Clearing a criminal record in Pennsylvania
In Pennsylvania it is called expungement or limited access: expungement removes the record so it is no longer kept, except for limited lists prosecutors and police may keep. Some misdemeanor and felony convictions may be cleared, and Pennsylvania also clears some records automatically.
Checked against official sources: October 25, 2026. · Free letter and checklist ↓
Can my record be cleared in Pennsylvania?
Expungement; limited access (including Clean Slate automatic limited access) — Expungement removes the record so it is no longer kept, except for limited lists prosecutors and police may keep. Limited access seals a record from most employers, landlords and the public, but police, courts and some agencies required by law can still see it.
Pennsylvania has 2 ways to clear a record. Each covers different records and has its own waiting period.
Expungement
Non-conviction records (charges dismissed, withdrawn, nolle prossed), acquittals, completed ARD programs, summary offense convictions, underage drinking convictions after age 21, pardoned convictions, and records of people 70 or older or who died three years ago.
| Kind of case | Waiting period | Counted from |
|---|---|---|
Charges dismissed, withdrawn or not prosecuted | No waiting period You can file a petition for expungement any time after the case ends without a conviction. | Final disposition |
Acquitted of all charges at trial | No waiting period The court must expunge the record on its own within 12 months of the acquittal, unless the prosecutor shows it was a partial acquittal. | Acquittal |
ARD (Accelerated Rehabilitative Disposition) completed | No waiting period When the judge dismisses the charges after ARD, the judge also orders expungement, unless the prosecutor objects with good reasons. | Dismissal after ARD |
Summary offense conviction | 5 years You can petition after five years free of arrest or prosecution since the conviction. | Date of conviction |
Underage drinking conviction (18 Pa.C.S. 6308) | See the rule If you are 21 or older and finished the sentence, the court must expunge it on petition. | Completing the sentence, once you are 21 |
Age 70 or older, any conviction | 10 years If you are 70 or older and have been free of arrest or prosecution for ten years since final release, you can petition. | Final release from confinement or supervision |
Conviction with an unconditional pardon | No waiting period Pardoned convictions are sent by the Board of Pardons to the courts and expunged. | Pardon |
- Not eligible
- Most misdemeanor and felony convictions cannot be expunged (use limited access instead), unless pardoned or you are 70+. ARD cannot be expunged for rape, statutory sexual assault, IDSI, sexual assault, aggravated indecent assault, indecent assault, indecent exposure, and certain prostitution and obscenity offenses when the victim was under 18.
Law: 18 Pa.C.S. § 9122; Pa.R.Crim.P. 320, 490, 790
Source: Official text
Petition for Limited Access
Misdemeanor convictions and ungraded offenses with a maximum penalty of five years or less; and, after 10 years, certain felonies other than first- or second-degree felonies: criminal mischief, criminal trespass, theft, forgery and fraud, public-assistance fraud, and drug offenses ('qualifying offenses').
| Kind of case | Waiting period | Counted from |
|---|---|---|
Misdemeanor conviction | 7 years You can petition after seven years with no conviction for an offense punishable by a year or more, once restitution and the limited access fee are paid. | Your last conviction for an offense punishable by one year or more |
Qualifying felony (not F1 or F2) | 10 years You can petition after ten years with no conviction for an offense punishable by a year or more, once restitution and the fee are paid. | Your last conviction for an offense punishable by one year or more |
- Not eligible
- Convictions punishable by more than two years for crimes against the person (except misdemeanor terroristic threats), offenses against the family, firearms offenses, registrable sex offenses, or corruption of minors. Also ineligible if you were ever convicted of murder, a first-degree felony or an offense punishable by 20+ years; or, in the last 15 years, a serious violent, family, firearms or sex felony, four or more offenses punishable by two+ years, or indecent exposure and certain other listed crimes; or, in the last 10 years, two or more offenses punishable by more than two years.
Law: 18 Pa.C.S. § 9122.1; Pa.R.Crim.P. 791
Source: Official text
When can I file? Waiting periods in Pennsylvania
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 Pennsylvania
Expungement
File a petition with the clerk of courts in the county where the case ended. Attach a Pennsylvania State Police criminal history report from the last 60 days unless the prosecutor waives it, and serve the prosecutor. The prosecutor has 60 days to consent or object; then the judge decides or holds a hearing.
