When your record is sealed under this new provision of Missouri law, you receive a full restoration of your civil rights “to the status occupied prior to the conviction as if such events had never taken place.” This includes the right to vote, the right to hold public office, and the right to serve as a juror. If you are asked by a prospective employer, landlord, or other entity if you have a criminal record, you may truthfully answer “no” to any such inquiry.  

Under the Clean Slate process, the Missouri State Highway Patrol (MSHP) will identify records eligible for automatic sealing beginning January 1, 2027. On at least a weekly basis, the central repository will automatically screen criminal history record information contained in the statewide criminal history database for eligible offenses. All eligible offenses will be sealed on a rolling basis.

In this initial version of Clean Slate, only possession or control of a controlled substance and unlawful use of drug paraphernalia are eligible for automatic sealing. We intend to pursue an expansion to this policy during the next legislative session to include more charges.

You may be eligible for record sealing under Clean Slate if:

• The offense on your record is an eligible offense (see previous question for more details)

• It has been one year since the final disposition of the eligible offense if it is a misdemeanor or three years if the offense is a felony. 

• You have not been convicted for another crime during the one-year or three-year waiting period.  This does not include traffic offenses.

• You do not have any outstanding arrest warrants or charges pending against you. This does not include traffic offenses.

• You have completed all court imposed terms and conditions and have been fully released from supervision.

The new law is retroactive to any eligible conviction for which there is an electronic record. If your record does not currently appear on Case.net, that means that there is likely only a paper copy of your record, and therefore, your record will not be expunged under this law.

Yes. You are limited to three misdemeanor and two felony convictions for expungement. However, where a criminal case contains more than one expungable offense, the offense with the highest level penalty available shall be the only offense that counts for the purposes of this subsection.

If a conviction record is not eligible for automatic sealing, but is eligible under current law (most offenses except for sexual offenses and violent felonies), you can still file a petition in court if the waiting period (one year for misdemeanors and three years for felonies) has passed.

You can search for your own record on Case.net.  If your record previously appeared in the database, but no longer appears there, it has been sealed.

Under Missouri law, only the following entities have access to sealed records: 

• Criminal justice agencies for the administration of criminal justice, criminal justice employment, screening persons with access to criminal justice facilities, procedures, and sensitive information

• Law enforcement agencies for issuance or renewal of a license, permit, certification, or registration for professions such as watchmen, security personnel, and private investigators

• The Sentencing Advisory Commission for the purpose of studying sentencing practices

• The Department of Revenue for driver license administration

• The Department of Public Safety for the purposes of determining eligibility for crime victims' compensation

• The Department of Health and Senior Services for the purpose of licensing and regulating facilities and regulating in-home services provider agencies and federal agencies for purposes of criminal justice administration, criminal justice employment, child, elderly, or disabled care

No. They will no longer have access to your sealed record on a background check, and you are not required to disclose a sealed record on an application for employment or tenancy.