Which states clear criminal records automatically?

State by state

• California

  Yes, for some records, since July 1, 2022

  California's Department of Justice grants arrest relief (Penal Code § 851.93) and conviction relief (§ 1203.425) automatically each month, with no petition, for records back to January 1, 1973. AB 1076 (2019) started automatic relief on July 1, 2022, and AB 145 (2021) extended review back to 1973. SB 731 (2022) and AB 567 (2023) added most felonies after four crime-free years and misdemeanors with revoked probation that were later completed, effective October 1, 2024 (per AB 168, 2024). Serious, violent and sex-registration felonies are excluded, and courts must limit public access to relieved records (California DOJ).

  Sources: California Department of Justice, Office of the Attorney General · FindLaw, republishing the California Legislature's text · All of California's rules

• Colorado

  Yes, for some records, since August 10, 2022

  Colorado seals many records automatically under laws passed from 2019 to 2024. Since August 10, 2022 (Senate Bill 22-099), courts must seal cases that end in dismissal, acquittal, or completed diversion or deferred judgment at the time of disposition, and CBI seals them if the court doesn't (C.R.S. § 24-72-705). CBI automatically seals arrests made on or after January 1, 2022 when no charges are filed within a year, and is working through older no-charge arrests on a schedule ending January 1, 2027 (§ 24-72-704(2)). Under § 13-3-117, the courts began automatically sealing eligible convictions by July 1, 2024: civil infractions after 4 years, petty offenses and misdemeanors after 7 years, and drug felonies after 10 years, with no new conviction in between. Non-drug felonies (10 years) were added on July 1, 2025. Crimes listed in the Victim Rights Act and anything that can't be sealed by motion, such as DUI, are excluded, and district attorneys can object. A first underage alcohol or marijuana conviction is sealed once court-ordered substance education is done (§ 18-13-122(13)). HB 24-1133, effective July 1, 2025, added court sealing on a district attorney's notice for no-charge arrests and a backlog list of completed deferred judgments, acquittals and diversion cases with dispositions before August 2022 (§ 13-3-117(5)). Since May 21, 2026, SB 26-149 excludes charges dismissed because the defendant was found incompetent to proceed from non-conviction sealing (§ 24-72-705(1)(g)).

  Sources: Colorado Office of Legislative Legal Services · Colorado Office of Legislative Legal Services · Colorado Office of Legislative Legal Services · All of Colorado's rules

• Connecticut

  Yes, for some records, since January 1, 2023

  Connecticut's Clean Slate law (Public Act 21-32, effective January 1, 2023) automatically erases eligible convictions for offenses committed on or after January 1, 2000: misdemeanors 7 years after a person's most recent conviction, and class D and E felonies, unclassified felonies with a maximum of 5 years or less, and DUIs 10 years after the most recent conviction, once all incarceration, parole and probation are finished and no Connecticut charge is pending. Family violence crimes, sexual offenses and a list of specific offenses are excluded. Lawmakers amended it in 2022 and 2023, adding motor vehicle violations and moving DUI to the 10-year track effective July 1, 2023. Automatic cannabis possession erasures began January 1, 2023. The Governor's office announced in December 2023 that the automated system was live for about 178,499 convictions held by more than 80,000 people, and the state's Clean Slate site says erasures resumed after delays caused by aging data systems and data quality problems, with about 50,000 people's records partly or fully erased and more than 100,000 expected (the update is undated, and no official page we found says the rollout is complete). Since January 1, 2024, people whose records weren't erased can ask DESPP for a review (§ 54-142t(g), amended by P.A. 25-161 effective July 1, 2025). Offenses from before 2000 need a court petition. The Office of Legislative Research's June 2026 summary of new criminal justice laws lists no 2026 act changing erasure, Clean Slate or pardons.

  Sources: Connecticut General Assembly · Connecticut General Assembly · Office of Governor Ned Lamont · All of Connecticut's rules

• Delaware

  Yes, for some records, since August 1, 2024

  Delaware's Clean Slate Act (Senate Bill 111, 83 Del. Laws c. 265, approved November 8, 2021) took effect on approval and was implemented on August 1, 2024. Every month, the State Bureau of Identification identifies and expunges cases that qualify for mandatory expungement: cases that ended in the person's favor, violation convictions after 3 years, past marijuana and paraphernalia possession and underage alcohol convictions, misdemeanor and drug possession convictions after 5 years with no barring convictions, and six listed lower-level felonies after 10 years (11 Del. C. §§ 4373, 4373A). Domestic violence crimes, offenses against children or vulnerable adults, listed misdemeanors, Title 21 offenses and cases with any ineligible charge are excluded. If a case is missed, the person can still apply to the SBI.

  Sources: Delaware General Assembly · Delaware Code Online (Delaware General Assembly) · Delaware General Assembly · All of Delaware's rules

• Michigan

  Yes, for some records, since April 11, 2023

  Michigan's Clean Slate laws (2020 PA 187-193, effective April 11, 2021) set aside many convictions automatically, with no application: misdemeanors after 7 years and non-assaultive felonies after 10 years. The lifetime limit is 2 felonies and 4 misdemeanors (low-level misdemeanors don't count toward the 4). Assaultive crimes, serious misdemeanors, crimes of dishonesty, 10-year-plus offenses, human trafficking and OWI are excluded (MCL 780.621g, 780.621c). The statute set the start two years after the effective date, subject to funding. Michigan Legal Help says automatic set-asides began April 11, 2023.

