Missouri Expungement Lawyer Serving St. Louis

A past arrest or conviction can follow you for years, showing up on background checks for jobs, housing, and professional licenses long after you have paid your debt and moved on. Missouri law now allows more people to expunge a criminal record in Missouri than ever before, but figuring out whether you qualify, and building a petition that actually gets approved, is not always straightforward. 

As expungement lawyers St. Louis clients turn to for record-clearing questions, our team at Bruntrager & Billings, P.C., helps people across the region understand their options and pursue a clean record the right way.

If you have searched for a St. Louis expungement attorney or simply wondered how to clear your record in Missouri, you are not alone. Many people qualify for relief and do not realize it, especially after the changes to Missouri’s expungement law that took effect in 2025.

What Expungement Does Under Missouri Law

Expungement under Missouri Revised Statutes § 610.140 is a court order that seals a qualifying arrest, plea, or conviction from public view. Once a petition is granted, the record is closed to the general public, including most employers, landlords, and licensing boards, and the person is generally permitted to answer no when asked whether they have ever been arrested or convicted of the underlying offense. 

The law does not destroy the record entirely, and certain government agencies and courts retain limited access, but for most everyday purposes, an expunged record is treated as though the arrest or conviction never happened.

Missouri significantly expanded who can seal a criminal record in Missouri under changes that took effect January 1, 2025, shortening waiting periods and raising the number of offenses a person can expunge over a lifetime. Many people who assumed they were ineligible under the older version of the law may now qualify.

Why Clearing Your Record Matters

A criminal record, even an old or minor one, can quietly limit opportunities long after a case is closed. It can: 

• Influence hiring decisions
• Complicate a rental application
• Delay a professional license
• Make it harder to qualify for certain loans or volunteer positions

Expungement will not undo everything, but for eligible offenses, it removes one of the more persistent obstacles standing between you and those opportunities. Clients often come to us after being turned down for a job or apartment because of a record they assumed was too old to matter, only to learn that Missouri law may allow it to be sealed entirely.

Who Qualifies for Expungement in Missouri

Eligibility for expungement in Missouri depends on the offense itself, how much time has passed, and the person’s record since. Someone looking to expunge a criminal record in Missouri generally needs to show that: 

• All fines, restitution, and terms of the sentence have been completed
• No criminal charges are pending
• No new misdemeanor or felony conviction has been entered during the required waiting period

Waiting Periods and Lifetime Limits

Under current law, Missouri sets clear waiting periods and lifetime caps for expungement eligibility:

• Felony convictions: Three years from the date the person completed their sentence, including probation or parole
• Misdemeanors, municipal violations, or infractions: One year from the date the sentence was completed
• Arrests that did not lead to a conviction: Often eligible on a shorter timeline than a conviction
• Felony lifetime limit: Up to two felony offenses may be expunged in a person’s lifetime
• Misdemeanor lifetime limit: Up to three misdemeanor or ordinance violations carrying potential jail time may be expunged in a lifetime
• Infractions: No lifetime limit applies

Our felony expungement attorneys can help determine how these limits apply if you have more than one offense, since multiple charges from the same course of conduct are sometimes treated as a single offense for counting purposes. Likewise, our misdemeanor expungement lawyers can assess lower-level offenses, and can confirm whether prior expungements you have already used count against the current three-offense cap.

Offenses That Cannot Be Expunged

Not every offense qualifies, regardless of how much time has passed. Missouri law permanently excludes several categories from expungement, including:

• Class A felonies and dangerous felonies as defined under Missouri law
• Sex offenses requiring registration
• Felony assault, domestic assault, and kidnapping offenses
• Most intoxication-related traffic offenses, which are instead addressed under a separate statute allowing a one-time expungement of a first DWI only after ten years with no further alcohol-related offenses
• Offenses committed while holding or requiring a commercial driver’s license

Your Missouri expungement eligibility attorney can review the specific offense and case history to determine whether it falls into one of these excluded categories before a petition is ever filed, which helps avoid spending time and filing fees on a case that has no realistic chance of success.

