Question 1

Can you get a criminal record expunged in Connecticut?

Accepted Answer

Connecticut uses "erasure." Police, court and prosecutor records are erased automatically for not-guilty verdicts, dismissals and nolles (after 13 months); under Clean Slate, many older misdemeanor and lower-level felony convictions are erased automatically after seven or ten years; certain cannabis convictions are erased automatically or by petition; convictions for decriminalized offenses can be erased by petition; and an absolute pardon from the Board of Pardons and Paroles erases the record. Juvenile records can be erased by petition.

Question 2

Can you clear an arrest or dismissed charge in Connecticut?

Accepted Answer

When a person is found not guilty or a charge is dismissed by final judgment, all police, court and prosecutor records of that charge are erased once the time to appeal has passed (or after an appeal upholds the outcome); this does not apply to not-guilty findings by reason of mental disease or defect. When a charge is nolled, the records are erased once 13 months have passed. A charge continued at the prosecutor's request with no action for 13 months must be nolled on the arrested person's motion and can then be erased.

Question 3

Can a misdemeanor be expunged in Connecticut?

Accepted Answer

Under Clean Slate, records of a misdemeanor or a motor vehicle violation punishable by up to one year are erased seven years after the person's most recent conviction. For offenses on or after January 1, 2000 this happens automatically by operation of law; for older offenses the person must file a petition on a form from the Office of the Chief Court Administrator. The person must have finished any incarceration, parole and probation and have no pending charge. Not eligible: family violence crimes (on or after January 1, 2000), sexual offenses, and a list of specific offenses named in the statute.

Question 4

Can a felony be expunged in Connecticut?

Accepted Answer

Class D and E felonies, unclassified felonies punishable by up to five years, and motor vehicle violations punishable by more than one and up to five years are erased ten years after the most recent conviction (automatically for offenses on or after January 1, 2000; by petition for older ones), once the sentence including parole and probation is complete and no charge is pending. Family violence crimes, sexual offenses and specified offenses are excluded. More serious felonies (class A, B and C) are not covered by Clean Slate; an absolute pardon from the Board of Pardons and Paroles is the route to erase them.

Question 5

Does Connecticut have automatic record clearing (clean slate)?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Clean Slate automatically erases eligible convictions for offenses on or after January 1, 2000 after seven years (misdemeanors) or ten years (eligible felonies and DUI), and the state began automated erasures in 2023. The Clean Slate site states that erasures resumed after delays caused by aging data systems, with about 50,000 people having had records partly or completely erased. Not-guilty findings, dismissals, nolles, certain 2000-2015 cannabis possession convictions, and records after an absolute pardon (granted on or after October 1, 1974) are also erased by operation of law.

Question 6

Can a DUI be expunged in Connecticut?

Accepted Answer

Yes, in some cases. A DUI conviction under § 14-227a is erased ten years after the most recent conviction, but not if the person was convicted of another DUI within the ten years after that conviction. Erasure does not require the Department of Motor Vehicles to erase information on the driving record.

Question 7

How do you seal a juvenile record in Connecticut?

Accepted Answer

A person convicted as delinquent (or adjudicated a family with service needs) may petition the Superior Court for erasure after discharge from supervision or custody. The court orders erasure if at least two years have passed since discharge (four years for a serious juvenile offense), no proceeding is pending, there were no new juvenile or adult convictions during that period, and the person is at least 18; trafficking victims may also qualify. After erasure, the delinquency finding is deemed never to have occurred. A case dismissed as not delinquent is erased immediately without a petition. Separately, adult-court misdemeanor convictions for offenses committed under 18 between January 1, 2000 and July 1, 2012 are erased by law (excluding motor vehicle offenses).

Question 8

How do you file for expungement in Connecticut?

Accepted Answer

Most erasures under Clean Slate and for dismissals happen without filing anything. For convictions from before January 1, 2000, a person files a petition for Clean Slate erasure on the form prescribed by the Office of the Chief Court Administrator; petitions are also used for cannabis erasure under § 54-142v and for decriminalized offenses under § 54-142d, filed with the Superior Court where the conviction occurred. For an absolute pardon, apply to the Board of Pardons and Paroles. People can review cases not yet erased through the Judicial Branch website.

