Quick answer: A DWI conviction can never be expunged in Texas. But a Travis County DWI that ends in acquittal, dismissal, or no charge can be expunged — and a first conviction that ended in probation may qualify for a nondisclosure order that seals it from public view.
Texas expunction law (Code of Criminal Procedure ch. 55A) destroys the records of an arrest — but only when the case ended without a conviction and without court-ordered community supervision: acquittals, dismissals (after any waiting period), no-bills, and charges never filed. This is the reason outcome strategy matters so much in DWI defense. A dismissal or a reduction that preserves expunction or sealing eligibility is worth far more over a lifetime than the same-day convenience of a quick plea.
For cases that end in a first-offense DWI conviction with probation, Texas Government Code §411.0731 offers a second path: an order of nondisclosure that seals the record from public background checks. The main qualifications: a first-time DWI, BAC below 0.15, no accident involving another person, completed sentence, and a waiting period — two years if you had an interlock for at least six months, five years otherwise. Sealed is not destroyed (law enforcement and licensing agencies still see it), but for employment and housing checks it is close.
What this means practically in Travis County: before you plead to anything, your lawyer should map the record consequences of every available outcome. Obstruction and reckless-driving reductions, deferred adjudication (available for some first DWIs since 2019, with its own sealing rules), dismissal after conditions — each carries different expunction and nondisclosure math. The plea paperwork takes ten minutes; the record lasts forever.
Related questions
How long does an expunction take in Travis County?
After eligibility attaches, the petition process typically runs a few months from filing to signed order, and agencies then have a window to destroy records. The waiting periods before eligibility vary by how the case ended.
Will a sealed DWI show up on job background checks?
A nondisclosure removes it from standard commercial background checks. Government agencies, law enforcement, and certain licensing boards can still see it.
More: Austin expunction lawyer · Travis County DWI defense
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General legal information for Texas — not legal advice about your specific case. Last reviewed September 2026.