Law: Rule 790; Rule 490 for summary cases before a magisterial district judge
- Cost
- Filing costs are set by each county; ask the clerk of courts.
- If you can't pay
- Motion to Proceed In Forma Pauperis (statewide form for Court of Common Pleas or Magisterial District Court).
Law: Rule 790; Rule 490 for summary cases before a magisterial district judge
Petition for Limited Access
File a petition with the clerk of courts in the county of conviction, with a State Police record report from the last 60 days, and serve the district attorney. The DA has 30 days to object; if not, the court may grant it without a hearing.
Law: Rule 791
- Cost
- County filing costs vary. The statute also requires payment of 'the fee previously authorized' for limited access before an order can be entered.
- If you can't pay
- Motion to Proceed In Forma Pauperis.
Law: Rule 791
Court self-help
Free help in Pennsylvania
- PALawHelp.org (Pennsylvania legal aid network)
- Community Legal Services of Philadelphia - criminal records
National help
Free letter and checklist
Letter: ask for a copy of your own record
A request to the state records office (Pennsylvania State Police Central Repository (Bureau of Records and Identification)) 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 Pennsylvania.
Clearing a record in Pennsylvania by topic
Expungement in Pennsylvania
Which records each remedy covers, who is not eligible and what changes afterwards.
Waiting periods in Pennsylvania
How long you wait for each kind of case, and a date helper.
How to file in Pennsylvania
The steps, the cost, fee waivers, the forms and court self-help.
Automatic relief in Pennsylvania
- Law
- Clean Slate (clean slate limited access)
- What is cleared
- Records are sealed from the public without a petition: all non-conviction charges; summary convictions after 5 years; second- and third-degree misdemeanors and misdemeanors punishable by two years or less after 7 years free of any conviction punishable by one year or more; drug offenses under the Controlled Substance, Drug, Device and Cosmetic Act ('qualifying offenses') after 10 years free of such a conviction, unless the sentence was a minimum of 30 months or a maximum of 60 months or more; and conditionally pardoned convictions. Restitution must be paid. Not available for crimes against the person, offenses against the family, firearms offenses, registrable sex offenses, animal cruelty or corruption of minors; or if you have ever been convicted of any other felony, two or more offenses punishable by more than two years, four or more offenses punishable by one year or more, or certain listed offenses (such as indecent exposure). A conviction is also not sealed if the same case includes a conviction punishable by five years or more (this does not apply to drug 'qualifying offenses').
- Started
- June 28, 2019; expanded by Act 83 of 2020 and by Act 36 of 2023 (signed Dec. 14, 2023; the 7-year misdemeanor and 10-year drug-offense rules took effect in June 2024, 180 days later).
Law: 18 Pa.C.S. §§ 9102 ('qualifying offense'), 9122.2, 9122.3; Act 56 of 2018
Juvenile records in Pennsylvania
Juvenile court records are expunged after notice to the DA when, for example, the case was dismissed, six months after a consent decree or diversion, two years after discharge for a misdemeanor adjudication, or five years after discharge for a felony adjudication, if you have no new conviction or adjudication. Rape, IDSI and aggravated indecent assault adjudications at age 14+ are excluded.
Law: 18 Pa.C.S. § 9123
Pardons in Pennsylvania
- Who decides
- The Governor, on the recommendation of the Board of Pardons
- How
- Apply to the Board of Pardons (English or Spanish application). The Board holds hearings and votes; a decision can take a few years. A pardon leads to expungement of the conviction.
Law: Pa. Const. art. IV, § 9; Pa. Const. art. IV, § 18 Pa.C.S. § 9122(a)(2.1), (a.1)
After your record is cleared in Pennsylvania
You may not be required or asked to disclose an expunged or limited-access record, and you may answer as if the offense did not occur, except for criminal justice agencies, employers who must check under federal law, and other uses required by law. Such records may not be used for employment, housing or school admission unless federal law requires it. Courts can still see limited-access records for sentencing.
Law: 18 Pa.C.S. § 9122.5
Get your own record in Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania State Police Central Repository (Bureau of Records and Identification) · 888-783-7972
For your full record (convictions and non-convictions), mail form SP 4-170 Individual Access and Review; fee $20. A standard check through PATCH (epatch.pa.gov) or form SP 4-164 costs $22.
Letter: ask the state records office for a copy of your record
Good to know in Pennsylvania
- Clean Slate seals many records automatically every month; no petition needed.
