Missouri record clearing
Expungement Lawyer in Missouri
An old conviction can keep costing you jobs, housing, and licenses long after the sentence is over. Missouri law now lets many people close those records for good. You get a limited number of expungements in your lifetime, so it is worth doing right the first time.
Eligibility
What can be expunged in Missouri?
Missouri’s expungement law is broader than it used to be. Most misdemeanors, many felonies, municipal ordinance violations, and arrests that never led to a conviction can be expunged, as long as the offense is not on the excluded list and you meet the waiting period.
Convictions
Eligible misdemeanors, municipal violations, infractions, and felonies other than class A felonies and the other excluded categories below. If several offenses came from the same course of conduct, they can be included together.
Arrests without a conviction
An arrest record for an eligible offense can be expunged 18 months after the arrest, if you were not charged and have not been found guilty of another misdemeanor or felony in that time.
A first DWI
DWI is excluded from the general statute, but a separate law allows a single, lifetime expungement of a first misdemeanor intoxication-related driving offense after ten years with no further alcohol-related offenses or enforcement contacts.
Marijuana offenses
Article XIV of the Missouri Constitution required many past marijuana offenses to be expunged. If an eligible marijuana record still shows up on a background check, it can be addressed.
The exclusions
What crimes cannot be expunged in Missouri?
The statute lists offenses that can never be expunged under the general law. The main categories:
- Any class A felony.
- “Dangerous felonies,” such as first-degree robbery, first-degree arson, and kidnapping.
- Any offense that requires sex offender registration, and any offense in Missouri’s sex offense chapter.
- Any felony where death is an element of the offense.
- Any felony assault, and any domestic assault, misdemeanor or felony.
- DWI and other intoxication-related traffic or boating offenses, except the one first-offense expungement described above.
- Most unlawful use of weapons offenses, with narrow exceptions.
- Traffic offenses committed by someone who holds, or is required to hold, a commercial driver’s license.
- A long list of specific offenses named in the statute, including many involving public office, elections, and certain property and weapons crimes.
Whether a particular conviction is excluded often depends on the exact statute you were convicted under, not the name of the charge. That is the first thing we check.
The requirements
How long do you have to wait to get an expungement in Missouri?
Three years for a felony and one year for a misdemeanor, municipal violation, or infraction. The clock starts when you finish your sentence, including any probation, not on the date you were convicted.
What the court looks at
That the waiting period has passed, that you have no new misdemeanor or felony findings of guilt during it (traffic violations aside), that all fines and restitution are paid, and that you have no pending charges.
The presumption in your favor
When those requirements are met and the petition says expungement serves the public welfare, the law presumes it is warranted. The prosecutor then has to rebut that presumption, and any victim has a right to be heard.
The process
How long does it take to have something expunged in Missouri?
The court must grant or dismiss the petition within six months of filing. Many are resolved sooner.
- The petition. Filed in the court where you were charged, naming every agency that holds a record of the case: the court, the prosecutor, the arresting agency, and the state’s central records repository. An agency left off the petition is not bound by the order.
- The prosecutor’s response. The prosecutor has thirty days to object in writing. If there is an objection, the court generally holds a hearing within sixty days.
- The order. If the requirements are met, the court enters an order of expungement, each named agency closes its records, and the state asks the FBI to expunge its file as well.
If a petition is dismissed for not meeting the criteria, you generally have to wait a year before filing again. Getting the petition right the first time matters.
After the order
What does an expungement do?
It restores you, legally, to where you stood before the arrest or conviction, including the right to vote, hold public office, and serve on a jury.
Answering “no”
In most cases, you can answer “no” when an employer asks whether you have ever been arrested, charged, or convicted, as long as you have no other public criminal record.
The exceptions
You must still disclose an expunged offense on applications for a state professional license, for jobs with banks, credit unions, insurers, law enforcement and emergency services, and for jobs where federal or state law requires screening. An expunged offense can also still count as a prior if you are charged again.
New in 2026
Is Missouri making expungement automatic?
For some offenses, yes. A 2026 law requires the state to automatically expunge qualifying drug possession and drug paraphernalia convictions once the waiting period passes, with no petition required. The system is to be running once it is technically feasible, and no later than January 1, 2027.
What it covers
Convictions for possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia, where those are the only convictions in the case, the sentence has been completed for one year (misdemeanor) or three years (felony), and there are no new convictions or pending charges.
What it does not change
Everything else still requires a petition. Automatic expungements count toward the same lifetime limits, and if a qualifying record is not expunged automatically, the remedy is to file a petition.
Answers
Missouri expungement questions we hear
How much does it cost to expunge your record in Missouri?
There are two parts: court filing costs, and the lawyer’s fee. The separate $250 expungement surcharge that used to apply was repealed in 2023. We handle expungements for a flat fee quoted before you retain us, based on how many offenses and courts are involved.
How many times can you get an expungement in Missouri?
Over your lifetime, no more than three misdemeanors (or ordinance violations that carry jail time) and two felonies, counting automatic and petition-based expungements together. Infractions have no limit. Related offenses from the same course of conduct count as one, at the highest level.
Is an SIS the same as an expungement?
No. After a completed SIS, the record is closed to the public, but it still exists and some agencies can see it. An expungement goes further: a completed SIS closes the court case, but not police and arrest records. See our guide to SIS and SES in Missouri.
Can I expunge a DWI in Missouri?
Only a first misdemeanor intoxication-related driving offense, only once in your lifetime, and only after ten years with no further alcohol-related offenses or enforcement contacts. It cannot be expunged if it involved driving a commercial motor vehicle.
Do I have to go to court?
Not always. If the prosecutor does not object, the court may rule without a contested hearing, though it can still set one. If there is an objection, there will be a hearing, and we handle it.
Applying for a professional license? Read how a criminal charge affects a professional license in Missouri.
Want your gun rights back? Read expungement and gun rights in Missouri. Thinking of filing yourself? Read why petitions fail, and why you only get one try a year. Old marijuana case still showing? Read what to do if it was not expunged automatically.
We file expungement petitions in Cole, Boone, and Callaway Counties, and elsewhere in Missouri by arrangement. Facing a new charge instead? See our Missouri criminal defense page.
Talk to us
Find out whether your record can be cleared.
Tell us what is on your record and when the sentence ended. We will tell you what is eligible, what is not, and how to use your lifetime expungements wisely.
Attorney advertising. The choice of a lawyer is an important decision and should not be based solely upon advertisements. The information on this page is general and is not legal advice. It reflects Missouri law as of September 2026. Contacting Vindex Law, PC does not create an attorney-client relationship.
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