§ 55A.256 — APPLICATION FOR EXPUNCTION BASED ON MISTAKEN IDENTITY.

Texas § 55A.256

• Jurisdiction: Texas
• Code CR: Code of Criminal Procedure

Text

Art. 55A.256. APPLICATION FOR EXPUNCTION BASED ON MISTAKEN IDENTITY. (a) A person who is entitled to the expunction of information contained in records and files under Article 55A.006 may file an application for expunction with the attorney representing the state in the prosecution of felonies in the county in which:
(1) the person resides; or
(2) the offense was alleged to have occurred.
(b) The application must be verified, include authenticated fingerprint records of the applicant, and include the following or an explanation for why one or more of the following is not included:
(1) the applicant's:
(A) full name;
(B) sex;
(C) race;
(D) date of birth;
(E) driver's license number;
(F) social security number; and
(G) address at the time of the applicable arrest;
(2) the following information regarding the arrest:
(A) the date of arrest;
(B) the offense charged against the person arrested;
(C) the name of the county or municipality in which the arrest occurred; and
(D) the name of the arresting agency; and
(3) a statement, as appropriate, that the applicant:
(A) was arrested solely as a result of identifying information that was inaccurate due to a clerical error; or
(B) is not the person arrested and for whom the arrest records and files were created and did not give the arrested person consent to falsely identify himself or herself as the applicant.
(c) After verifying the allegations in the application, the attorney representing the state shall:
(1) include on the application information regarding the arrest that was requested of the applicant but was unknown by the applicant;
(2) forward a copy of the application to the district court for the county;
(3) together with the applicable physical and e-mail addresses, attach to the copy a list of all:
(A) law enforcement agencies, jails or other detention facilities, magistrates, courts, attorneys representing the state, correctional facilities, central state depositories of criminal records, and other officials or agencies or other entities of this state or of any political subdivision of this state;
(B) central federal depositories of criminal records that are reasonably likely to have records or files containing information that is subject to expunction; and
(C) private entities that compile and disseminate for compensation criminal history record information that are reasonably likely to have records or files containing information that is subject to expunction; and
(4) request the court to enter an order directing expunction based on an entitlement to expunction under Article 55A.006 .
(c-1) An application under this article may not:
(1) list any state or local agency more than once; or
(2) include multiple contacts or addresses for different divisions with respect to the same state or local agency.
(d) On receipt of a request under Subsection (c), the court shall, without holding a hearing on the matter, enter a final order directing expunction.

Legislative History

Added by Acts 2023, 88th Leg., R.S., Ch. 765 (H.B. 4504 ), Sec. 1.001, eff. January 1, 2025. Amended by: Acts 2025, 89th Leg., R.S., Ch. 204 (H.B. 1620 ), Sec. 5.029(a), eff. September 1, 2025. Acts 2025, 89th Leg., R.S., Ch. 850 (S.B. 1667 ), Sec. 4, eff. September 1, 2025.