  Sources: Justia, republishing the Michigan Compiled Laws · Michigan Legal Help · All of Michigan's rules

• Minnesota

  Yes, for some records, since January 1, 2025

  Minnesota's Clean Slate Act (Laws 2023, chapter 52, article 7) took effect January 1, 2025, and applies retroactively to records that were eligible before then. The BCA identifies and seals eligible records with no petition: dismissed charges, cases resolved in your favor, completed non-felony diversion after 1 year, petty misdemeanors and misdemeanors after 2 years, gross misdemeanors after 3 years, felony fifth-degree controlled substance crimes after 4 years, and other listed felonies after 5 years, each with no new conviction in the meantime. DWI, domestic assault, many other person offenses and most felonies are excluded (Minn. Stat. § 609A.015). The BCA began sealing records in June 2025 and reported 98.7% of about 2.08 million potentially eligible records sealed or in final court review as of October 13, 2026. Automatic sealing does not reach Department of Human Services records or records shared with other states; those need a petition. A 2026 law (chapter 70, effective August 1, 2026) lets the BCA unseal a record it later finds did not qualify. Separately, non-felony cannabis records were sealed automatically in May 2024 (§ 609A.055).

  Sources: Minnesota Office of the Revisor of Statutes · Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension · Minnesota Office of the Revisor of Statutes · All of Minnesota's rules

• New York

  Yes, for some records, since November 16, 2024

  The Clean Slate Act (S7551, Chapter 631 of 2023, signed November 16, 2023) took effect one year later, on November 16, 2024. It automatically seals most misdemeanor convictions 3 years and most felony convictions 8 years after sentencing or release, if you have no pending charge and aren't on probation or parole. Sex offenses and most Class A felonies are excluded. The courts have until November 16, 2027 to finish sealing older convictions, so as of October 2026 an eligible older record may not be sealed yet. DMV records are not sealed, and sealed convictions stay available to law enforcement, courts, firearms licensing and some employers required to check.

  Sources: New York State Senate · New York State Senate · New York State Unified Court System · All of New York's rules

• Pennsylvania

  Yes, for some records, since June 28, 2019

  Pennsylvania's Clean Slate law (Act 56 of 2018) began automatically sealing eligible records on June 28, 2019. Act 36 of 2023 (House Bill 689, signed December 14, 2023) expanded it. The petition-sealing changes took effect February 12, 2024. The automatic-sealing changes (the 7-year misdemeanor wait, the 5-year summary offense wait and the new drug-felony track) and automatic expungement after a pardon took effect June 11, 2024. Today the law automatically seals non-conviction records, summary convictions after 5 years, second- and third-degree misdemeanors (and misdemeanors punishable by 2 years or less) after 7 conviction-free years, and qualifying drug felonies after 10 years, once court-ordered restitution is paid. Records involving danger to the person, the family, firearms, sex offenses, animal cruelty or corruption of minors, and people with other felony convictions, are excluded.

  Sources: Pennsylvania General Assembly · Pennsylvania General Assembly · Pennsylvania House Appropriations Committee · All of Pennsylvania's rules

• Utah

  Yes, for some records, since May 1, 2020

  Utah's Clean Slate law, H.B. 431 (2019), took effect May 1, 2020; the current statute's automatic-expungement and deletion timelines run from that date (§§ 77-40a-202, 77-40a-204(4)). It requires courts and BCI to expunge eligible cases without a petition: acquittals after 60 days, dismissals with prejudice after 180 days, and cases where every conviction (or plea in abeyance or without-prejudice dismissal) is a class B or C misdemeanor, an infraction or class A drug possession, after 6, 5 and 7 years with no disqualifying record, unpaid court debt, pending case, or state supervision (Utah Code §§ 77-40a-205, 77-40a-206). Prosecutors get monthly notice and 35 days to object. H.B. 352 (2024) required people to submit a form to get automatic expungement from October 1, 2024 through December 31, 2025; since January 1, 2026, courts again identify and expunge eligible cases on their own (§ 77-40a-204; Utah Courts). Courts also delete traffic-only cases after an acquittal, a dismissal with prejudice, or 5-6 years (§ 77-40a-202). As amended effective May 6, 2026, the clean slate exclusions also expressly list DUI as codified before February 2, 2005 (§ 77-40a-205(3)(f)(ix)). Automatic expungement covers only court and BCI records; other agencies' records need a petition (§ 77-40a-207(4)).

  Sources: Utah State Legislature · Utah State Legislature · Utah State Legislature · All of Utah's rules

• Virginia

  Yes, for some records, since July 1, 2026

  Virginia enacted automatic and petition sealing in 2021 (Va. Code § 19.2-392.5 et seq.). The 2025 General Assembly (SB 1466 and HB 2723, 2025 Acts chs. 634 and 671) reworked it and moved most provisions to July 1, 2026, to give courts and the State Police time to build the systems. Automatic sealing now covers listed misdemeanor convictions after 7 years, former marijuana possession, misdemeanor acquittals and dismissals with prejudice, older misdemeanor non-convictions, and traffic infractions after 11 years. The State Police had until October 1, 2026 to send the first list of convictions eligible for automatic sealing, so some eligible records may not show as sealed yet.

  Sources: Virginia State Crime Commission · Virginia State Police · Virginia State Bar · All of Virginia's rules

• District of Columbia

  Passed, not yet in effect

  The Second Chance Amendment Act of 2022 (D.C. Law 24-284, effective March 10, 2023) requires the Superior Court to automatically seal non-conviction records and misdemeanor convictions 10 years after the sentence ends, except listed offenses such as intrafamily, sex, violent and dangerous crimes and DUI (D.C. Code § 16-805), and to automatically expunge decriminalized or unconstitutional offenses and simple marijuana possession before February 15, 2015 (§ 16-802). The Act's start was tied to funding and then moved several times: the Secure DC Omnibus Amendment Act of 2024 (D.C. Law 25-175) set October 1, 2024 and added an October 1, 2027 deadline for the automatic provisions, and the Fiscal Year 2025 Budget Support Act (D.C. Law 25-217) moved the Act's applicability to March 1, 2025. The Peace DC Omnibus Amendment Act of 2025 (D.C. Law 26-52, effective October 28, 2025, applying as of March 1, 2025) let people seal non-convictions that will later be automatic by motion until October 1, 2027. The law now says eligible records must be sealed or expunged by October 1, 2027, or within 90 days after the case ends or the waiting period runs, whichever is later. The D.C. Courts' sealing page, last updated February 2, 2026, says the automatic provisions 'are not yet in effect' and no cases are being automatically sealed or expunged.

