In a Maryland criminal case, a disposition of “stet” means the prosecutor has indefinitely postponed your charge instead of taking it to trial, dropping it, or getting a conviction. The case is moved to an inactive docket and simply stops moving. You weren’t found guilty. You weren’t found not guilty. The charge is parked, and it can sit there for up to three years before it’s generally considered permanently inactive.1New York Codes, Rules and Regulations. Maryland Rule 4-248 – Stet
The word is Latin for “let it stand.” If you’re seeing it on a court record, you’re almost certainly looking at a Maryland case, since the procedure comes from Maryland Rule 4-248. Other states use inactive-docket procedures under different names, but “stet” as a disposition is Maryland practice.
A Stet Is Not a Dismissal
This is the distinction that trips people up. The prosecutor hasn’t dropped the case. The charge hasn’t been thrown out. It still exists on file, in an inactive status, and the state hasn’t given up the ability to come back to it.
A stet also cannot be entered over your objection. Rule 4-248 requires that you agree. If you’d rather take your chances at trial and push for a full acquittal, you have the right to refuse the stet and go forward. Your attorney should walk you through that choice before you make it, because the right answer depends on how strong the evidence against you actually is.
Why Prosecutors Offer a Stet
Prosecutors don’t offer stets out of goodwill. The move is strategic, and the common reasons include:
- The evidence is weak and might not survive trial, but the prosecutor doesn’t want to formally dismiss and lose the option to refile.
- A key witness has become unavailable, and the state wants to keep the charge alive in case the witness resurfaces.
- The defendant is cooperating in another investigation.
- The charge is minor, and a stet with conditions works as an informal probation without the expense of trial.
In each case, the stet lets the office close the file without closing the door.
Conditions You May Have to Meet
Most stets come with conditions. The rule itself doesn’t list them, but in practice the prosecutor and defense attorney negotiate requirements such as paying restitution, completing community service, staying away from a specific person or place, attending counseling for drugs or alcohol, avoiding any new criminal charges, or writing an apology letter.
Treat these as the price of keeping the case dormant. Follow through, and the case stays inactive and eventually becomes eligible for expungement. Fall short, and the prosecutor has grounds to bring the charges back.
The One Right You Give Up
Accepting a stet means waiving your right to a speedy trial. Maryland generally requires the state to bring a case to trial within 180 days, but a stet can leave a case inactive for up to three years. Without the waiver, you could argue for dismissal on speedy trial grounds the moment the case was reopened, which would defeat the whole arrangement.
That waiver is the only right you surrender. If the case is ever reopened, you still have the right to a jury, to confront witnesses, and against self-incrimination. You defend the case as if the stet never happened, minus the speedy trial argument.
When Can the Case Be Reopened?
During the first year after the stet is entered, either side can ask the court to put the case back on the active docket for any reason. After that first year, reopening requires a court order and a showing of good cause.1New York Codes, Rules and Regulations. Maryland Rule 4-248 – Stet
In practice, prosecutors reopen stetted cases for two main reasons: the defendant picks up new criminal charges, or the defendant fails to complete the conditions that were part of the stet. After three years without any reopening, the case is generally considered permanently inactive and ready for expungement.
How a Stet Compares to Other Dispositions
People often lump stets together with other non-conviction outcomes, but they’re not the same thing.
A nolle prosequi is a decision by the prosecutor to drop the case. The state formally abandons the prosecution. Charges can theoretically be refiled within the statute of limitations, but the case itself is closed, and expungement is usually available sooner than it is for a stet.
A dismissal, especially a dismissal with prejudice, ends the case permanently. The charges can’t come back. A stet offers no such finality, because the charges remain on file.
Probation before judgment is different again. With PBJ, you’ve effectively been found guilty, but the court withholds entering a conviction and puts you on probation. A stet never involves any finding of guilt. The case never gets that far.
What a Stet Looks Like on Your Record
A stet is not a conviction, and you can honestly say you were not convicted of the charge. The charge itself, though, stays visible on your criminal record as a stet or inactive disposition until it’s expunged. Anyone running a background check will see that you were charged and that the case was stetted.
For employers, landlords, and licensing boards, that line can create difficult conversations. Many people reading the record won’t know what “stet” means and will see only the fact that criminal charges were filed. A short, clear explanation helps in the short term. Expungement is the real fix.
Getting a Stetted Charge Expunged
Maryland law lets you petition to expunge a stetted charge, but you generally have to wait at least three years from the date the stet was entered.2Maryland General Assembly. Maryland Criminal Procedure Code 10-105 During that time you need to have complied with the stet’s conditions and stayed out of further criminal trouble.
Once you’re eligible, you file a petition with the court. If it’s granted, the police records, court records, and other state records tied to the charge are removed from public view, and the charge won’t show up on standard background checks.