How long you wait to clear a record in Connecticut
The Connecticut waiting periods case by case, with a helper that adds the wait to your date.
Checked against official sources: October 25, 2026.
Short answer
Connecticut law sets a waiting period for each kind of case. The wait starts from a set event.
- Main remedy
- Erasure after not-guilty finding, dismissal or nolle (C.G.S. 54-142a(a)-(c))
- Waiting periods
- 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
Your earliest date in Connecticut
Pick your kind of case and the date the waiting period runs from. We add the waiting period from the law; nothing else.
Waiting periods: Erasure after not-guilty finding, dismissal or nolle (C.G.S. 54-142a(a)-(c))
Charges ending in a not-guilty verdict, a dismissal, or a nolle (prosecutor drops the charge)
| Kind of case | Waiting period | Counted from |
|---|---|---|
Not guilty or dismissed | No waiting period Records are erased once the appeal period ends. | End of the time to appeal (or the final appeal decision) |
Charge nolled | See the rule Records are erased once 13 months have passed since the nolle. If the prosecutor asked for a continuance and nothing has happened in the case for 13 months, you can ask the court to nolle the charge, and the 13-month rule then applies. | Date of the nolle |
- Not eligible
- 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
Law: C.G.S. § 54-142a(a)-(c)
Source: Official text
Waiting periods: Clean Slate erasure of convictions (C.G.S. 54-142a(e))
Misdemeanors and motor vehicle violations punishable by up to 1 year; class D or E felonies, unclassified felonies and motor vehicle violations punishable by up to 5 years; DUI (14-227a)
| Kind of case | Waiting period | Counted from |
|---|---|---|
Misdemeanor conviction | 7 years Erased 7 years after the date of your most recent conviction, once you have finished all prison, parole and probation and have no pending state charges. | Date of your most recent conviction |
Class D/E or unclassified felony (max 5 years), or DUI | 10 years Erased 10 years after the date of your most recent conviction, once you have finished all prison, parole and probation and have no pending state charges. | Date of your most recent conviction |
- Not eligible
- 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
Law: C.G.S. §§ 54-142a(e), 54-142t
Source: Official text
Waiting periods: Absolute pardon (Board of Pardons and Paroles)
Any Connecticut adult conviction, including those not eligible for Clean Slate; if granted, the convictions are erased
| Kind of case | Waiting period | Counted from |
|---|---|---|
Misdemeanor | 3 years You can apply 3 years after your most recent misdemeanor conviction. | Date of disposition of your most recent misdemeanor conviction |
Felony | 5 years You can apply 5 years after your most recent felony conviction. | Date of disposition of your most recent felony conviction |
- Not eligible
- 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(d)
Source: Official text
Records Connecticut clears on its own
Misdemeanor convictions are erased 7 years, and eligible felony (up to 5-year maximum) and DUI convictions 10 years, after your most recent conviction, for offenses on or after January 1, 2000, once all sentences, parole and probation are done and no charges are pending. Cannabis possession convictions under 21a-279(c) from January 1, 2000 to September 30, 2015 are also erased automatically.
Law effective January 1, 2023. Automatic cannabis erasures ran in 2023; the automated Clean Slate system went live in December 2023, with erasures over the following month. After system delays, DESPP reports that erasures have resumed.
Law: C.G.S. §§ 54-142a(e), 54-142t, 54-142u
In nearby states
- Rhode Island: Misdemeanor conviction, first offender: 5 years, counted from completion of sentence
- Massachusetts: Misdemeanor: 3 years, counted from the later of the guilty finding or the end of any jail or prison time
- New Jersey: Indictable offense (crime): 5 years, counted from the most recent conviction, payment of court-ordered fines and fees, completion of probation or parole, or release from incarceration, whichever is later
What to do now in Connecticut
Find your dates
Your court papers show when the case ended and when your sentence was done.
Look at the exclusions
The wait is only one rule; the court looks at the whole record.
Get the forms
Once enough time has passed, see how to file. How to file.
Ask for free help
Ask for free help: CTLawHelp.org (Connecticut legal aid organizations).
Free legal help in Connecticut
Questions about waiting periods in Connecticut
Which records can be cleared in Connecticut?
Erasure after not-guilty finding, dismissal or nolle: Charges ending in a not-guilty verdict, a dismissal, or a nolle (prosecutor drops the charge). Clean Slate erasure of convictions: Misdemeanors and motor vehicle violations punishable by up to 1 year; class D or E felonies, unclassified felonies and motor vehicle violations punishable by up to 5 years; DUI (14-227a). Absolute pardon (Board of Pardons and Paroles): Any Connecticut adult conviction, including those not eligible for Clean Slate; if granted, the convictions are erased.
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.
Will Connecticut clear my record on its own?
Misdemeanor convictions are erased 7 years, and eligible felony (up to 5-year maximum) and DUI convictions 10 years, after your most recent conviction, for offenses on or after January 1, 2000, once all sentences, parole and probation are done and no charges are pending. Cannabis possession convictions under 21a-279(c) from January 1, 2000 to September 30, 2015 are also erased automatically.