Clearing a criminal record in Kansas
In Kansas it is called expungement: expungement seals the court file and the state record of an arrest, diversion or conviction; the record is not destroyed. Some misdemeanor and felony convictions may be cleared.
Checked against official sources: October 25, 2026. · Free letter and checklist ↓
Can my record be cleared in Kansas?
Expungement — In Kansas, expungement seals the court file and the state record of an arrest, diversion or conviction; the record is not destroyed. After expungement you are treated as never having been arrested, convicted or diverted, but police, courts and some licensing agencies and employers can still see it.
Kansas has 2 ways to clear a record. Each covers different records and has its own waiting period.
Expungement of arrest records (K.S.A. 22-2410)
Arrests that did not lead to a conviction: mistaken identity, no probable cause, not-guilty verdicts, dismissed charges, or no charges filed.
| Kind of case | Waiting period | Counted from |
|---|---|---|
Arrest, dismissal or acquittal | No waiting period There is no waiting period; you can petition at any time. | The arrest or end of the case |
Law: K.S.A. 22-2410
Source: Official text
Expungement of convictions and diversions (K.S.A. 21-6614)
Misdemeanors, traffic infractions, completed diversion agreements, and most felonies (except the listed serious sex, homicide and child-abuse offenses).
| Kind of case | Waiting period | Counted from |
|---|---|---|
Misdemeanor, traffic infraction, Class D/E felony or lower-level felony (nondrug levels 6-10, drug level 5, or drug level 4 for 1993-2012 crimes) | 3 years You can petition 3 years after you finish your sentence or are discharged from supervision. | Satisfying the sentence or discharge from probation, community corrections, parole, postrelease supervision, conditional release or suspended sentence |
Completed diversion agreement | 3 years You can petition 3 years after you complete the diversion. | Fulfilling the terms of the diversion |
Higher-level felony (Class A-C, off-grid, nondrug levels 1-5, high drug levels) and listed traffic-related crimes (vehicular homicide, driving while suspended, hit-and-run, no insurance, felony using a vehicle, etc.) | 5 years You must wait 5 years after you finish your sentence or supervision. | Satisfying the sentence or discharge from supervision |
First DUI (K.S.A. 8-1567), including diversion | 5 years You must wait 5 years for a first DUI. | Satisfying the sentence or discharge from supervision |
Second or later DUI | 10 years You must wait 10 years for a second or later DUI. | Satisfying the sentence or discharge from supervision |
Specialty court program completed | No waiting period You can petition after completing a specialty court program; the court may waive the docket fee. | Completion of the specialty court program |
Prostitution conviction or diversion, if you were coerced | 1 year If you can show you were coerced, you can petition after 1 year. | Satisfying the sentence or diversion, or discharge from supervision |
- Not eligible
- Rape; indecent liberties or aggravated indecent liberties with a child; criminal sodomy and aggravated criminal sodomy; indecent solicitation of a child; sexual exploitation of a child; internet trading in child pornography; aggravated incest; endangering or abuse of a child; capital murder, first- and second-degree murder, voluntary and involuntary manslaughter; sexual battery of a minor; aggravated sexual battery; commercial driver DUI; attempts of these. No expungement while you are required to register as an offender.
Law: K.S.A. 21-6614; K.S.A. 8-2,144
Source: Official text
When can I file? Waiting periods in Kansas
Pick your kind of case and the date the waiting period runs from. We add the waiting period from the law; nothing else.
How to file in Kansas
Expungement of arrest records (K.S.A. 22-2410)
File a petition in district court. The court sets a hearing and notifies the prosecutor and the arresting agency. The judge orders expungement if the arrest was mistaken identity, there was no probable cause, you were found not guilty, or charges were dismissed or not filed and expungement is in the best interests of justice.
- Cost
- Docket fee of $176 set by statute. From July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2030 the Kansas Supreme Court may add a charge of up to $19, so some courts collect $195. No fee or surcharge if you were found not guilty, the charges were dismissed, the court found no probable cause, or you were arrested because of identity theft.
- If you can't pay
- If you cannot afford the fee, file a Poverty Affidavit for the judge to review.
Law: 2026 HB 2393; K.S.A. 22-2410(b)(3)
Expungement of convictions and diversions (K.S.A. 21-6614)
File the petition in the original criminal case in the convicting court. The court sets a hearing and notifies the prosecutor and arresting agency. The judge grants it if you have no felony conviction in the past 2 years and nothing pending, your circumstances and behavior warrant it, it is consistent with the public welfare, and (for felonies) your having a firearm is not likely to threaten public safety.
- Cost
- Docket fee of $176 by statute. From July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2030 the Kansas Supreme Court may add a charge of up to $19; Douglas County collects $195. For a completed specialty court program, the court may waive all or part of the fee.
- If you can't pay
- File a Poverty Affidavit with your petition; the judge decides.
Law: K.S.A. 21-6614(g)(2); 2026 HB 2393
Court self-help
Free help in Kansas
National help
Free letter and checklist
Letter: ask for a copy of your own record
A request to the state records office (Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI) Central Repository) with your name, date of birth and mailing address.
Checklist: what to gather before you file
Case numbers, court papers, proof you finished your sentence, forms and fees for Kansas.
Clearing a record in Kansas by topic
Expungement of arrest records (K.S.A. 22-2410) in Kansas
Which records each remedy covers, who is not eligible and what changes afterwards.
Waiting periods in Kansas
How long you wait for each kind of case, and a date helper.
How to file in Kansas
The steps, the cost, fee waivers, the forms and court self-help.
