Clearing a criminal record in Missouri
In Missouri it is called expungement or closed records: expungement closes all records of the arrest, plea, trial or conviction and restores you to the status you had before, as if it never happened. Some misdemeanor and felony convictions may be cleared, and Missouri also clears some records automatically.
Checked against official sources: October 25, 2026. · Free letter and checklist ↓
Can my record be cleared in Missouri?
Expungement; closed records — Expungement closes all records of the arrest, plea, trial or conviction and restores you to the status you had before, as if it never happened. Closed records are hidden from the public but stay available to police, prosecutors, courts and certain licensing and employment checks.
Missouri has 3 ways to clear a record. Each covers different records and has its own waiting period.
Petition for expungement (RSMo 610.140)
Arrests, misdemeanor, municipal and infraction records, and felony convictions in Missouri courts that are not on the excluded list.
| Kind of case | Waiting period | Counted from |
|---|---|---|
Misdemeanor, municipal violation or infraction | 1 year You may petition 1 year after you complete your sentence, with no new misdemeanor or felony (traffic excepted) in that time. | Completion of the sentence or other authorized disposition |
Felony | 3 years You may petition 3 years after you complete your sentence, with no new misdemeanor or felony (traffic excepted) in that time. | Completion of the sentence or other authorized disposition |
Arrest with no charges | 18 months You may petition 18 months after the arrest if you were not charged and have no new guilty finding. | The arrest |
- Not eligible
- Class A felonies; dangerous felonies; offenses requiring sex-offender registration; felonies with death as an element; felony assault, any domestic assault, and felony kidnapping; chapter 566 sex offenses and a long list of other named offenses (many weapons, child-endangerment, public-corruption and election offenses); intoxication-related traffic or boating offenses; traffic offenses by commercial driver's license holders; most unlawful-use-of-weapon offenses. Since January 1, 2025, offenses that were 'previously listed' or are successors to listed offenses are also excluded.
- Limits
- In your lifetime: no more than 3 misdemeanors or ordinance violations that carry jail time, and no more than 2 felonies (infractions are unlimited). Crimes from the same course of conduct count as one, at the highest level. If dismissed, wait 1 year to refile.
Law: RSMo 610.140 (as amended by 2024 S.B. 754, effective Jan. 1, 2025); 610.130; 571.030
Source: Official text
Expungement of a first intoxication-related traffic or boating offense (RSMo 610.130)
One first-offense misdemeanor or ordinance DWI/BWI (not in a commercial vehicle).
| Kind of case | Waiting period | Counted from |
|---|---|---|
First DWI/BWI misdemeanor | 10 years You may apply 10 years after the plea or conviction if you have had no other intoxication-related offense or alcohol-related enforcement contact. | The plea or conviction |
- Not eligible
- Commercial driver's license holders.
- Limits
- Only one expungement under this section in your lifetime.
Law: RSMo 610.130
Source: Official text
Expungement of an arrest based on false information or mistaken/stolen identity (RSMo 610.122, 610.123, 610.145)
Arrests based on false information with no probable cause; dismissed or not-guilty minor traffic arrests; charges filed because someone used your identity or you were misidentified.
| Kind of case | Waiting period | Counted from |
|---|---|---|
Qualifying arrest | No waiting period No waiting period; the court holds a hearing at least 30 days after filing. | Anytime |
- Not eligible
- Intoxication-related traffic offenses; commercial drivers; arrests where you received a suspended imposition of sentence.
Law: RSMo 610.122, 610.123, 610.145
Source: Official text
When can I file? Waiting periods in Missouri
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 Missouri
Petition for expungement (RSMo 610.140)
File a petition in the court where you were charged or found guilty, naming as defendants every agency and court that holds the records. The prosecutor has 30 days to object; if it does, a hearing is held within 60 days. If you meet the time and record requirements, the law presumes expungement is warranted and the prosecutor must rebut it; victims may be heard. The court must rule within 6 months.
Law: RSMo 610.140.14
Source: each court must make a pro se petition form available — ask the circuit clerk
- Cost
- No special expungement surcharge since August 28, 2023. Ordinary civil filing and service costs charged by the court still apply.
- If you can't pay
- If you cannot afford the costs, ask the court to let you proceed as a poor person; costs may also be waived when a legal aid office or law school clinic represents you.
Law: RSMo 610.140.14; RSMo 514.040
Expungement of a first intoxication-related traffic or boating offense (RSMo 610.130)
Apply to the court where you pleaded guilty or were sentenced; the court holds a hearing.
Expungement of an arrest based on false information or mistaken/stolen identity (RSMo 610.122, 610.123, 610.145)
File a verified petition with fingerprints in the civil division of the circuit court in the county of arrest, naming the agencies that hold the records. For identity cases, apply to the court where the charge was last pending; costs are not charged to you.