  Sources: Council of the District of Columbia (D.C. Law Library) · Council of the District of Columbia (D.C. Law Library) · Council of the District of Columbia (D.C. Law Library) · All of District of Columbia's rules

• Illinois

  Passed, not yet in effect

  The Clean Slate Act (HB 1836, Public Act 104-0459) was signed on January 16, 2026. Its automatic sealing has not started: Illinois Legal Aid Online says it is expected to begin in 2029, with older records phased in (records from July 1, 2005 to December 31, 2028 by January 1, 2031; July 1, 1990 to June 30, 2005 by January 1, 2032; July 1, 1970 to June 30, 1990 by January 1, 2034). The Illinois State Police will identify eligible records and notify circuit clerks, who will seal them. Once running, it covers qualifying misdemeanor convictions 2 years and felony convictions 3 years after the sentence ends, and dismissed or acquitted cases when the case ends. Offenses that can't be sealed by petition (DUI, reckless driving, domestic battery, order of protection violations, registrable sex offenses, Humane Care for Animals Act violations) are excluded, and Class X felonies, homicide, robbery, residential burglary, home invasion, arson, kidnapping, offenses involving discharge of a firearm and some others are excluded from automatic sealing but may still be sealed by petition. DUI charges don't qualify for automatic sealing even if dismissed. Some parts of the law, including the shorter petition waiting periods, took effect June 1, 2026. Separately, police were required to expunge certain minor cannabis arrest records automatically by January 1, 2025.

  Sources: Office of the Governor of Illinois · Illinois Legal Aid Online · Illinois Office of the State Appellate Defender · All of Illinois's rules

• Louisiana

  Passed, not yet in effect

  Act 454 of 2023 added C.Cr.P. art. 985.2, which would have the State Police bureau identify records eligible under arts. 976-978 and, starting January 1, 2025, let a person submit a request (name, date of birth, last four digits of the Social Security number, arrest date and case number) to have eligible records expunged within 30 days, with clerks then marking them as expunged by automation. Under Section 4 of Act 454, the automated-expungement provisions take effect only when acts appropriating money to the State Police, the Louisiana Supreme Court, the Louisiana Clerks' Remote Access Authority and the Louisiana Commission on Law Enforcement for this purpose take effect. The legislature's code text, read on October 22, 2026, still marks art. 985.2 "eff. upon appropriation of monies by the Legislature," and the article says it is subject to funding in the executive budget for Fiscal Year 2025-2026. The State Police expungement page we read the same day describes only court-filed motions and does not mention automated requests. We found no official notice that the money has been appropriated, so no date for automated relief has been set and you still need to file a motion.

  Sources: Louisiana State Legislature · Louisiana State Legislature · Louisiana State Police · All of Louisiana's rules

• Oklahoma

  Passed, not yet in effect

  Oklahoma passed a Clean Slate law in 2022 (HB 3316), which was to start automatic sealing three years after November 1, 2022, subject to funding. OSBI says no funding came in the first year, followed by money for a new criminal history system and staff in later budgets. SB 2030 (2026), approved by the Governor May 11, 2026 and effective July 1, 2026, removed that process and replaced it with new 22 O.S. §§ 18b and 19d, which make eligible records sealable without a court petition 'subject to the availability of funds' (§ 18b(B)). By November 1, 2026, OSBI must open a public online portal where people can ask for expedited expungement of 'clean slate eligible' records without filing a court petition. On or before November 1, 2027, OSBI must start identifying and sealing those records automatically, with every eligible electronic record cleared before November 1, 2029. Eligible records (from 1980 on) include non-convictions, pardons, identity-theft arrests, misdemeanor deferred dismissals, misdemeanor convictions after 5 years and felony drug-possession convictions after 5 years; most categories require an Oklahoma-only ('single-source') record. Prosecutors, arresting agencies and OSBI can object. Records cleared through Clean Slate are partially sealed (hidden from the public, available to law enforcement), even acquittals and dismissals that would be fully sealed by a court petition (§§ 18(D), 18b(D)). As of October 22, 2026, OSBI's Clean Slate page (last updated July 23, 2026) still described the 2022 plan, OSBI was still holding Clean Slate training for criminal justice agencies (August 2026), and we did not find the new portal.

  Sources: Oklahoma Legislature · Oklahoma Legislature · Oklahoma House of Representatives · All of Oklahoma's rules

• Alaska

  Limited

  Alaska has no Clean Slate law, and DPS says Alaska has no law to expunge criminal history records (DPS). The automatic relief is on the court website: CourtView stops showing a case 60 days after an acquittal or dismissal, including a dismissal after a suspended entry of judgment (AS 22.35.030, as quoted by the court system), and Administrative Rule 40(a) leaves off early dismissals, set-aside SIS cases, separately charged under-21 alcohol cases and convictions for possessing less than 1 ounce of marijuana at 21 or older. The court system says it removes these automatically but some may be missed. The court also considers set-aside on its own when SIS probation ends (Criminal Rule 35.2). The DPS criminal history is not cleared automatically. The Legislature passed HB 239 on May 20, 2026; its title includes restricting the release of certain records of convictions (House Journal), but we couldn't confirm on an official site whether or how it became law.