Juvenile records in Kansas
Juvenile records can be expunged on application once you turn 23 or 2 years after final discharge (1 year for certain prostitution adjudications), if you have had no later conviction or adjudication and the court finds it warranted. Murder, manslaughter, rape and other listed serious sex and child-abuse offenses cannot be expunged. The petition carries the same $176 docket fee (plus up to $19 from July 1, 2026). K.S.A. 38-2312.
Pardons in Kansas
- Who decides
- The Governor; applications go through the Kansas Prisoner Review Board
- How
- Send a clemency application (Kansas Department of Corrections forms) to the Prisoner Review Board, 714 SW Jackson, Suite 300, Topeka, KS 66603. The Board reviews the case, may interview you, and sends a recommendation to the Governor, who decides. The prosecutor, the convicting judge and (for violent or sex crimes) the victim or family must get written notice at least 30 days before a pardon can be granted.
Law: K.S.A. 22-3701
After your record is cleared in Kansas
After expungement you are treated as not having been arrested, convicted or diverted, and on most job, license and other applications you may say you were never arrested, convicted or diverted of that crime. You must still disclose it for jobs or licenses such as private detective and security, law enforcement, practice of law, lottery and gaming, securities registration, bail enforcement, commercial driver's licenses and some state institution jobs; it can also count as a prior conviction if you are charged again. Expungement of a crime that barred gun possession restores your firearm rights. K.S.A. 21-6614(i)-(m); 22-2410(d).
Get your own record in Kansas
Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI) Central Repository
Request your Kansas criminal history record from the KBI; the court clerk sends expungement orders to the KBI, which notifies the FBI.
Letter: ask the state records office for a copy of your record
Good to know in Kansas
- Expungement of a conviction that took away your gun rights fully restores your right to keep and bear arms, and the KBI reports it to NICS.
Law: K.S.A. 21-6614(k)(2), (m)(2)
- There is no filing fee to expunge an arrest that ended in dismissal or acquittal.
Law: K.S.A. 22-2410(b)(3)(B)
- Kansas has no automatic expungement; every expungement needs a petition and a hearing.
Changes in 2024–2026
2026 HB 2393 (signed by the Governor; effective on publication in the statute book) re-authorized the Kansas Supreme Court to add a charge of up to $19 to expungement docket fees from July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2030. The earlier surcharge had expired June 30, 2025. Waiting periods and exclusions were not changed.
Law: K.S.A. 21-6614, 22-2410, 38-2312
Questions about clearing a record in Kansas
What is clearing a record called in Kansas?
Expungement. In Kansas, expungement seals the court file and the state record of an arrest, diversion or conviction; the record is not destroyed. After expungement you are treated as never having been arrested, convicted or diverted, but police, courts and some licensing agencies and employers can still see it.
Can convictions be cleared in Kansas?
Expungement of arrest records: Arrests that did not lead to a conviction: mistaken identity, no probable cause, not-guilty verdicts, dismissed charges, or no charges filed. Expungement of convictions and diversions: Misdemeanors, traffic infractions, completed diversion agreements, and most felonies (except the listed serious sex, homicide and child-abuse offenses).
How long do I have to wait in Kansas?
Arrest, dismissal or acquittal: No waiting period, counted from the arrest or end of the case; Misdemeanor, traffic infraction, Class D/E felony or lower-level felony (nondrug levels 6-10, drug level 5, or drug level 4 for 1993-2012 crimes): 3 years, counted from satisfying the sentence or discharge from probation, community corrections, parole, postrelease supervision, conditional release or suspended sentence; Completed diversion agreement: 3 years, counted from fulfilling the terms of the diversion; Higher-level felony (Class A-C, off-grid, nondrug levels 1-5, high drug levels) and listed traffic-related crimes (vehicular homicide, driving while suspended, hit-and-run, no insurance, felony using a vehicle, etc.): 5 years, counted from satisfying the sentence or discharge from supervision.
How much does it cost to clear a record in Kansas?
Expungement of arrest records: Docket fee of $176 set by statute. From July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2030 the Kansas Supreme Court may add a charge of up to $19, so some courts collect $195. No fee or surcharge if you were found not guilty, the charges were dismissed, the court found no probable cause, or you were arrested because of identity theft. Expungement of convictions and diversions: Docket fee of $176 by statute. From July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2030 the Kansas Supreme Court may add a charge of up to $19; Douglas County collects $195. For a completed specialty court program, the court may waive all or part of the fee.
Can juvenile records be cleared in Kansas?
Juvenile records can be expunged on application once you turn 23 or 2 years after final discharge (1 year for certain prostitution adjudications), if you have had no later conviction or adjudication and the court finds it warranted. Murder, manslaughter, rape and other listed serious sex and child-abuse offenses cannot be expunged. The petition carries the same $176 docket fee (plus up to $19 from July 1, 2026). K.S.A. 38-2312.
What can I say after my record is cleared in Kansas?
After expungement you are treated as not having been arrested, convicted or diverted, and on most job, license and other applications you may say you were never arrested, convicted or diverted of that crime. You must still disclose it for jobs or licenses such as private detective and security, law enforcement, practice of law, lottery and gaming, securities registration, bail enforcement, commercial driver's licenses and some state institution jobs; it can also count as a prior conviction if you are charged again. Expungement of a crime that barred gun possession restores your firearm rights. K.S.A. 21-6614(i)-(m); 22-2410(d).
How do I get a copy of my criminal record in Kansas?
Request your Kansas criminal history record from the KBI; the court clerk sends expungement orders to the KBI, which notifies the FBI.