Court self-help
Free help in Missouri
- Legal Services of Eastern Missouri
- Legal Aid of Western Missouri
- Mid-Missouri Legal Services
- UMKC School of Law Expungement Clinic (Clear My Record Missouri)
- Find free legal aid at LawHelp.org
National help
Free letter and checklist
Letter: ask for a copy of your own record
A request to the state records office (Missouri State Highway Patrol, Criminal Justice Information Services Division (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 Missouri.
Clearing a record in Missouri by topic
Petition for expungement (RSMo 610.140) in Missouri
Which records each remedy covers, who is not eligible and what changes afterwards.
Waiting periods in Missouri
How long you wait for each kind of case, and a date helper.
How to file in Missouri
The steps, the cost, fee waivers, the forms and court self-help.
Automatic relief in Missouri
- Law
- Automatic expungement of drug-possession convictions and automatic closed records for non-convictions
- What is cleared
- Starting no later than January 1, 2027, the Highway Patrol's central repository must screen records at least weekly and automatically expunge convictions for possession of a controlled substance or drug paraphernalia once 1 year (misdemeanor) or 3 years (felony) has passed since you completed all court-imposed terms and were released, with no new misdemeanor or felony conviction in that time, no pending charges or outstanding arrest, and no class A felony; the case must contain only qualifying convictions. These count toward the lifetime limit of 3 misdemeanors and 2 felonies. Separately, if your case was nolle prossed or dismissed, you were found not guilty, or you received a suspended imposition of sentence (SIS), the records become closed records when the case ends (for SIS, after probation). Closed records are hidden from the public but police, courts and some employers and agencies can still see them.
- Started
- RSMo 610.141 took effect August 28, 2026; automatic expungements must begin when technically feasible and no later than January 1, 2027.
- Check your record
- Official status page
Law: RSMo 610.141 (2026 S.B. 1421); RSMo 610.105; RSMo 579.015, 579.074, or former 195.202, 195.233
Marijuana records in Missouri
Under Amendment 3, courts had to automatically expunge records of misdemeanor marijuana offenses within 6 months, and of most completed felony marijuana offenses (and offenses no longer crimes) within 12 months, after it took effect in December 2022 — excluding sale to a minor, violent offenses and driving under the influence. More serious felony marijuana offenses are expunged when incarceration, probation or parole is completed. People still serving a sentence for a now-legal marijuana offense may petition the sentencing court to vacate it and expunge the record; no filing fee may be charged. After expungement you may deny the record on applications for jobs, licenses and civil rights, and the court issues a certificate of expungement.
Law: Mo. Const. art. XIV, § 2.10(8)
Juvenile records in Missouri
After you turn 18 (or after your case closes, if the court kept jurisdiction longer), the juvenile court may, on its own or on your application, destroy social histories and records and seal the official court file and police records if that is in your best interest.
Law: RSMo 211.321.5
Pardons in Missouri
- Who decides
- The Governor; the Board of Probation and Parole investigates applications
- How
- Download the Application for Executive Clemency (confined or non-confined applicant) from the Department of Corrections and submit it; the Parole Board investigates and makes a recommendation to the Governor. A full pardon restores your rights but does not remove the conviction from your record.
Law: Mo. Const. art. IV, § 7; RSMo 217.800
After your record is cleared in Missouri
After expungement your civil rights are fully restored, and you may answer 'no' when an employer asks if you were ever arrested, charged or convicted, if you have no other public record. You must still disclose it to a court when asked or when charged with a new crime, and on applications for state professional licenses, gaming licenses or firearm permits, and for jobs in law enforcement, emergency services, gaming, banks and credit unions, insurance, or with any employer that federal or state law requires to exclude certain convictions. An expunged crime cannot be an automatic bar except for those regulated jobs, and it can count as a prior offense in later sentencing.
Law: RSMo 610.140.9-11
Get your own record in Missouri
Missouri State Highway Patrol, Criminal Justice Information Services Division (central repository)
Name-based search through the Missouri Automated Criminal History Site (MACHS) for $16 plus a small convenience fee (shows only open records), or a fingerprint-based search for $20 (shows closed and expunged records too); fingerprinting is scheduled through MACHS with IDEMIA, or mail an FD-258 card with a check or money order to 'State of Missouri - Criminal Record System Fund'. Notarized results cost $5 more.
Letter: ask the state records office for a copy of your record
Good to know in Missouri
- If you meet the waiting period and record rules, Missouri law presumes expungement is warranted; the prosecutor must prove otherwise.
Law: RSMo 610.140.6
- 2026 S.B. 1421 creates Missouri's first automatic (Clean Slate) expungement, limited to drug-possession and paraphernalia convictions, to begin no later than January 1, 2027.
Law: RSMo 610.141
- 2024 S.B. 754 (effective January 1, 2025) cut the wait to expunge an arrest with no charges from 3 years to 18 months and revised the excluded-offense list.