  Sources: Alaska Court System · Alaska Court System · Alaska Court System · All of Alaska's rules

• Arkansas

  Limited, since January 1, 2014

  Arkansas has no broad Clean Slate law. The one route that works without a petition is a pardon: when the Governor grants one, the Governor notifies the court and the court must seal the record, except for offenses against minors, sex offenses and offenses causing death or serious physical injury (Ark. Code § 16-90-1411, part of the Comprehensive Criminal Record Sealing Act of 2013, effective January 1, 2014). The first offender law says the court shall enter a dismissal and sealing order when probation is completed (§ 16-93-303(b)), but ACIC publishes a petition for it. Everything else, including arrests and dismissed cases, needs a uniform petition.

  Sources: Justia, republishing the Arkansas Code · Justia, republishing the Arkansas Code · Arkansas Crime Information Center, Arkansas Department of Public Safety · All of Arkansas's rules

• Florida

  Limited

  Florida has no Clean Slate law for convictions. It does seal non-conviction records automatically at the state level: when charges are not filed, are dismissed or dropped, or end in acquittal or a not-guilty verdict, FDLE seals its record on receiving the clerk's disposition, unless the arrest was for a forcible felony or a sexual-registration offense (Fla. Stat. § 943.0595, created by ch. 2019-167 and amended in 2023 and 2025). Bills to allow repeat sealings and sealing of some misdemeanor convictions (HB 745 and SB 810, 2026) died in committee on March 13, 2026.

  Sources: Florida Legislature · The Florida Senate · Florida House of Representatives (via flsenate.gov) · All of Florida's rules

• Georgia

  Limited, since July 1, 2013

  Georgia has no broad Clean Slate law. For arrests on or after July 1, 2013, restriction of non-convictions happens without an application: the prosecutor handles it, and GCIC automatically restricts arrests never referred for prosecution after 2 years (misdemeanors), 4 years (most felonies) or 7 years (serious violent felonies and certain child sex offenses). Convictions need a petition, and court files need a separate sealing petition.

  Sources: Georgia Bureau of Investigation · Georgia Bureau of Investigation · Judicial Council of Georgia / Administrative Office of the Courts · All of Georgia's rules

• Indiana

  Limited, since July 1, 2022

  Indiana has no automatic clearing of convictions. Since July 1, 2022, for people charged after June 30, 2022, courts must order expungement automatically when all charges are dismissed, the person is acquitted, or a conviction is later vacated, effective no sooner than 60 days later (IC 35-38-9-1(b); Indiana Office of Court Services). A 2026 bill (HB 1118) that would have replaced the adult expungement statute passed the House but we found no record that it was enacted.

  Sources: Justia, republishing the Indiana Code · Indiana Office of Court Services · Indiana Office of Court Services · All of Indiana's rules

• Iowa

  Limited

  Iowa has no Clean Slate law. The one automatic route is for deferred judgments: when a person is discharged from probation and has paid the costs, fees and restitution in the case, the court record 'shall be expunged' (Iowa Code § 907.9(4)(b)). Iowa Legal Aid says this should happen automatically for deferred judgments completed after July 1, 2013, but older ones need an application and some people on unsupervised probation may need to file a motion. Every other expungement, including dismissals, acquittals and misdemeanor convictions, requires an application to the court. We found no 2025 or 2026 law changing Iowa's expungement statutes: the Legislature's lists of Code sections amended in 2025 and 2026 show no changes to chapter 901C or § 907.9.

  Sources: Iowa Legislature · Iowa Legal Aid · Iowa Legislature · All of Iowa's rules

• Kentucky

  Limited, since July 15, 2020

  Kentucky automatically expunges acquittals and dismissals with prejudice of all charges in a case, entered on or after July 15, 2020, 30 days after the decision unless the person objects (KRS 431.076(1)(a), added by 2020 Ky. Acts ch. 45). Convictions are never expunged automatically. Bills to create automatic felony expungement were filed in 2025 (HB 257) and 2026 (HB 718) but stalled in the House Judiciary Committee, and a 2026 Senate bill for automatic expungement of eligible misdemeanor and felony convictions (SB 290) stopped after its second reading on March 20, 2026.

  Sources: Kentucky General Assembly (Legislative Research Commission) · Kentucky Court of Justice, Administrative Office of the Courts · Kentucky General Assembly · All of Kentucky's rules

• Maine

  Limited

  Maine has no Clean Slate law and does not seal convictions automatically; every conviction sealing needs a motion (Judicial Branch). LD 1911, 'An Act to Automatically Seal Criminal History Record Information for Certain Crimes', passed the Legislature in April 2026 but was vetoed on April 24, 2026, and the veto was sustained on April 29, 2026. The only automatic relief is for non-conviction information: under 16 M.R.S. § 703(2), acquittals, dismissals with prejudice, declined prosecutions, arrests with no outcome after a year and similar records are confidential in the files of the State Bureau of Identification and other criminal justice agencies, and the Bureau's public record search shows only convictions. Court files are not covered and generally stay public.

  Sources: State of Maine Judicial Branch · Maine Legislature · Maine Legislature, Office of the Revisor of Statutes · All of Maine's rules

• Maryland

  Limited, since October 1, 2021

  Maryland has limited automatic relief, not a broad Clean Slate law. Cases where every charge ended in acquittal, dismissal, not guilty or nolle prosequi (without a treatment requirement), decided on or after October 1, 2021, are expunged automatically 3 years after the disposition (Crim. Proc. § 10-105.1). Cannabis-possession-only cases charged before July 1, 2023 were to be expunged from the Central Repository by July 1, 2024 (Crim. Proc. § 10-112). Bills for broader automatic expungement and shielding (the Clean Slate Act of 2026, HB 360 and SB 483) were not enacted as far as the legislature's pages show: SB 483 passed the Senate 33-7 on March 5, 2026, but neither bill shows House passage or a chapter number (pages last updated June 30, 2026).

