Pennsylvania Statutes Title 35 P.S. Health and Safety § 780-119. Expunging criminal records

(a) Any records of arrest or prosecution or both for a criminal offense under this act, except for persons indicted for violations of clause (30) of subsection (a) of section 13,  1 or under the provisions previously governing controlled substances in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania or any political subdivision thereof shall be promptly expunged from the official and unofficial arrest and other criminal records pertaining to that individual when the charges are withdrawn or dismissed or the person is acquitted of the charges:  Provided, That such expungement shall be available as a matter of right to any person only once.  Within five days after such withdrawal, dismissal or acquittal the court, in writing, shall order the appropriate keepers of criminal records (i) to expunge and destroy the official and unofficial arrest and other criminal records of that individual, to request in so far as they are able the return of such records as they have made available to Federal and other State agencies, and to destroy such records on receipt thereof;  and (ii) to file with the court within thirty days an affidavit that such records have been expunged and destroyed, together with the court's expunction order and to retain no copies thereof.  Upon receipt of such affidavit, the court shall seal the same together with the original and all copies of its expunction order and shall not permit any person or agency to examine such sealed documents.

The court shall file with the council a list of those persons whose record was expunged.  The council shall maintain a confidential list, which list may be used only for the purpose of determining the eligibility of persons for the expunction provisions under this section and to be made available to any court upon request.

(b) Any expunged record of arrest or prosecution shall not hereafter be regarded as an arrest or prosecution for the purpose of any statute or regulation or license or questionnaire or any civil or criminal proceeding or any other public or private purpose.  No person shall be permitted to learn of an expunged arrest or prosecution, or of the expunction, either directly or indirectly.  Any person, except the individual arrested or prosecuted, who divulges such information in violation of this subsection shall be guilty of a summary offense and shall, upon conviction thereof, be punished by imprisonment not exceeding thirty (30) days or a fine not exceeding five hundred dollars ($500) or both.

(c) Nothing contained in this section shall prohibit a person acting pursuant to prior practice from petitioning an appropriate court for an expunction order.