Missouri’s expungement law, codified under RSMo § 610.140, allows eligible individuals to seal their criminal records from public view, effectively restoring them to the status they held before their arrest or conviction. The law underwent significant changes in 2025, reducing waiting periods to three years for felonies and one year for misdemeanors (down from seven and three years, respectively), and increasing lifetime limits to allow expungement of up to two felonies and three misdemeanors. Once a court grants expungement, the records are closed to the public and won’t appear on most background checks, allowing you to legally deny the conviction in most employment and housing situations.
However, Missouri law permanently excludes certain serious offenses from expungement eligibility, including Class A felonies, dangerous felonies, sex offenses requiring registration, all domestic assault offenses, all felony assault offenses, and most DWI convictions—though first-time DWI offenders can pursue expungement under a separate statute (RSMo § 610.130) after a 10-year waiting period. To qualify for expungement, you must complete all terms of your sentence including probation and fines, maintain a clean record during the waiting period, and file a formal petition with the court where you were convicted.