Law: 18 Pa.C.S. § 9122.2(b)
- Acquittals are now expunged by the court on its own within 12 months.
Law: Act 36 of 2023, 18 Pa.C.S. § 9122(a)(4)
- Unconditional pardons are sent quarterly from the Board of Pardons to the courts for automatic expungement.
Law: 18 Pa.C.S. § 9122(a.1)
Changes in 2024–2026
Act 36 of 2023 (signed Dec. 14, 2023): automatic expungement of full acquittals and pardoned convictions; Clean Slate wait for misdemeanors cut from 10 to 7 years; added 10-year automatic sealing for drug felonies; petition limited access for certain felonies after 10 years; ban on using sealed records for employment, housing or school admission. Parts took effect in February 2024 (60 days) and June 2024 (180 days).
Questions about clearing a record in Pennsylvania
What is clearing a record called in Pennsylvania?
Expungement; limited access (including Clean Slate automatic limited access). Expungement removes the record so it is no longer kept, except for limited lists prosecutors and police may keep. Limited access seals a record from most employers, landlords and the public, but police, courts and some agencies required by law can still see it.
Can convictions be cleared in Pennsylvania?
Expungement: Non-conviction records (charges dismissed, withdrawn, nolle prossed), acquittals, completed ARD programs, summary offense convictions, underage drinking convictions after age 21, pardoned convictions, and records of people 70 or older or who died three years ago. Petition for Limited Access: Misdemeanor convictions and ungraded offenses with a maximum penalty of five years or less; and, after 10 years, certain felonies other than first- or second-degree felonies: criminal mischief, criminal trespass, theft, forgery and fraud, public-assistance fraud, and drug offenses ('qualifying offenses').
How long do I have to wait in Pennsylvania?
Charges dismissed, withdrawn or not prosecuted: No waiting period, counted from final disposition; Acquitted of all charges at trial: No waiting period, counted from acquittal; ARD completed: No waiting period, counted from dismissal after ARD; Summary offense conviction: 5 years, counted from date of conviction.
Does Pennsylvania clear records automatically?
Records are sealed from the public without a petition: all non-conviction charges; summary convictions after 5 years; second- and third-degree misdemeanors and misdemeanors punishable by two years or less after 7 years free of any conviction punishable by one year or more; drug offenses under the Controlled Substance, Drug, Device and Cosmetic Act ('qualifying offenses') after 10 years free of such a conviction, unless the sentence was a minimum of 30 months or a maximum of 60 months or more; and conditionally pardoned convictions. Restitution must be paid. Not available for crimes against the person, offenses against the family, firearms offenses, registrable sex offenses, animal cruelty or corruption of minors; or if you have ever been convicted of any other felony, two or more offenses punishable by more than two years, four or more offenses punishable by one year or more, or certain listed offenses (such as indecent exposure). A conviction is also not sealed if the same case includes a conviction punishable by five years or more (this does not apply to drug 'qualifying offenses').
How much does it cost to clear a record in Pennsylvania?
Expungement: Filing costs are set by each county; ask the clerk of courts. Petition for Limited Access: County filing costs vary. The statute also requires payment of 'the fee previously authorized' for limited access before an order can be entered.
Can juvenile records be cleared in Pennsylvania?
Juvenile court records are expunged after notice to the DA when, for example, the case was dismissed, six months after a consent decree or diversion, two years after discharge for a misdemeanor adjudication, or five years after discharge for a felony adjudication, if you have no new conviction or adjudication. Rape, IDSI and aggravated indecent assault adjudications at age 14+ are excluded.
What can I say after my record is cleared in Pennsylvania?
You may not be required or asked to disclose an expunged or limited-access record, and you may answer as if the offense did not occur, except for criminal justice agencies, employers who must check under federal law, and other uses required by law. Such records may not be used for employment, housing or school admission unless federal law requires it. Courts can still see limited-access records for sentencing.
How do I get a copy of my criminal record in Pennsylvania?
For your full record (convictions and non-convictions), mail form SP 4-170 Individual Access and Review; fee $20. A standard check through PATCH (epatch.pa.gov) or form SP 4-164 costs $22.
Where can I get free help in Pennsylvania?
PALawHelp.org (Pennsylvania legal aid network) and Community Legal Services of Philadelphia - criminal records.