How to file to clear a record in Connecticut
How to ask a Connecticut court to clear your record, what it costs and which forms to use.
Checked against official sources: October 25, 2026.
Short answer
Automatic by law in most cases. For older cases (before October 1, 1969, or nolles before April 1, 1972) records are erased by operation of law, and you or your heirs may also petition the court.
- Main remedy
- Erasure after not-guilty finding, dismissal or nolle (C.G.S. 54-142a(a)-(c))
- Cost
- No court fee for any petition under this section.
- Forms
- 5
Where and how to file in Connecticut
Erasure after not-guilty finding, dismissal or nolle (C.G.S. 54-142a(a)-(c))
Automatic by law in most cases. For older cases (before October 1, 1969, or nolles before April 1, 1972) records are erased by operation of law, and you or your heirs may also petition the court.
- Cost
- No court fee for any petition under this section.
Law: C.G.S. 54-142a(k)
Clean Slate erasure of convictions (C.G.S. 54-142a(e))
For offenses committed on or after January 1, 2000, erasure happens automatically. For offenses before January 1, 2000, file Petition for Clean Slate Erasure (JD-CR-202) with the court where you were sentenced, one form per docket number; the court may grant it without a hearing or schedule one. If you think an automatic erasure was missed, get a current State Police criminal history report and send it with the DESPP Hearing for Clean Slate Erasure form.
- Cost
- No court fee for any petition under this section.
Law: C.G.S. 54-142a(k)
Absolute pardon (Board of Pardons and Paroles)
Apply online through the Board's ePardon portal with a State Police criminal history report dated within one year, police reports for convictions from the last 10 years, and references. Nonviolent cases with no victim interest may get an expedited review without a hearing; others go to a virtual hearing.
- Cost
- The Board charges no application fee; you pay DESPP for the criminal history report ($75 personal record search).
Court self-help
Exclusions in Connecticut
- Erasure after not-guilty finding, dismissal or nolle (C.G.S. 54-142a(a)-(c)): Charges ending in not guilty by reason of mental disease or defect; a case with more than one count is not erased until every count qualifies
- Clean Slate erasure of convictions (C.G.S. 54-142a(e)): Family violence crimes (on or after January 1, 2000); nonviolent and violent sexual offenses (54-250); offenses listed in 54-142a(e)(2)(C) (including 29-33, 53a-60a, 53a-60b, 53a-60c, 53a-61a, 53a-64bb, 53a-64cc, 53a-72a, 53a-90a, 53a-103a, 53a-181c, 53a-189a(a)(1), 53a-191, 53a-196, 53a-196d, 53a-196f, 53a-211, 53a-212, 53a-216, 53a-217, 53a-217a, 53a-217c, 53a-322, 53a-323, 54-251 to 54-254); a DUI followed by another DUI conviction within 10 years; class A, B and C felonies are not covered
- Absolute pardon (Board of Pardons and Paroles): You cannot apply with pending charges or open cases anywhere, a nolle within the past 13 months, or while on probation or parole
Law: C.G.S. § 54-142a(a)-(c); C.G.S. §§ 54-142a(e), 54-142t; C.G.S. § 54-142a(d)
What changes afterwards
After erasure you are deemed never to have been arrested for those proceedings and may so swear under oath. Erasure does not end sex offender or deadly weapon registration duties, standing criminal protective orders or unpaid fines, and the DMV can keep the record on your driving history. Background check companies that buy court records must delete erased records.
Law: C.G.S. 54-142a(g)(2); C.G.S. 54-142a(e)(6)-(8); C.G.S. 54-142e
Get your own record in Connecticut
Connecticut Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection, State Police Bureau of Identification · (860) 685-8480
Request a personal record search ($75) by mail with form DPS-0846-C or online through the CT Criminal History Request System (CCHRS). Fingerprinting by DESPP costs $15; a name search alone ($36) gives only a yes/no answer.
Letter: ask the state records office for a copy of your record
In nearby states
- Massachusetts: No fee (Mass.gov, Request to seal your criminal record).
- New Jersey: No filing fee (N.J.S.A. 2C:52-29; NJ Courts: the eCourts Expungement System is free).
- Vermont: No filing fee (Vermont Judiciary; 32 V.S.A. § 1431(e)).
What to do now in Connecticut
Get your papers ready
Collect your case numbers, final court papers and proof of payment. Checklist: what to gather before you file.
Fill out the forms
The court's self-help pages explain each form: Clean Slate Connecticut (official state site) and Petition for Pre-2000 Clean Slate Erasure.
File with the clerk
The clerk takes the petition; the court may set a hearing.
Get help
Ask for free help: CTLawHelp.org (Connecticut legal aid organizations).
Free legal help in Connecticut
Questions about filing in Connecticut
What is the waiting period in Connecticut?
Not guilty or dismissed: No waiting period, counted from end of the time to appeal (or the final appeal decision); Charge nolled: Records are erased once 13 months have passed since the nolle, counted from date of the nolle; Misdemeanor conviction: 7 years, counted from date of your most recent conviction; Class D/E or unclassified felony (max 5 years), or DUI: 10 years, counted from date of your most recent conviction.
Is there a fee to clear a record in Connecticut?
Erasure after not-guilty finding, dismissal or nolle: No court fee for any petition under this section. Clean Slate erasure of convictions: No court fee for any petition under this section. Absolute pardon (Board of Pardons and Paroles): The Board charges no application fee; you pay DESPP for the criminal history report ($75 personal record search).
How do I get a copy of my criminal record in Connecticut?
Request a personal record search ($75) by mail with form DPS-0846-C or online through the CT Criminal History Request System (CCHRS). Fingerprinting by DESPP costs $15; a name search alone ($36) gives only a yes/no answer.