  Sources: Maryland General Assembly · Maryland General Assembly · Maryland Judiciary · All of Maryland's rules

• Massachusetts

  Limited

  Massachusetts has no broad Clean Slate law. Two kinds of records are sealed without a petition: charges that end in a not-guilty finding, a grand jury no-bill or a no-probable-cause finding (G.L. c. 276, § 100C, first paragraph), which the Supreme Judicial Court held in Commonwealth v. J.F. (May 5, 2023) must be sealed immediately unless the person objects, with Probation's opt-out form covering records entered on or after March 11, 2024; and drug possession charges that end in not guilty, dismissal or nolle prosequi, which the court 'shall' order sealed (G.L. c. 94C, § 44). Clean Slate bills that would make sealing of convictions automatic after the waiting period were filed in the 2025-2026 session (H.1811, sent to a study order March 26, 2026; S.1114, reported favorably and sent to Senate Ways and Means June 16, 2025). In the economic development bill, House Amendment #155 (automated sealing) was listed among the amendments covered by Consolidated Amendment C, but neither that consolidated amendment nor the bill the House passed on July 8, 2026 (H.5576) contains any record-sealing provision. The Senate's version (S.3228, passed July 24, 2026) does include automated sealing of § 100A and § 100B records, which would take effect when the Commissioner of Probation certifies the system is ready or on July 1, 2030, whichever comes first. The two versions have been in a conference committee since July 30, 2026. As of October 22, 2026 the legislature's site shows no conference report, so automatic sealing of convictions is not law.

  Sources: General Court of Massachusetts · Massachusetts Law Reform Institute (MassLegalServices.org) · General Court of Massachusetts · All of Massachusetts's rules

• Mississippi

  Limited

  Mississippi has no Clean Slate law, and almost every route needs a petition or motion. The one automatic rule we found is in the drug law: for a first or second conviction for possessing 30 grams or less of marijuana (or 10 grams or less of synthetic cannabinoids), the Bureau of Narcotics keeps a private, nonpublic record for up to 2 years, and the statute says the record of each conviction shall be expunged 2 years after the conviction (Miss. Code Ann. § 41-29-139(c)(2)(A)1.). We could not confirm when that rule took effect, so no date is given. The intervention court statute (§ 9-23-23) says completion will result in expunction but does not say whether a filing is needed. Bills to create broader automatic expungement died in both recent sessions: HB 497, HB 1116 and HB 1117 in 2025, and HB 455, HB 456, HB 757 and HB 1344 in 2026.

  Sources: Mississippi Legislature · Mississippi Legislature · Mississippi Legislature · All of Mississippi's rules

• Missouri

  Limited, since December 8, 2022

  Missouri has two automatic programs, neither a broad Clean Slate law. (1) Since Amendment 3 (2022), courts must automatically expunge most past marijuana offenses. (2) RSMo 610.141, enacted by SB 1421 (2026), makes drug possession and paraphernalia convictions expunge automatically 1 year (misdemeanor) or 3 years (felony) after final disposition. The section became law August 28, 2026, but screening starts "when technically feasible" and no later than January 1, 2027. The date shown is when court-ordered marijuana expungement under Amendment 3 began. Other offenses still require a petition under 610.140.

  Sources: Missouri Revisor of Statutes · Missouri Revisor of Statutes · Missouri Courts · All of Missouri's rules

• Montana

  Limited, since July 1, 2017

  Montana has no Clean Slate law for convictions. The automatic piece is for non-convictions: when someone is released without charges, charges don't end in a conviction, or a conviction is invalidated, the court reports the outcome and fingerprints and photographs are expunged (MCA § 44-5-202(8)). DOJ says that after July 1, 2017 it automatically removes all non-conviction arrest data from its criminal history records; its page doesn't say whether that reached older arrests. Court case files are separate and aren't covered. For felony deferred sentences, the court must dismiss once the deferral ends if no revocation petition was filed (§ 46-18-204), but DOJ updates its record only after it gets the order. Every conviction route needs a petition.

  Sources: Montana Legislature (Montana Code Annotated 2025) · Montana Department of Justice, Division of Criminal Investigation · Montana Legislature (Montana Code Annotated 2025) · All of Montana's rules

• Nebraska

  Limited, since January 1, 2017

  Nebraska removes some non-conviction records from the public record automatically, but it has no Clean Slate law for convictions. Arrests with no charges filed leave the public record after 1 year, completed diversion with no charges after 2 years, and cases dismissed (including after a deferred judgment or problem-solving court) or ending in acquittal immediately, with the court ordering the records sealed (Neb. Rev. Stat. § 29-3523(3), (7)). The Nebraska Judicial Branch says cases dismissed or acquitted after December 31, 2016 are sealed automatically; older ones need a motion (§ 29-3523(6)). Convictions are never sealed automatically. Related 2025-2026 bills were indefinitely postponed: LB 215 (a second chance relief program for people in prison), LB 226 (set-aside and expungement for concealed weapon offenses) and LB 961 (the Collateral Sanction Relief Act).

  Sources: Nebraska Legislature · Nebraska Judicial Branch · Nebraska Legislature · All of Nebraska's rules

• Nevada

  Limited

  Nevada has no broad Clean Slate law; most sealing still needs a petition. Some relief happens without one: courts must order records sealed after a person completes preprosecution diversion, a deferred judgment, first-time drug possession probation or a drug, mental health or veterans treatment court program (NRS 174.034, 176.211, 176A.245, 176A.265, 176A.295, 453.3365), must seal a misdemeanor case for possessing 1 ounce or less of marijuana without a hearing once the person fulfills the terms imposed (NRS 453.336(4), (8)), and the court and Repository must seal records once they receive a certified unconditional pardon (NRS 179.273). Since January 1, 2026, Assembly Bill 4 of the 36th (2025) Special Session has left cases charged as child abuse or neglect or abuse of an older or vulnerable person out of the treatment court sealing rules (NRS 176A.245(3), 176A.265(3), 176A.295(3)), and cases charged as abuse of an older or vulnerable person out of deferred-judgment sealing (NRS 176.211(7)). A 2023 bill for state-initiated automatic sealing of misdemeanors and certain drug felonies (Assembly Bill 160) was vetoed on June 16, 2023.

