Missouri Expungement Law 101

What expungement does

Expungement closes a qualifying record to the public. Once granted, most employers, landlords, and members of the public can no longer see the offense, and in most situations you can lawfully answer that you were not convicted of it.

It is not the same as a pardon, and it does not necessarily destroy every trace of a record. Certain government agencies may still access sealed records in limited circumstances. But for everyday background checks, an expungement can be life-changing.

The main statute: RSMo § 610.140

Most Missouri expungements happen under Revised Statute § 610.140. It sets out which offenses qualify, how long you have to wait, and what the court must find before granting your petition.

Missouri reformed this statute to shorten waiting periods and broaden eligibility, which is why information you read even a few years ago may be out of date.

Waiting periods

• Felonies: generally 3 years after you complete your entire sentence.
• Misdemeanors and ordinance violations: generally 1 year after completion.
• The clock runs from completion of the whole disposition (including probation or parole and payment of all fines and restitution), not from the date of the offense or conviction.

Lifetime limits

Missouri caps how many offenses a person can expunge in a lifetime: up to two felonies and up to three misdemeanors (or ordinance violations that carry possible jail time). Infractions don’t count against these limits.

If you have more than one record, the order and timing of your petitions matters, which is one reason it helps to have a lawyer plan the strategy.

Meeting the waiting period isn’t enough

Even when you meet the waiting period, the court still has to make several findings before it grants your petition: that you’ve had no new convictions, satisfied all obligations, have no pending charges, are not a threat to public safety, and that expungement serves the public welfare and the interests of justice.

What’s changing: automatic expungement

Under RSMo § 610.141, and starting no later than January 1, 2027, Missouri will begin automatically expunging certain drug-possession and paraphernalia convictions, without a petition. It’s a meaningful reform, but it’s narrow: almost everything else still requires filing under § 610.140.

Common questions