Question 9

What happens after a record is expunged or sealed in Connecticut?

Accepted Answer

Once records are erased, the person is deemed never to have been arrested for those proceedings and may swear to that under oath, and clerks and agencies may not disclose the erased information. Clean Slate erasure does not end sex-offender or deadly-weapon registration duties, standing criminal protective orders, or the obligation to pay unremitted fines, and records needed to verify registration remain available to law enforcement. Federal immigration authorities may treat erased convictions differently.

Question 10

How do you get a pardon in Connecticut?

Accepted Answer

In Connecticut the Board of Pardons and Paroles (not the governor) grants pardons. A person may apply for an absolute pardon, which erases the entire Connecticut adult criminal record, three years after the disposition of the most recent misdemeanor conviction and five years after the most recent felony conviction. The applicant cannot be under supervision or have pending charges anywhere, must wait for any nolle to clear (13 months), and the board considers the whole criminal history, not single offenses. The board also issues provisional pardons (certificates of employability) for employment and licensing barriers.

Question 11

Can old marijuana convictions be cleared in Connecticut?

Accepted Answer

Convictions for cannabis possession under § 21a-279(c) from January 1, 2000 to before October 1, 2015 are erased automatically. A person convicted of possession of four ounces or less (from October 1, 2015 to July 1, 2021, or before 2000), of cannabis paraphernalia use before July 1, 2021, or of certain small-scale sale or manufacture offenses (four ounces or less, or six plants at home) before July 1, 2021 may petition the Superior Court for erasure, attaching the arrest record or a supporting affidavit.

Question 12

How do I check my own criminal record in Connecticut?

Accepted Answer

The Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection (DESPP), State Police Bureau of Identification, keeps Connecticut criminal history records. Mail a request on form DPS-0846-C to DESPP, State Police Bureau of Identification, 1111 Country Club Road, Middletown, CT 06457 (U.S. mail only; no email, fax, drop-off or pick-up). The fee is $75 for a State Criminal History Check; fingerprinting, if needed, must be done by a law enforcement agency (DESPP charges $15, by appointment Mon-Fri 8:30 a.m.-4 p.m., or through your local police department). Fees are paid separately by check, money order or exact cash. Phone: (860) 685-8480. The page says a Federal Criminal History Check is available only in accordance with an applicable state statute or federal act.

