How to File for Expungement in New York

Clean Slate sealing happens automatically, without an application. To seal by application under CPL 160.59: get a certificate of disposition for each conviction, complete and sign the Unified Court System's CPL 160.59 application, and gather supporting documents (such as a Certificate of Relief from Disabilities or Good Conduct, employment, treatment or education records, and reference letters). Serve a copy on the prosecutor in each county, then file the original with the court where you were convicted. The court must obtain a fingerprint-based rap sheet, so you may need to be fingerprinted.

When a criminal case ends in the person's favor (for example, the charges are dismissed or the person is acquitted), the record is sealed automatically unless the prosecutor or the court shows that the interests of justice require otherwise, with at least five days' notice. Fingerprints and photographs are destroyed or returned to the person.

The New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS) is the only official source of New York criminal history records. To get your own record (a Record Review), schedule fingerprinting with IdentoGO online or at 877-472-6915 using service code 15464Z (suppressed record) or 15465F (unsuppressed record), and bring one acceptable ID. The fee is $17.50 in New York or $57.45 at an IdentoGO center outside New York (as of 2/2/2026); out-of-state applicants without a nearby center can use an FD-258 card taken by local police with IdentoGO's Cardscan service. If you cannot pay, request a fee waiver packet from the DCJS Records Review Unit, 80 South Swan St., 5th Floor, Albany, NY 12210. DCJS mails your response in three to four weeks (no in-person pickup); it explains how to challenge inaccurate information.