  Sources: Nevada Legislature · Nevada Legislature · Nevada Legislature · All of Nevada's rules

• New Jersey

  Limited

  P.L.2019, c.269 directs the state to build an automated 'clean slate' process that would make most convictions inaccessible to the public 10 years after the latest conviction or completion of sentence, with the same exclusions as regular expungement. It would restore the records if the person is later convicted of a non-expungeable crime (N.J.S.A. 2C:52-5.4). The law sets deadlines only for a task force, not for launching the system, and we could not confirm that it is running. The Public Defender's December 2025 pamphlet still describes Clean Slate as a petition filed through eCourts. Some relief is automatic now: dismissals and acquittals are expunged by the court when the case ends (N.J.S.A. 2C:52-6(a)), and many marijuana and hashish cases were expunged by operation of law in 2021 (N.J.S.A. 2C:52-6.1).

  Sources: Justia, republishing the New Jersey Revised Statutes · New Jersey Courts · New Jersey Office of the Public Defender, Expungement Unit · All of New Jersey's rules

• New Mexico

  Limited

  New Mexico has no broad Clean Slate law; expunging most records takes a petition. The exception is cannabis: since Senate Bill 2 of the 2021 First Special Session, passed with the Cannabis Regulation Act, records of arrests and convictions for cannabis conduct that is no longer a crime (or would now be a lesser offense) are expunged automatically 2 years after the conviction or arrest, and the Department of Public Safety had to identify eligible convictions by January 1, 2022 (NMSA § 29-3A-8). House Bill 314 (2023) limited automatic expungement to cannabis-only records, required those records to be destroyed, and added a way to check whether records were expunged and to ask for expedited or mixed-case expungement. In 2025 the Supreme Court removed the cannabis petition from Rule 1-077.1 NMRA to match that law, effective December 31, 2025.

  Sources: New Mexico Legislature · New Mexico Legislature · New Mexico Supreme Court · All of New Mexico's rules

• North Carolina

  Limited, since December 1, 2021

  North Carolina automatically expunges charges, but not convictions. Under G.S. 15A-146(a4), when every charge in a case disposed on or after December 1, 2021 is dismissed or ends in not guilty or not responsible, the charges are expunged by operation of law 180 to 210 days after final disposition. Felony cases dismissed under a plea agreement are excluded. The UNC School of Government reports that automatic expunctions were paused from August 1, 2022 (S.L. 2022-47) and resumed after S.L. 2024-35 took effect on July 8, 2024. There is no automatic expunction of convictions.

  Sources: North Carolina General Assembly · North Carolina General Assembly · UNC School of Government · All of North Carolina's rules

• North Dakota

  Limited, since August 1, 2025

  North Dakota has no broad Clean Slate law for convictions, but two kinds of records are cleared without a petition. Since August 1, 2025, when a court enters an order dismissing or acquitting all charges in a case, the court closes the court record 61 days later (N.D.C.C. § 12-60.1-05(1), added by House Bill 1166 of 2025; North Dakota laws take effect on the August 1 after they are filed with the Secretary of State, and the Legislative Council lists HB 1166 as effective August 1, 2025). Cases decided before that date need a free petition. Separately, every order deferring imposition of sentence must provide that 61 days after probation ends the plea is withdrawn, the case dismissed and the file sealed (N.D.R.Crim.P. 32.1, in effect since August 1, 2021). Neither process changes the BCI criminal history record: the Attorney General says dismissed charges, including dismissed deferred charges, stay on general public record checks for 3 years.

  Sources: North Dakota Legislative Branch · North Dakota Legislative Branch · North Dakota Legislative Branch · All of North Dakota's rules

• Oregon

  Limited

  Oregon has no broad automatic set-aside. Set-asides under ORS 137.225 need a motion; OJD's January 2026 instructions and Oregon Law Help (reviewed July 2026) describe only the motion process; SB 698 (2023), an automatic-sealing bill, was sent to Rules without a recommendation and we found no record it passed; and a 2025 amendment removed a proposed OJD study of automatic expunction from HB 3825. The exception is drug possession charged as a 'drug enforcement misdemeanor,' the crime HB 4002 (2024) created effective September 1, 2024: under section 54 of that act (now ORS 137.224), as amended by SB 236 (2025, effective on passage), courts and agencies must seal those records on their own after deflection, two years without prosecution, dismissal after a probation agreement, completed probation or acquittal, and 3 years after a conviction. We could not confirm the date the sealing rules first applied, so no effective date is given. SB 397 (2021), effective January 1, 2022, shortened waiting periods and removed filing fees but did not make set-asides automatic.

  Sources: Oregon Legislature · Oregon Legislature · Marion County District Attorney · All of Oregon's rules

• Rhode Island

  Limited

  Rhode Island has no broad Clean Slate law; a Clean Slate Act bill (2026-H 7508) was introduced but didn't become law in 2026. Several kinds of records clear automatically: District Court cases dismissed under Rule 48(a) on or after January 1, 2023 are sealed 10 to 20 days after dismissal, including BCI records (R.I. Gen. Laws § 12-1-12.1(a), added by P.L. 2022, ch. 253 and amended by P.L. 2023, ch. 154); filed complaints are automatically expunged if no action is taken during the filing period (§ 12-10-12(c)); and possession-only marijuana records decriminalized by the 2022 Cannabis Act were to be automatically expunged before July 1, 2024 (§ 12-1.3-5). Convictions otherwise require a motion and a hearing.