What relief the state offers	Connecticut uses "erasure." Police, court and prosecutor records are erased automatically for not-guilty verdicts, dismissals and nolles (after 13 months); under Clean Slate, many older misdemeanor and lower-level felony convictions are erased automatically after seven or ten years; certain cannabis convictions are erased automatically or by petition; convictions for decriminalized offenses can be erased by petition; and an absolute pardon from the Board of Pardons and Paroles erases the record. Juvenile records can be erased by petition. Source: Conn. Gen. Stat. §§ 54-142a, 54-142d, 54-142u, 54-142v, 46b-146
Arrests and dismissed charges	When a person is found not guilty or a charge is dismissed by final judgment, all police, court and prosecutor records of that charge are erased once the time to appeal has passed (or after an appeal upholds the outcome); this does not apply to not-guilty findings by reason of mental disease or defect. When a charge is nolled, the records are erased once 13 months have passed. A charge continued at the prosecutor's request with no action for 13 months must be nolled on the arrested person's motion and can then be erased. Source: Conn. Gen. Stat. § 54-142a(a)-(c)
Misdemeanor convictions	Under Clean Slate, records of a misdemeanor or a motor vehicle violation punishable by up to one year are erased seven years after the person's most recent conviction. For offenses on or after January 1, 2000 this happens automatically by operation of law; for older offenses the person must file a petition on a form from the Office of the Chief Court Administrator. The person must have finished any incarceration, parole and probation and have no pending charge. Not eligible: family violence crimes (on or after January 1, 2000), sexual offenses, and a list of specific offenses named in the statute. Source: Conn. Gen. Stat. § 54-142a(e)(1)(A)(i), (e)(2), (e)(3)
Felony convictions	Class D and E felonies, unclassified felonies punishable by up to five years, and motor vehicle violations punishable by more than one and up to five years are erased ten years after the most recent conviction (automatically for offenses on or after January 1, 2000; by petition for older ones), once the sentence including parole and probation is complete and no charge is pending. Family violence crimes, sexual offenses and specified offenses are excluded. More serious felonies (class A, B and C) are not covered by Clean Slate; an absolute pardon from the Board of Pardons and Paroles is the route to erase them. Source: Conn. Gen. Stat. § 54-142a(e)(1)(A)(ii), (e)(2), (d)
DUI / DWI convictions	Yes, in some cases. A DUI conviction under § 14-227a is erased ten years after the most recent conviction, but not if the person was convicted of another DUI within the ten years after that conviction. Erasure does not require the Department of Motor Vehicles to erase information on the driving record. Source: Conn. Gen. Stat. § 54-142a(e)(1)(A)(ii), (e)(2)(D), (e)(6)
Juvenile records	A person convicted as delinquent (or adjudicated a family with service needs) may petition the Superior Court for erasure after discharge from supervision or custody. The court orders erasure if at least two years have passed since discharge (four years for a serious juvenile offense), no proceeding is pending, there were no new juvenile or adult convictions during that period, and the person is at least 18; trafficking victims may also qualify. After erasure, the delinquency finding is deemed never to have occurred. A case dismissed as not delinquent is erased immediately without a petition. Separately, adult-court misdemeanor convictions for offenses committed under 18 between January 1, 2000 and July 1, 2012 are erased by law (excluding motor vehicle offenses). Source: Conn. Gen. Stat. §§ 46b-146, 54-142a(f)
Past marijuana convictions	Convictions for cannabis possession under § 21a-279(c) from January 1, 2000 to before October 1, 2015 are erased automatically. A person convicted of possession of four ounces or less (from October 1, 2015 to July 1, 2021, or before 2000), of cannabis paraphernalia use before July 1, 2021, or of certain small-scale sale or manufacture offenses (four ounces or less, or six plants at home) before July 1, 2021 may petition the Superior Court for erasure, attaching the arrest record or a supporting affidavit. Source: Conn. Gen. Stat. §§ 54-142u, 54-142v

How to apply	Most erasures under Clean Slate and for dismissals happen without filing anything. For convictions from before January 1, 2000, a person files a petition for Clean Slate erasure on the form prescribed by the Office of the Chief Court Administrator; petitions are also used for cannabis erasure under § 54-142v and for decriminalized offenses under § 54-142d, filed with the Superior Court where the conviction occurred. For an absolute pardon, apply to the Board of Pardons and Paroles. People can review cases not yet erased through the Judicial Branch website. Source: Conn. Gen. Stat. §§ 54-142a(e)(1)(A), 54-142d, 54-142v; Clean Slate Connecticut
Automatic (clean slate) relief	Yes. Clean Slate automatically erases eligible convictions for offenses on or after January 1, 2000 after seven years (misdemeanors) or ten years (eligible felonies and DUI), and the state began automated erasures in 2023. The Clean Slate site states that erasures resumed after delays caused by aging data systems, with about 50,000 people having had records partly or completely erased. Not-guilty findings, dismissals, nolles, certain 2000-2015 cannabis possession convictions, and records after an absolute pardon (granted on or after October 1, 1974) are also erased by operation of law. Source: Conn. Gen. Stat. §§ 54-142a(a), (c), (d)(2), (e); 54-142t; 54-142u
Getting a copy of your criminal record	The Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection (DESPP), State Police Bureau of Identification, keeps Connecticut criminal history records. Mail a request on form DPS-0846-C to DESPP, State Police Bureau of Identification, 1111 Country Club Road, Middletown, CT 06457 (U.S. mail only; no email, fax, drop-off or pick-up). The fee is $75 for a State Criminal History Check; fingerprinting, if needed, must be done by a law enforcement agency (DESPP charges $15, by appointment Mon-Fri 8:30 a.m.-4 p.m., or through your local police department). Fees are paid separately by check, money order or exact cash. Phone: (860) 685-8480. The page says a Federal Criminal History Check is available only in accordance with an applicable state statute or federal act. The page posts a rate-change notice effective October 1, 2026; check it for current fees. Source: Connecticut DESPP, State Police Bureau of Identification

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