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There are two costs in every Texas expungement: the court filing fee, and whatever you pay someone to prepare and file the petition. Here's the real number — by route — in 2026.
No matter which route you choose — DIY, attorney, or flat-fee service — the math is the same: a court filing fee paid to the district clerk, plus the cost of preparing and filing the petition.
The Texas court filing fee. This is paid to the district clerk in the county of arrest. It does not change with your route — DIY, attorney, or service. It is the same in Harris, Dallas, Bexar, Travis, and every one of Texas's 254 counties.
The cost of preparing and filing the petition. This varies dramatically by route. DIY costs nothing. A Texas attorney charges $1,500–$3,500. A flat-fee service like Expunction360 charges $795–$995.
Add the $450 court fee to whatever you pay for preparation. That's your total spend. Here is the real range for each route, in 2026 dollars.
$450 total
Just the court filing fee. No preparation cost.
What you save: $795–$3,500 in preparation cost.
What you risk: An incomplete petition, a missed agency, or a denied filing — any of which can leave the record showing on background checks years later. Pro-se filings have meaningfully higher denial rates than attorney-drafted ones.
$1,950 – $3,950
$1,500–$3,500 attorney fee + $450 filing fee.
What you get: A licensed attorney drafts and files the petition and represents you if a hearing is set.
What you pay for: Hourly billing on some firms, consultation fees, court-appearance fees, and the convenience of a single point of contact. Typical out-the-door cost lands between $1,950 and $3,950.
$1,245 – $1,445
$795–$995 flat fee + $450 filing fee.
What you get: Free eligibility check, attorney-drafted petition, e-filing through eFileTexas, agency service, and a $500 attorney letter — all included.
What you save vs. an attorney: roughly $700–$2,500. What you save vs. DIY: the risk of a denied petition.
Estimates are typical 2026 ranges for an uncontested expunction in a major Texas county. Multi-case clients pay an additional $200 per case at Expunction360.
The court fee never moves. Texas Government Code standardizes the expunction filing fee at $450 across all 254 counties. Whether you file in Harris County or in a rural county clerk's office in West Texas, the district-clerk side of the bill is identical.
Attorneys vary because they bill differently. Some Texas private attorneys quote a flat fee that includes the petition, the order, and one court appearance — typically in the $1,500–$2,500 range. Others bill hourly on top of a retainer; those cases routinely climb past $3,500 if anything contests, even briefly. Most attorneys also charge separately for certified copies, courier service, and any additional letters they need to draft for an employer or licensing board.
Document-preparation services exist because most expunctions are uncontested. 99% of properly drafted petitions are signed by the judge in chambers without a hearing. That means most of the work is paperwork, not court time. Services like Expunction360 reflect that reality with a flat fee — $795 or $995 — for the preparation and filing work, plus the same $450 court fee. There is no court representation included because, in 99% of cases, none is needed.
DIY costs $0 in preparation but isn't free. The Texas State Law Library publishes the petition template. The risk is that a missed agency or an incomplete service list leaves the arrest visible on private background-check vendors that the petition didn't bind. Those errors are hard to fix after the fact — and a denied pro-se petition can complicate refiling. Many DIYers spend the $450 filing fee, lose the case on a technicality, and end up paying the full attorney rate to fix it.
Multi-case math matters. If you have two or three arrests to clear, the per-case cost moves further apart. Each additional case at Expunction360 is +$200. Each additional case with most attorneys is essentially a second full retainer. The court adds another $450 per additional case regardless of route.
The eligibility review is 100% free, including the background check and attorney review. You only pay if you qualify and choose to move forward. If you don't qualify, you don't pay anything. Start the free check →
Whatever route you take, three line items have a habit of showing up after the fact. Ask about each one before you sign.
Certified copies. After the judge signs the order, you typically need certified copies for every agency listed in the petition — DPS, the arresting agency, the district attorney, and any private background-check vendor. Most district clerks charge $1–$5 per page per copy. For a multi-agency expunction, certified-copy costs can run $50–$150. At Expunction360, this is included in the flat fee.
Service of process and certified mail. Every named agency must be served with a certified copy of the signed order, typically by certified mail with return receipt. Postage costs $7–$10 per agency. For a typical 6-agency service list, that's another $40–$60. Included at Expunction360.
Background-check vendor service. The single most-missed line item. Texas DPS distributes the order to government agencies, but private vendors — the ones your employer actually buys background reports from — are bound by the order only if they were named in the petition and served separately. Missing this step is the #1 reason "expunged" records still appear on job and apartment applications. Expunction360 names the major Texas-relevant private vendors in every petition.
Take the first step today. A free, 10-minute eligibility check could be the beginning of a completely different life.