How to file to clear a record in Illinois

Where and how you file in Illinois, the fee and the official forms.

Checked against official sources: October 25, 2026.

Short answer

File a Request to Expunge and/or Seal Criminal Records with the circuit clerk in each county where you were arrested or charged. The clerk sends it to the State's Attorney, the Illinois State Police and the arresting agency, who have 60 days to object.

Main remedy: Expungement
Cost: The Illinois State Police charges $60 to process each court order to expunge or seal (ISP fee schedule).
Forms: 8

Filing step by step in Illinois

Expungement

Cost: The Illinois State Police charges $60 to process each court order to expunge or seal (ISP fee schedule). The circuit clerk's filing fee is set by each county (for example, McLean County charges $136 in total: $60 filing, $60 State Police, $16 certified copies).
If you can't pay: If you cannot afford the fees, file an Application for Waiver of Court Fees (ilcourts.info/fee-waiver-forms). No fee is charged to expunge a record that was already sealed.
Forms: How to Clear Your Criminal Record: Expungement & Sealing (instructions)
Request to Expunge and/or Seal Criminal Records
Case List for Request to Expunge and/or Seal Criminal Records
Order to Expunge and/or Seal Criminal Records

Law: 20 ILCS 2630/5.2(d)(10)

Sealing

Same Request form and process as expungement: file with the circuit clerk in each county, the agencies have 60 days to object, and a judge decides (with a hearing if there is an objection). A court may not deny sealing only because you still owe fines or fees.

Cost: $60 Illinois State Police processing fee per order (ISP fee schedule) plus the county clerk's filing fee, which varies by county.
If you can't pay: Application for Waiver of Court Fees.
Forms: Request to Expunge and/or Seal Criminal Records
Additional Arrests or Cases for Sealing

Immediate Sealing

Your attorney files the petition and serves the State's Attorney in open court; the judge rules at the same hearing. If it is not filed then, you can still file a regular sealing request at any time.

Cost: Same clerk and State Police fees as regular sealing.
If you can't pay: Application for Waiver of Court Fees.

Motion to Vacate and Expunge Cannabis Convictions

File the motion with the circuit court. The State's Attorney has 60 days to object. The judge considers the reasons to keep the record, your age then and now, time since the conviction and the harm if denied. Legal aid groups and State's Attorneys can also file these motions.

Cost: The circuit clerk may charge a filing fee and a fee for certified dispositions; ask your county clerk.
If you can't pay: Application for Waiver of Court Fees.
Forms: How to Vacate & Expunge Eligible Cannabis Convictions
Motion to Vacate & Expunge Eligible Cannabis Convictions

Court self-help

Checklist: what to gather before you file

Exclusions in Illinois

Expungement: Convictions (unless pardoned, certified by the Prisoner Review Board, or eligible cannabis); supervision for DUI; supervision for sexual offenses against a minor; reckless driving supervision (except the under-25 rule); minor traffic offenses unless you were released without charging; supervision or qualified probation that was not completed successfully.
Sealing: DUI; reckless driving (except a misdemeanor before age 25 with no other DUI/reckless driving conviction, sealable at 25); domestic battery and battery of an unborn child; violation of an order of protection, civil no contact or stalking no contact order; most sex offenses in Article 11 (misdemeanor public indecency and prostitution are allowed); dog fighting; Class A misdemeanor or felony animal cruelty; offenses requiring sex offender registration; minor traffic offenses unless released without charging. Arsonist or violent-offender-against-youth registrants must wait until registration ends.
Immediate Sealing: Minor traffic offenses.
Motion to Vacate and Expunge Cannabis Convictions: Convictions above Class 4 felony; other drug laws.

Law: 20 ILCS 2630/5.2(a), (b), (d); 20 ILCS 2630/5.2(a)(3), (c), (d); 20 ILCS 2630/5.2(g); 20 ILCS 2630/5.2(i)(3)

What changes afterwards

Once records are expunged or sealed, the court, the State Police and agencies answer inquiries from unauthorized people as if no record exists, and it is a civil rights violation for most employers to ask about or use an expunged, sealed or impounded record. Exceptions: police and prosecutors can see sealed records, and government agencies, school districts and private organizations that must run criminal background checks under state or federal law can still get and use sealed felony convictions from the State Police.

Law: 20 ILCS 2630/5.2(d)(9); 775 ILCS 5/1-103(B-5), 5/2-103

Get your own record in Illinois

Illinois State Police, Bureau of Identification · (815) 740-5160

Ask for your Statewide Criminal History Transcript through the State Police Access and Review process, using your fingerprints at a local police agency or a licensed LiveScan vendor. The State Police charges no fee for Access and Review; the fingerprinting agency or vendor may charge. If you were arrested in Chicago, also get your RAP sheet from Chicago Police Headquarters (fee).

Letter: ask the state records office for a copy of your record

In nearby states

Indiana: No filing fee.
Missouri: No special expungement surcharge since August 28, 2023.
Iowa: You must attach an Iowa DCI criminal history record check, which costs $15.

Steps to file in Illinois

Gather your papers
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: Illinois Courts: Approved Statewide Forms - Expungement and Sealing and Office of the State Appellate Defender: Adult Expungement & Sealing Information.
File with the clerk
After you file, the prosecutor may respond and the court decides.
Talk to legal aid
Ask for free help: Office of the State Appellate Defender, Expungement Unit and Illinois Legal Aid Online (free expungement Easy Form).

Where to get free help in Illinois

Questions about filing in Illinois

How long do I have to wait in Illinois?

Arrest without charges, acquittal, dismissal, reversed or vacated conviction: No waiting period, counted from the end of the case; Court supervision, completed (most offenses): 2 years, counted from satisfactory termination of the supervision; Court supervision for domestic battery, criminal sexual abuse, uninsured or false-insurance vehicle offenses, scrap-record offense: 5 years, counted from satisfactory termination of the supervision; Qualified probation (e.g. first-offender drug probation), completed: 5 years, counted from satisfactory termination of the probation.

Is there a fee to clear a record in Illinois?

Expungement: The Illinois State Police charges $60 to process each court order to expunge or seal (ISP fee schedule). The circuit clerk's filing fee is set by each county (for example, McLean County charges $136 in total: $60 filing, $60 State Police, $16 certified copies). Sealing: $60 Illinois State Police processing fee per order (ISP fee schedule) plus the county clerk's filing fee, which varies by county. Immediate Sealing: Same clerk and State Police fees as regular sealing. Motion to Vacate and Expunge Cannabis Convictions: The circuit clerk may charge a filing fee and a fee for certified dispositions; ask your county clerk.

How can I see my Illinois record?

Who helps for free in Illinois?

Office of the State Appellate Defender, Expungement Unit, Illinois Legal Aid Online (free expungement Easy Form) and Illinois Court Help (call or text).