Expunging an Arrest Record in Missouri Versus a Conviction

Missouri treats arrest records and conviction records somewhat differently, and the path to expungement depends on which one applies to your situation.

Arrest Records

An arrest that never led to formal charges, or that was dismissed, can often be expunged more quickly and with a more straightforward showing than a conviction, since there was never a finding of guilt to overcome. Someone who wants to expunge an arrest record Missouri courts have on file for a case that was dropped, dismissed, or resulted in an acquittal generally faces a shorter waiting period than someone petitioning to expunge a conviction.

Conviction Records

A conviction, by contrast, requires satisfying the waiting period, staying within the lifetime limits described above, and demonstrating that the offense itself is not on the excluded list. An expungement petition attorney can help identify which category applies to each item on your record and file the petition under the correct statute, since arrest-only records and conviction records are not always cleared through the same process.

Why Local Experience Matters in an Expungement Case

Since 1954, our attorneys have appeared in the same St. Louis area courts where many of our expungement clients were originally charged, including:

• St. Louis County Circuit Court in Clayton
• St. Louis City Circuit Court
• Municipal courts throughout the region, including Kirkwood, Hazelwood, and Florissant

That familiarity works to your advantage in an expungement case. Because the prosecuting attorney in the case has 30 days to object to a petition once it is filed, knowing how a particular office and courtroom typically approaches these requests can shape how a petition is prepared and presented from the outset.

Clients have been hiring our criminal record lawyers in St. Louis for decades, and we know what a clean record means for the people we represent, from someone trying to qualify for a better job to a parent hoping to clear the way for a professional license or a landlord application. We bring that same attention to detail to expungement work that we bring to defending a case in the first place, and many of our expungement clients are people we or a colleague once represented in the original criminal matter, giving us a head start on understanding the full history of the case.

What to Expect From the Petition Process

Once we confirm that an offense is eligible, the expungement process generally follows these stages:

• Filing: Our attorneys prepare and file a verified petition for expungement in the court where the case was originally charged or where the arrest occurred, along with a $250 court cost, though a fee waiver may be available for clients who qualify
• Notice to the prosecutor: The prosecuting attorney is notified and has 30 days to object to the petition
• Hearing: If no objection is filed, the court typically schedules a hearing within 30 days of that deadline; if the prosecutor objects, a hearing is generally set within 60 days
• Ruling: Missouri law requires the court to issue a ruling within six months of the date the petition was filed
• Outcome: If the petition is granted, the court sends the order to every agency holding the record, and those records are then closed from public view

Frequently Asked Questions

Will an expunged record still show up on a background check?

In most cases, no. Once a Missouri court grants expungement, the record is closed to public access and should not appear on standard background checks run by employers, landlords, or licensing agencies. Certain government entities, including law enforcement and some licensing boards, may retain limited access for specific purposes outlined in the statute.

How many offenses can I expunge in Missouri?

Under current law, a person may expunge up to two felony offenses and up to three misdemeanor or ordinance violations carrying potential jail time over their lifetime, with no cap on the number of infractions. Offenses that arose from the same underlying course of conduct are sometimes counted together rather than separately, which can affect how these limits apply to your specific record.

Does expungement completely erase my criminal record?

Expungement seals a qualifying record from public view rather than physically destroying it in every system. For most practical purposes, including job applications, housing applications, and most licensing questions, a person may treat the offense as though it did not occur, but a small number of statutory exceptions allow certain government uses of the sealed record.

How long does the expungement process take in Missouri?

Timelines vary by court and by whether the prosecuting attorney objects to the petition, but Missouri law requires a ruling within six months of the date the petition is filed. Cases without an objection tend to move faster than contested cases that require a full hearing.

Talk to Our St. Louis Expungement Team Today

If a past arrest or conviction is holding you back, it may be time to find out whether Missouri’s expungement law can help. The team at Bruntrager & Billings, P.C. can review your record, explain what is realistically possible, and guide your case through the petition process from start to finish. Contact our office today to schedule a free consultation.