Searching for a Texas mugshot removal service? You likely made a mistake or were wrongfully accused of a crime. You’re ready to move forward, but the internet won’t let go so easily.
Is your mugshot or arrest record still showing up online?
Is your mugshot or arrest record still online?
Get a Free Case ReviewBelow, we explain why removing your mugshot matters, what Texas law says about it, and what options you have once your photo shows up online.
Why Texas Mugshot Removal Matters
Many people run into legal trouble at some point in their lives. Past mistakes don’t have to define your future. Removing your Texas mugshot from the internet can be the first step toward reclaiming your reputation.
When your mugshot stays online, it can follow you into nearly every part of your life:
- Potential employers often find your mugshot during a routine search, and a visible criminal record can hurt your job prospects
- Potential romantic partners may lose interest after learning about your past
- Landlords and mortgage lenders may turn you down after seeing your mugshot
- Your family members may face uncomfortable questions when friends or acquaintances stumble across it
People form snap judgments today more than ever. The internet makes it easy to pull up information about anyone, often highlighting only the worst moment of their life. A past legal issue can shape how others see you long after the matter is resolved.
Fortunately, Texas law offers real protection when it comes to cleaning up your online reputation.
What Texas Mugshot Law Says
Many websites post mugshots purely for profit. While mugshots are public records that law enforcement agencies may publish, private companies that republish them operate under different rules than government sites. These sites count on you paying to have your photo removed, and they also generate revenue through advertising and traffic.
Texas has pushed back against this practice. Texas Business and Commerce Code Chapter 109 regulates businesses that publish criminal record information, and the law took effect on September 1, 2013. If a business posts mugshots or other criminal-record details from public records, you can request their removal by sending a certified written letter. Once the site receives notice, it must remove the mugshot within 45 days or face a civil penalty of up to $500 per day for non-compliance. The law also prohibits sites from charging a fee for removal, even after an expunction.
This protection doesn’t extend to government websites or news organizations, which may raise First Amendment defenses.
The catch: many mugshot sites make it nearly impossible to find a physical address, which means citizens often can’t act on their legal rights even when the law is on their side.
How to Get Your Mugshot Removed
Once you spot your mugshot online, you’ll likely want to act right away. That instinct is understandable, but rushing in isn’t always your best move. Taking a mugshot offline in Texas differs from clearing the underlying criminal record, and each path follows its own legal process. Here are three routes to consider.
Request Removal Yourself
You can try locating the photos and requesting removal on your own. This route is often difficult, since mugshots tend to spread from one site to another. You may end up repeatedly searching for your name, which quickly becomes stressful and time-consuming.
If you go this route, you’ll need to contact the webmaster behind each mugshot site. Many of these sites use offshore addresses, making direct contact nearly impossible. You’ll also need to send a certified letter requesting removal, and that letter tends to carry more weight when it comes from a lawyer.
Even if you succeed in removing your mugshot from one site, it often resurfaces elsewhere. Staying on top of your online reputation means checking regularly to keep your name clean.
Pursue an Expunction of Your Criminal Record
You may also try to have your record sealed or expunged as a path toward Texas mugshot removal. An order of non-disclosure seals records from public view, while expunction erases the record entirely from public view. Texas Code of Criminal Procedure Chapter 55A governs this process, and the waiting period depends on the type of crime and the specifics of your case.
Texas expunction law includes the following rules:
- The law limits eligibility to specific situations, including acquittal, pardon, or dismissed charges; a dismissed case does not clear your record automatically, and some records may still surface in a background check unless a court enters an expunction order
- If you were convicted of a misdemeanor and required to pay a fine, you may apply for expunction immediately, though serious misdemeanors carry a two-year waiting period
- Courts may expunge eligible misdemeanors as early as six months after a case is dismissed
- If you were convicted of certain felony offenses, you must wait at least five years after completing your deferred adjudication period before applying for expunction, which affects both employment prospects and law enforcement access to your record
Deferred adjudication offers another path: it allows you to potentially clear your record after meeting specific court requirements.
Once your waiting period passes, you can petition the court for expunction, though the process takes time. You’ll need to file a formal petition and appear before a judge, and a legal review can help protect your rights before an error in your record follows you further.
You can file for expunction on your own, but most people benefit from working with a lawyer or a legal aid organization, even though it adds cost to the process.
Once the court grants expunction, request certified copies of the order and use them to request removal from mugshot websites. Government agencies generally must comply, though federal agencies may retain some records. In many cases, once your record is expunged, you can legally deny the incident occurred.
Work With a Mugshot Removal Professional
Texas mugshot removal isn’t easy to manage alone, especially while you’re working hard to rebuild your reputation. A single stubborn mugshot can undo even your most determined efforts.
The good news is that you don’t have to handle this by yourself. A professional mugshot removal company often has existing relationships with webmasters and knows how to contact the sites that host your photo. These companies understand the exact steps required to get results, and mugshot sites tend to respond faster to a professional reputation management company than to an individual request.
You Don’t Have to Handle This Alone
If you’re wondering how to get your mugshot off the internet, help is available. Even after your photo disappears from one site, it can resurface somewhere else, which is why we use dedicated resources to track down and remove mugshots while strengthening your overall online reputation.
You’ve already put in the work to rebuild your reputation in person. Let us handle the rest online. Reach out today to learn more about our Texas mugshot removal services.
