Before 2013, Georgia used the term “expungement” to refer to the process of sealing off public records. On July 1, 2013, however, a new law went into effect altering the process altogether.
Now, expungements are referred to as “record restrictions.”
This terminology is more accurate, because the word “expungement” means that the records are destroyed entirely, which isn’t possible in Georgia. The effects of expungement and record restriction may be the same for the most part, but to avoid confusion, we use the updated terms in all cases.
As of 2013, if you get your record restricted for a certain indictment, or charge, all public record of that indictment will be removed. So potential employers, landlords, schools, and banks won’t be able to access your records– only law enforcement will be able to.