Changes to the CORI law in the CORI Reform Act of 2010 specify that you may be eligible to have your record sealed if you have had no criminal conviction for a period of at least three years (to seal a misdemeanor), seven years (to seal a felony), or fifteen years (to seal some sex offenses).
Charges which have been dismissed without an order of probation can be sealed immediately, but you are required to appear before a judge and show good cause to justify the sealing of your record. In 2014, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court changed the standard of proof that a person requesting that his or her record be sealed must meet before the court will seal the record in ways that will be helpful to people seeking to seal their records.
When applying for employment, housing, professional licensure, etc. with a sealed record you are allowed to answer “No Record.”