  Sources: State of Rhode Island General Assembly · State of Rhode Island General Assembly · State of Rhode Island General Assembly · All of Rhode Island's rules

• South Carolina

  Limited

  South Carolina has no Clean Slate law and does not clear convictions automatically. Some non-conviction records are cleared without an application: when a magistrate or municipal court case ends in a not-guilty verdict, dismissal or nolle prosequi and the person was fingerprinted, the court must issue an expungement order at no cost after the appeal period, and all such summary court charges must be removed from Internet-based public records within 30 days of the disposition (S.C. Code § 17-22-950, as rewritten by 2016 Act No. 132). Since June 25, 2026, police and prosecutors must destroy arrest records within 180 days after an investigation shows a person was arrested because of mistaken identity, at no cost (§ 17-1-43, added by 2026 Act No. 248). Pending pre-2024 unlawful handgun possession charges must be dismissed and expunged (§ 17-1-65(B), 2026 Act No. 260).

  Sources: South Carolina Legislature · South Carolina Judicial Branch · South Carolina Legislature · All of South Carolina's rules

• South Dakota

  Limited, since July 1, 2016

  South Dakota has no broad Clean Slate law, but some relief happens without a motion. Any case where a petty offense, city ordinance violation or Class 2 misdemeanor was the highest charge is automatically removed from the public record after 5 years if all court conditions are met and there is no new conviction; courts and enhancement statutes can still use it (SDCL § 23A-3-34). This began July 1, 2016 with a 10-year wait (2016 Senate Bill 97) and has used the 5-year wait since July 1, 2021 (2021 Senate Bill 174); neither bill set its own effective date, so each took effect on July 1 under § 2-14-16. Since 2018, completing a diversion program leads to expungement without a motion once the state's attorney files a dismissal and notice of completion, 1 year and 30 days after completion with no new charges (§§ 23A-3-35 to 23A-3-37). A suspended imposition of sentence ends with discharge and an order sealing the records when probation is completed (§§ 23A-27-14, 23A-27-17).

  Sources: South Dakota Legislature, Legislative Research Council · South Dakota Legislature, Legislative Research Council · South Dakota Legislature, Legislative Research Council · All of South Dakota's rules

• Vermont

  Limited

  Vermont has no Clean Slate law for convictions; sealing a conviction requires a petition or a stipulation with the prosecutor, and we found no 2026 law changing chapter 230. Several kinds of records are cleared without a petition: the court must seal charges ending in no probable cause, dismissal before trial or acquittal within 60 days unless a party objects (13 V.S.A. § 7603(a); court-ordered sealing without a petition began July 1, 2018 under Act 178 of 2018); completed deferred sentences are expunged on discharge (13 V.S.A. § 7041(e)); post-charge diversion is expunged on the court's notice 2 years after completion, and pre-charge diversion records are deleted for completions on or after July 1, 2025 (3 V.S.A. § 164(f)); and Act 167 of 2020 ordered the courts to expunge all records of 18 V.S.A. § 4230(a)(1) marijuana violations that occurred before January 1, 2021, with the process to be completed by January 1, 2022. Act 60 also added automatic expungement of municipal violation records 2 years after the judgment is satisfied, if there is no new municipal violation in that time (for violations on or after July 1, 2025; violations of planning and zoning rules under 24 V.S.A. chapter 117 are excluded) (24 V.S.A. § 2296b), and certain motor vehicle violations, such as driving without a license, registration or insurance, that occur on or after July 1, 2021 are expunged 2 years after the judgment is satisfied (23 V.S.A. § 2303, as amended by Act 60).

  Sources: Vermont General Assembly (Vermont Statutes Online, unofficial copy) · Vermont General Assembly · Vermont General Assembly (Vermont Statutes Online, unofficial copy) · All of Vermont's rules

• Alabama

  No, you have to apply

  Alabama has no automatic expungement; every expungement needs a petition and the $500 fee or a fee waiver (Ala. Code 15-27-3, 15-27-4). Two 2026 bills did not become law as far as we found: HB 261, which would have changed non-conviction expungement (its House Judiciary substitute would have cut some 90-day waits to 30 days), and HB 535 (pardoned, vacated or overturned convictions).

  Sources: Justia, republishing the Code of Alabama · Alabama Legislature · All of Alabama's rules

• Arizona

  No, you have to apply

  Arizona does not clear or seal records automatically. Sealing, set-aside and marijuana expungement all require a petition or application.

  Sources: Arizona State Legislature · Arizona State Legislature · All of Arizona's rules

• Hawaii

  No, you have to apply

  Hawaii does not automatically clear records; every expungement needs an application. Act 62 of 2024 ran a state-initiated pilot in which the Attorney General expunged, without an application or fee, single-charge § 712-1249 possession arrests made before January 11, 2020 in a county with 200,000 to 500,000 people that ended without a conviction; Act 5 of 2025 extended it to Schedule V possession. The pilot ended on October 1, 2025. Act 241 of 2024 created a Clean Slate Expungement Task Force, attached to the Judiciary, to develop a state-initiated record clearing program; its final report is due 40 days before the 2027 session and it dissolves on June 1, 2027. Its December 2025 report said it was still exploring a state-initiated program. Since July 1, 2025, Act 3 of 2025 has the Data Center send expungement orders to the Judiciary, which then removes the case from its public databases without a separate request.

  Sources: Hawaii State Legislature · Hawaii State Legislature · Hawaii State Legislature · All of Hawaii's rules

• Idaho

  No, you have to apply

  Idaho does not clear or seal records automatically. Its 'Clean Slate Act' (2023 House Bill 149, Session Law chapter 108, signed March 22, 2023 and in effect January 1, 2024) is a petition process: a person must file, the court holds a hearing, and only one petition can be granted in a lifetime (Idaho Code § 67-3004(11)). Expungement of non-conviction arrests from the State Police record also requires a written request (§ 67-3004(10)). We found no 2025 or 2026 law that adds automatic relief; a 2025 bill on shielded records (House Bill 126) was referred to committee and did not advance.