Law: RSMo 610.140
Changes in 2024–2026
2024 S.B. 754: arrest-only wait cut from 3 years to 18 months; 'crime' defined to cover offenses, violations and infractions; the excluded-offense list was revised, and offenses 'previously listed' or successors to listed offenses are now also excluded; the rule letting a court decide solely on the victim's testimony was replaced by a rule that the offense's continuing impact on the victim can rebut the presumption. 2026 S.B. 1421 (effective Aug. 28, 2026): automatic expungement of drug-possession and paraphernalia convictions and new limits on reporting expunged or pardoned records.
Law: 610.140 effective Jan. 1, 2025; RSMo 610.143
Questions about clearing a record in Missouri
What is clearing a record called in Missouri?
Expungement; closed records. Expungement closes all records of the arrest, plea, trial or conviction and restores you to the status you had before, as if it never happened. Closed records are hidden from the public but stay available to police, prosecutors, courts and certain licensing and employment checks.
Can convictions be cleared in Missouri?
Petition for expungement: Arrests, misdemeanor, municipal and infraction records, and felony convictions in Missouri courts that are not on the excluded list. Expungement of a first intoxication-related traffic or boating offense: One first-offense misdemeanor or ordinance DWI/BWI (not in a commercial vehicle). Expungement of an arrest based on false information or mistaken/stolen identity: Arrests based on false information with no probable cause; dismissed or not-guilty minor traffic arrests; charges filed because someone used your identity or you were misidentified.
How long do I have to wait in Missouri?
Misdemeanor, municipal violation or infraction: 1 year, counted from completion of the sentence or other authorized disposition; Felony: 3 years, counted from completion of the sentence or other authorized disposition; Arrest with no charges: 18 months, counted from the arrest; First DWI/BWI misdemeanor: 10 years, counted from the plea or conviction.
Does Missouri clear records automatically?
Starting no later than January 1, 2027, the Highway Patrol's central repository must screen records at least weekly and automatically expunge convictions for possession of a controlled substance or drug paraphernalia once 1 year (misdemeanor) or 3 years (felony) has passed since you completed all court-imposed terms and were released, with no new misdemeanor or felony conviction in that time, no pending charges or outstanding arrest, and no class A felony; the case must contain only qualifying convictions. These count toward the lifetime limit of 3 misdemeanors and 2 felonies. Separately, if your case was nolle prossed or dismissed, you were found not guilty, or you received a suspended imposition of sentence (SIS), the records become closed records when the case ends (for SIS, after probation). Closed records are hidden from the public but police, courts and some employers and agencies can still see them.
How much does it cost to clear a record in Missouri?
Petition for expungement: No special expungement surcharge since August 28, 2023. Ordinary civil filing and service costs charged by the court still apply.
Can a marijuana record be cleared in Missouri?
Under Amendment 3, courts had to automatically expunge records of misdemeanor marijuana offenses within 6 months, and of most completed felony marijuana offenses (and offenses no longer crimes) within 12 months, after it took effect in December 2022 — excluding sale to a minor, violent offenses and driving under the influence. More serious felony marijuana offenses are expunged when incarceration, probation or parole is completed. People still serving a sentence for a now-legal marijuana offense may petition the sentencing court to vacate it and expunge the record; no filing fee may be charged. After expungement you may deny the record on applications for jobs, licenses and civil rights, and the court issues a certificate of expungement.
Can juvenile records be cleared in Missouri?
After you turn 18 (or after your case closes, if the court kept jurisdiction longer), the juvenile court may, on its own or on your application, destroy social histories and records and seal the official court file and police records if that is in your best interest.
What can I say after my record is cleared in Missouri?
After expungement your civil rights are fully restored, and you may answer 'no' when an employer asks if you were ever arrested, charged or convicted, if you have no other public record. You must still disclose it to a court when asked or when charged with a new crime, and on applications for state professional licenses, gaming licenses or firearm permits, and for jobs in law enforcement, emergency services, gaming, banks and credit unions, insurance, or with any employer that federal or state law requires to exclude certain convictions. An expunged crime cannot be an automatic bar except for those regulated jobs, and it can count as a prior offense in later sentencing.
How do I get a copy of my criminal record in Missouri?
Name-based search through the Missouri Automated Criminal History Site (MACHS) for $16 plus a small convenience fee (shows only open records), or a fingerprint-based search for $20 (shows closed and expunged records too); fingerprinting is scheduled through MACHS with IDEMIA, or mail an FD-258 card with a check or money order to 'State of Missouri - Criminal Record System Fund'. Notarized results cost $5 more.
Where can I get free help in Missouri?
Legal Services of Eastern Missouri, Legal Aid of Western Missouri and Mid-Missouri Legal Services.