerous Drugs (marijuana)

Felony level expungement/redesignation of marijuana convictions is somewhat different from the misdemeanor expungement process. Below are a couple of the differences:

  • No waiting period - you can file the petition at any time after conviction
  • No presumed or not presumed - every petition is categorized the same
  • Additional convictions are irrelevant - It doesn’t matter if you have additional criminal convictions after the felony level conviction you are trying to expunge.
  • No victim contact requirements.

In addition to the above differences, a significant challenge for the felony level expungement/redesignation is figuring out what type of petition you are filing with the court.

These Felony level convictions can have three (3) different outcomes:

  • A felony conviction can be “expunged” which is removed from your public record
  • A felony conviction can be redesignated to a misdemeanor conviction
  • A felony conviction can be redesignated to a civil infraction

Each of the three options for a felony conviction has its own benefits and differences in terms of what you are asking the court to do and involves different chances of success before the Court.

These important legal strategies and knowledge of the court judicial system are vital to a petition’s success. We urge anyone looking to expunge a felony-level conviction to hire an experienced attorney that has significant experience filing these petitions so that you are not wasting your time and money if mistakes are made.


Expungement FAQ


What Convictions Can Be Expunged in Montana?
Felony-level marijuana crimes and any misdemeanor conviction can be expunged in Montana.

Can a DUI Be Expunged?
Yes, but any DUI conviction is considered “not presumed” and will be looked at very closely by the courts and are more challenging. The court will look at:

  • The amount of time that has passed since your offense, conviction, and sentencing. Remember the 5-year minimum is just that- a minimum.
  • How likely you are to re-offend. The more you can show you’ve turned your life around, the more likely your expungement will be granted.

How Much Does an Expungement Cost?
At Judnich Law Office, our Montana expungement team charges a minimum of $1,200 per Misdemeanor case to be expunged if no hearing is required. If you want to expunge multiple convictions (you can expunge your entire record!), our firm will create a custom discounted bundle price depending on how many convictions/felonies you want expunged. 

Montana Felony Marijuana-related Expungement/Redesignation Petitions are $2,500 per case to be expunged. An additional $1,000 hearing fee is required in the unlikely event of an in-court hearing being required for any of your Montana expungements.

Questions about our fees? Call us at (406) 721-3354.

Do I Have to Go to Court?
Typically the answer is No.  The vast majority of expungement petitions are resolved via paperwork filings and no hearing is held, so no court appearances are necessary. However, the courts have the ability to hold hearings on these petitions, so it is possible that a court could hold a hearing on any petition, but in our experience, that does not happen very often.

What Do I Have to Do?
Our office handles everything and will send you any paperwork we need you to complete for the process. We can obtain all the paperwork and provide you with everything you need to successfully expunge your prior conviction.

Why Should I Get an Expungement?
For most people, the biggest reasons for pursuing an expungement are simple: some convictions can be problematic with employment, housing, restoring gun and hunting rights, as well as just social stigma. In addition, if you want to expunge traffic offenses, you may be able to significantly lower your car insurance premiums by wiping the slate clean!


Expungement Recent Cases:


Julie C.  Missoula County – Expunged DUI conviction.

James S. Yellowstone County – Felony Marijuana conviction expunged.

Roger B.   Valley County – Expunged Partner Family Member Assault conviction.

Kevin C.  Yellowstone County – Expunged Disorderly conduct conviction.

Eric J. Missoula County – Expunged Careless Driving; Speeding, Following Too Closely; No Registration; no headlight convictions. 

Harry D. Missoula County – Expunged Reckless Driving & Refusal convictions.

Harold D. Gallatin County – Expunged Partner or Family Member Assault conviction.

Earl F. Lewis & Clark County – Expunged Partner or Family Member Assault conviction.

David M. Ravalli County – Expunged DUI Per Se conviction.

Rayson G. Missoula County – Expunged Partner Family Member Assault conviction.

David P. Lewis & Clark County – Expunged DUI conviction.

Mary H. Park County – Expunged DUI conviction.

Dusty H. Silver Bow County – Expunged Partner or Family Member Assault conviction.

Dusty H. Silver Bow County – Expunged Partner or Family Member Assault conviction.

Norman H. Missoula County – Expunged Partner or Family Member Assault conviction.

Rick J. Cascade County – Expunged Negligent Endangerment conviction.

Montana Expungement Resources From the Experts at Judnich Law


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Until recently, marijuana felonies and misdemeanors in Montana couldn’t be expunged. Now a criminal record expungement can have public records of your offense destroyed…

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Read our Montana expungement guide and learn how to remove an old criminal conviction from your permanent record and destroy all investigation and paperwork...
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