Illinois (IL) — Expungement & Record Clearing

Remedy

Expungement (20 ILCS 2630/5.2(b)); sealing, including immediate sealing at disposition (5.2(c), 5.2(g)); automatic expungement of minor cannabis arrest records (5.2(i)); automatic sealing of non-conviction records from Jan. 1, 2029 (5.2(k))

Waiting period

None. You can file as soon as the case ends.

Arrests that ended in release without charging, acquittal, dismissal, or a reversed or vacated conviction can be expunged by filing a petition, and there is no waiting period. An acquittal or dismissal with prejudice on or after Jan. 1, 2018 can also be sealed immediately if the petition is filed at the same hearing where the case ends. Old minor cannabis arrest records are expunged automatically. Automatic sealing of other non-conviction records under the Clean Slate Act does not start until Jan. 1, 2029. Until then you have to file a petition, and the State's Attorney may object if you have a conviction on your record.

• ✗Minor traffic offenses (Class C misdemeanor or petty/business offense under the Vehicle Code) cannot be expunged or sealed unless you were arrested and released without charging
• ✗If you have a conviction, the State's Attorney may object to expunging the arrest

Source: 20 ILCS 2630/5.2 (Criminal Identification Act) (§ 5.2(b)(1); § 5.2(b)(2)(A); § 5.2(g)(2) Immediate Sealing; § 5.2(i)(1)(A); +4 more)

Remedy

Sealing by petition (20 ILCS 2630/5.2(c)); expungement only for successfully completed court supervision (5.2(b)), which is not a conviction

Waiting period

Sealing: 2 years after your last sentence ends. Supervision expungement: 2 years after successful completion (5 years for listed offenses).

Most misdemeanor convictions can be sealed by petition, unless the offense is on the exclusion list. Since June 1, 2026 (P.A. 104-459), the wait is 2 years after your last sentence ends, counting sentences for any case in any jurisdiction. Successfully completed court supervision is not a conviction. It can be expunged after 2 years, or 5 years for domestic battery and criminal sexual abuse supervisions. A judge decides each petition, and prosecutors and police may object. Automatic sealing is in the law but not running yet: it starts Jan. 1, 2028 for municipal ordinance violations and Class C misdemeanors, and Jan. 1, 2029 for other eligible misdemeanors.

• ✗DUI (supervision or conviction)
• ✗Reckless driving, unless it was a misdemeanor committed before age 25 with no other DUI or reckless driving conviction (then it can be sealed after you turn 25)
• ✗Domestic battery and battery of an unborn child
• ✗Violating an order of protection, a stalking no-contact order, or a civil no-contact order
• ✗Most Article 11 sex offenses (except prostitution and misdemeanor public indecency) and any offense requiring sex offender registration
• ✗Dog fighting, and Class A misdemeanors or felonies under the Humane Care for Animals Act

Sources: 20 ILCS 2630/5.2 (Criminal Identification Act) (§ 5.2(c)(2)(E); § 5.2(c)(3)(B); § 5.2(a)(1)(F) definition of "last sentence"; § 5.2(a)(1)(C) definition of "Conviction"; +12 more); Office of the Illinois Courts, How to Clear Your Criminal Record: Expungement & Sealing (ATJ 2900.11, 09/26) (p. 8, 'What Types of Offenses CAN be Sealed?'; p. 9, 'What Types of Offenses CANNOT be Sealed?'; p. 12)

Remedy

Sealing by petition (20 ILCS 2630/5.2(c)); expungement only with a Governor's pardon authorizing it or a Prisoner Review Board certificate of eligibility for expungement (5.2(e), (e-6))

Waiting period

3 years after your last sentence ends (2 years if the sentence was probation or conditional discharge completed without revocation)

Felony convictions of any class can be sealed by petition unless the offense is on the statutory exclusion list. The wait is 3 years after your last sentence ends, or 2 years if the sentence was probation or conditional discharge completed without revocation. Convictions that require arsonist or violent-offender-against-youth registration can't be sealed until you no longer have to register. If you earned a qualifying diploma, degree, or certificate during your sentence, you can ask to seal a felony as soon as your sentence ends. Sealed felony convictions are still visible to employers that are legally required to run fingerprint background checks. Felony convictions generally cannot be expunged without a pardon or a Prisoner Review Board certificate. Automatic sealing covers only Class 4 felony prostitution records for now, with a Jan. 1, 2028 completion deadline. Broader automatic sealing of eligible felonies begins Jan. 1, 2029.

• ✗Felony sex offenses under Article 11 (except prostitution) and offenses requiring sex offender registration
• ✗Felony domestic battery and other offenses on the 5.2(a)(3) exclusion list (for example, violating an order of protection, dog fighting, and Humane Care for Animals Act felonies)
• ✗DUI-related felonies (aggravated DUI under Section 11-501)
• ✗Convictions requiring arsonist or violent-offender-against-youth registration, until registration ends

Sources: 20 ILCS 2630/5.2 (Criminal Identification Act) (§ 5.2(c)(2)(F); § 5.2(c)(2)(D); § 5.2(c)(3)(C); § 5.2(c)(3)(B); +12 more); Office of the Illinois Courts, How to Clear Your Criminal Record: Expungement & Sealing (ATJ 2900.11, 09/26) (p. 8, 'What Types of Offenses CAN be Sealed?'; p. 8, 'Seal Your Felony Conviction Sooner'; p. 14, 'Can anyone find out about my criminal record once it has been expunged or sealed?'; p. 8, 'What Types of Offenses CANNOT be Expunged?')