  Sources: Idaho State Legislature · Idaho Court Assistance Office · Idaho State Legislature · All of Idaho's rules

• Kansas

  No, you have to apply

  Kansas has no Clean Slate law and does not clear records automatically; every expungement needs a petition (K.S.A. 21-6614, 22-2410). A bill to require automated expungement (HB 2655, 2023-2024 session) died. The 2026 session changed expungement law only to renew the court staff surcharge and add an insurance licensing disclosure, effective July 1, 2026 (2026 composite listings of amended statutes); 2026 bills on municipal specialty-court expungement and fee waivers (HB 2655 and HB 2724, 2025-2026 session) died.

  Sources: Kansas Legislature · Kansas Legislature · Kansas Office of Revisor of Statutes · All of Kansas's rules

• New Hampshire

  No, you have to apply

  New Hampshire has no automatic Clean Slate process. RSA 651:5, II-a(a) says that for cases disposed of on or after January 1, 2019, records of arrests ending in a not guilty finding on all charges, a dismissal or no prosecution "shall" be annulled 30 days after the finding (or after an appeal affirms a dismissal). In practice the Judicial Branch still requires a Petition of Eligibility (NHJB-3056-DSe), and SB 512 (Chapter 105 of 2026, effective January 1, 2027) refers to those petitions when it bars filing fees for them. HB 196 (2025), which would have created a state-initiated annulment process for cannabis possession, died in the Senate on May 22, 2025.

  Sources: New Hampshire General Court · New Hampshire Judicial Branch · New Hampshire Judicial Branch · All of New Hampshire's rules

• Ohio

  No, you have to apply

  Ohio doesn't seal records automatically; people have to apply (or, for low-level drug misdemeanors, the prosecutor can apply). Two bills would change that or add new routes, and neither is law as of October 21, 2026: House Bill 5 (136th General Assembly) passed the Ohio House on May 21, 2025 but the legislature's page shows no Senate passage; as passed by the House, it would add a second, application-based sealing process 5 years after current eligibility, a 10-year expungement process, and change the general expungement wait to 7 years after final discharge. Senate Bill 418 ('Grow Act'), as introduced, would have the Bureau of Criminal Identification and Investigation identify eligible records monthly for state-initiated sealing starting 3 years after it takes effect; the legislature's page shows it still in Senate committee.

  Sources: Ohio General Assembly · Ohio General Assembly · Ohio Legislative Service Commission · All of Ohio's rules

• Tennessee

  No, you have to apply

  Tennessee has no Clean Slate law and does not clear records automatically; the TBI says expungement is not automatic and you must file with the court. The closest process is after a not-guilty verdict on all charges, when the judge must ask whether you want the records destroyed and orders it without a petition if you say yes (Tenn. Code Ann. § 40-32-106(e)(2)). A 2025 bill that would have let court clerks in some counties start certain expunctions without a petition (SB 1177) stalled in a Senate Judiciary subcommittee in March 2025, and its House companion (HB 689) was taken off notice in a House subcommittee on March 11, 2026.

  Sources: Tennessee Bureau of Investigation · FindLaw, republishing the Tennessee Code · Tennessee General Assembly · All of Tennessee's rules

• Texas

  No, you have to apply

  Texas has no Clean Slate law and does not clear or seal records automatically. Two procedures come close but still need a request: after an acquittal, the trial court must enter an expunction order within 30 days if asked (Tex. Code Crim. Proc. art. 55A.201), and for first-time nonviolent misdemeanor deferred adjudication the court must issue a nondisclosure order once you show you qualify and pay $28 (Tex. Gov't Code § 411.072).

  Sources: Texas.Public.Law, republishing the Texas Legislature's text · TexasLawHelp.org · All of Texas's rules

• Washington

  No, you have to apply

  We found no automatic vacating of adult convictions in Washington. Every route under RCW 9.96.060 and RCW 9.94A.640 starts with an application to the sentencing court, and Blake-affected convictions are vacated by court order. RCW 9.96.060 shows no amendment after 2024 c 296; RCW 9.94A.640 was last amended by 2025 c 169 (ESHB 1815, effective April 25, 2025), which added only a route for people convicted of a prison riot offense while held in a juvenile facility; the court 'shall vacate' those on application. A 2025 bill on treaty-rights convictions (HB 1982) would also require an application and was only introduced.

  Sources: Washington State Legislature · Washington State Legislature · Washington State Legislature · All of Washington's rules

• West Virginia

  No, you have to apply

  West Virginia has no Clean Slate or automatic expungement law. Every route requires a petition or motion; the court that acquits someone or dismisses charges must tell them they can petition (W. Va. Code § 61-11-25(b)). No bill changing the expungement statutes passed in the 2025 or 2026 regular sessions.

  Sources: West Virginia Legislature · West Virginia Legislature · West Virginia Legislature · All of West Virginia's rules

• Wisconsin

  No, you have to apply

  Wisconsin has no automatic record-clearing law. The only automatic step is that a judge-ordered expungement takes effect when the sentence is completed. Separately, under a 2017 Director of State Courts action plan implemented in 2018, criminal cases where all charges were dismissed or ended in acquittal are displayed on the public WCCA website for 2 years; that limits online display but does not clear the record.

  Sources: Wisconsin State Legislature · Wisconsin Court System, Director of State Courts · All of Wisconsin's rules

• Wyoming

  No, you have to apply

  Wyoming has no Clean Slate law and no automatic expungement or sealing of adult records. DCI says adult criminal history is kept permanently, even when charges were dismissed or prosecution was declined, unless a court orders expungement, and the Judicial Branch says not to expect any record to be expunged automatically. We found no 2025 or 2026 bill changing this. (DCI deletes a juvenile's state criminal history at 18 unless there is an adult conviction.)

  Sources: Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation · Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation · Wyoming Judicial Branch · All of Wyoming's rules

This compares each state's general rule. It isn't legal advice; legal aid offices and court self-help centers can tell you whether your record qualifies.