How long does a misdemeanor stay on your record and when doing a background check how many years do they go back in order for it to effect you?

Answer 1

For job related purposes felonies and misdemeanor offense have dropped off my record in five years from date of conviction, not date of offense. This is important since the crime isn't post to your "record" until you are actually convicted of it in criminal court. I have searched into this topic quite alot and have heard as much as 7 or 10 years. I have ran myself, plus had others do the same and for civillian public info searches into criminal background 5 years seems to be the magic number. On the other hand I've only had records searched in Michigan and Ohio. So it is possible certain states may have different standards to which the public may reference records. In any event I see 10 years as the absolute maximum for public records searches. With exception to civillian employment which requires any level of secuirty clearence or state issued license, such as a private investigator, one may answer no to the criminal record question on most employment applications or criminal backgound investigations.