Remedy

None for DUI supervision or conviction (20 ILCS 2630/5.2(a)(3)(A)(ii)); a DUI arrest that ended in acquittal or dismissal can be expunged under 5.2(b)

Waiting period

No single period — see the conditions below

Illinois law bars courts from sealing or expunging records of a DUI (Section 11-501 of the Illinois Vehicle Code) that resulted in court supervision or a conviction, including through the Clean Slate Act's automatic sealing. A DUI arrest or charge that ended in dismissal or acquittal is not a supervision or conviction. It can be expunged like any other non-conviction arrest. Reckless driving has its own narrow under-25 exception.

• ✗DUI supervision and DUI convictions cannot be expunged or sealed
• ✗Excluded from Clean Slate automatic sealing

Sources: 20 ILCS 2630/5.2 (Criminal Identification Act) (§ 5.2(a)(3)(A); § 5.2(b)(1); § 5.2(k)(3); § 5.2(a)(3)(A)(iii); +1 more); Office of the Governor, 'Gov. Pritzker Signs Bipartisan Clean Slate Act' (Jan. 16, 2026) (Press release, first paragraph)

Remedy

Expungement of successfully completed qualified (first-offender/drug-treatment) probation (5.2(b)(2)(C)); sealing of possession convictions (5.2(c)); cannabis-specific: motion to vacate and expunge (5.2(i)(3)), automatic expungement of minor cannabis non-conviction records (5.2(i)(1)) and of civil cannabis violations (5.2(a)(2.5))

Waiting period

Qualified probation: 5 years to expunge (or 2 years to seal). Conviction sealing: 2 or 3 years after your last sentence ends. Cannabis motion to vacate: after any non-financial sentence is completed.

Qualified probation includes first-offender drug probation (Section 10 Cannabis Control Act, Section 410 Controlled Substances Act, Section 70 Meth Act) and similar programs. If you completed it successfully, it is not a conviction. It can be expunged 5 years after it ends, or sealed after 2 years. Other drug-possession convictions can be sealed by petition after the normal wait: 2 years for misdemeanors or for probation/conditional discharge completed without revocation, 3 years for other felonies. For cannabis, anyone can file a motion to vacate and expunge a misdemeanor or Class 4 felony conviction under Section 4 or 5 of the Cannabis Control Act once any non-financial part of the sentence is done. Minor cannabis arrest records were expunged automatically, and eligible minor cannabis convictions were sent to the Governor's pardon-and-expungement process.

• ✗Qualified probation must be completed successfully. If it is terminated unsatisfactorily, it counts as a conviction
• ✗Cannabis vacatur covers only misdemeanor or Class 4 felony violations of Section 4 or 5 of the Cannabis Control Act

Sources: 20 ILCS 2630/5.2 (Criminal Identification Act) (§ 5.2(a)(1)(J) definition of "Qualified probation"; § 5.2(b)(2)(C); § 5.2(a)(1)(C) definition of "Conviction"; § 5.2(c)(2)(D); +8 more); Office of the Illinois Courts, How to Clear Your Criminal Record: Expungement & Sealing (ATJ 2900.11, 09/26) (p. 8; p. 4, 'What if I have cannabis convictions on my record?'); Illinois State Police, Cannabis Expungements (Minor Cannabis Offense - Convictions)

Remedy

Automatic and petition-based expungement of juvenile law enforcement and juvenile court records (705 ILCS 405/5-915)

Waiting period

Automatic: 1 year for arrests with no petition filed; at disposition for dismissals/supervision/minor adjudications; 2 years after the case closes for other adjudications. Petition: at any time for non-adjudicated incidents; 2 years after proceedings end for adjudications.

Juvenile arrest records with no delinquency petition filed are expunged automatically each year, once at least one year has passed and other conditions are met. The court automatically orders expungement after a dismissal, a not-delinquent finding, successful supervision, or a Class B/C misdemeanor-level adjudication. For other delinquency adjudications, it orders expungement 2 years after the case closes, if there is no pending case and no later adjudication or conviction. This does not apply to 'disqualified offenses' (serious violent and sex offenses). Anything not expunged automatically can be the subject of a free petition. Cases prosecuted in adult court follow the adult rules.

• ✗Disqualified offenses (listed serious violent, weapons, and sex offenses) are not automatically expunged but may be petitioned
• ✗Petition route excludes first degree murder adjudications and Article 11 sex offense adjudications while the person must register as a sex offender
• ✗Automatic expungement under (0.1)/(0.2) does not apply to traffic, conservation, or county/municipal ordinance violations
• ✗Records of minors prosecuted in adult criminal court are adult records

Sources: 705 ILCS 405/5-915 (Juvenile Court Act of 1987) (§ 5-915(0.1)(a); § 5-915(0.1)(a)(1)-(2); § 5-915(0.2)(a); § 5-915(0.3)(a); +4 more); Office of the Illinois Courts, How to Expunge Juvenile Records (ATJ 2950.5, 07/26) (p. 6, 'How much does it cost to expunge my juvenile records?'; p. 5, 'Are juvenile records automatically expunged?'; p. 5, 'How do I know if I have a juvenile record?')