The Clean Slate Act will automatically seal conviction records for most civil purposes three years after your last misdemeanor conviction and eight years after your last felony conviction. The time starts running on the day you are sentenced or released from incarceration, whichever is later. During that time, you cannot have any other criminal convictions.

Once the three- or eight-year period expires, the government will automatically seal the conviction if you:

Currently have no pending criminal charges; and

Have completed any probation or parole for that conviction

That means your convictions should not appear on a background check when you are trying to obtain housing, education, and most jobs. Sealing does not expunge, or destroy, the records. Sealed convictions will be visible to your lawyer, prosecutors, and the court if you are arrested again.

Driving While Ability Impaired by Alcohol (DWAI) infraction: 3 years

Misdemeanors: 3 years from sentencing or release from incarceration, whichever is later

Felonies: 8 years from sentencing or release from incarceration, whichever is later

If you are convicted of another misdemeanor or felony during the waiting period, the time resets and you have to wait another three or eight years, respectively. Traffic infractions and violations (like disorderly conduct) are not criminal convictions, and they will not affect the time calculation.

Under Clean Slate, probation or parole revocations resulting in reincarceration will restart the waiting period. Your time will start over once you are released again. But if the violation does not lead to a revocation resulting in reincarceration, it will not affect the time calculation.

Once a case is sealed under Clean Slate, it won’t be unsealed if you are arrested or convicted again in the future.

The Clean Slate Act applies to one traffic infraction (Driving While Ability Impaired by Alcohol) and all misdemeanor and felony convictions, except for:

Out-of-state or federal convictions

Sex offenses

Class A felonies, except for drug possession and sale.

Yes, there are certain types of jobs where someone will be able to review your convictions, even if the conviction is sealed under Clean Slate. These employment exceptions include:

Entities that are allowed to run fingerprint-based background checks for work with vulnerable populations like children, the elderly, and people with disabilities

Entities that are mandated by law to consider sealed records or run fingerprint-based background checks;

The New York State Education Department (NYSED) for purposes including hiring in public, private, and religious schools, disciplinary proceedings, and licensing;

Private transportation companies like Uber and Lyft; and

Police and peace officers, which include corrections officers and some armed security guards employed by the government.

Police, prosecutors, defense counsel, judges, and court officials will continue to have access to sealed records. Biometric information, including DNA and fingerprints, will remain accessible for law enforcement and prosecutors.

Local, state, and federal agencies conducting background checks for firearm licenses.

The Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) will have access to driving-related sealed records.

The Clean Slate Act will become “effective” on November 16, 2024, one year after the Governor signed the bill into law. Once effective, the courts and various agencies will have up to three years to seal eligible conviction records. Every eligible conviction must be sealed by November 2027.

No, there is no limit on the number of convictions that may be sealed.

No, there is nothing you need to do. You just need to meet the basic eligibility requirements. That means if you complete your waiting periods without getting a new conviction, complete your community supervision, and don’t have any pending charges, then sealing under Clean Slate will happen automatically. No application will be necessary.

You can obtain a copy of your New York State rap sheet by following the instructions here, or contacting your local legal services organization for assistance. We anticipate that as the Clean Slate Act is implemented, courts will create an easier way to check what has been sealed on your record.

Clean Slate does not have any impact for immigration purposes. 

• Immigration agencies will still have access to sealed records. 

• Sealing does not change whether a conviction has an impact for federal immigration purposes and could affect someone’s immigration status..

• Non-citizens should speak with an immigration attorney about the impact of their contact with the criminal legal system on their immigration status before submitting an immigration application or traveling internationally. 

• Non-citizens should speak with their criminal defense attorneys before pleading guilty or going to trial about any immigration consequences that could arise from their case.

There may be other paths available in New York State to eliminate criminal convictions for immigration purposes. Non-citizens should speak with an immigration attorney to see if they could benefit from them.

Anyone evaluating you for a gun license will be able to see all of your arrests and convictions, even if they are sealed. State and federal laws regarding restoration of firearms rights are complicated, and it may be helpful to consult with an attorney on this subject.

The Clean Slate Act requires the state to create a process to notify them of cases that should be sealed. We won’t know what that process is until the law becomes effective in November 2024. You can also consult an attorney about a possible lawsuit for damages under the new law.

The conviction for which you are serving parole won’t be sealed until you are discharged from parole. If your parole discharge date is more than eight years after you were released from incarceration, your conviction will be eligible for sealing on the date you are discharged.

No, the application-based process under CPL 160.59 will still be a valuable sealing option for people who qualify.

A felony is sealed eight years after you were sentenced or last released from incarceration, whichever is later.

Example 1:

You were convicted of a felony and incarcerated in 2020. You are released from prison in 2025. Your waiting period starts the day you are released. You then have no parole violations resulting in re-incarceration, and successfully complete parole in 2030. If you have no new convictions or pending criminal charges, your felony will automatically seal in 2033, eight years from 2025.

Example 2:

You were convicted of a felony and sentenced to five years of probation in 2020. You successfully complete probation with no revocations resulting in re-incarceration. If you have no new convictions or pending charges, your felony will automatically seal in 2028.

Example 3:

You were sentenced for a felony in 2020 and a misdemeanor in 2024. You were never incarcerated. Your felony would have sealed in 2028 if you had not been convicted of a misdemeanor in 2024. Instead, your waiting period starts over when you are sentenced for the misdemeanor. The misdemeanor will seal in 2027, but the felony will not seal until 2032, eight years after your misdemeanor.

Example 4:

You were convicted of a felony and incarcerated in 2018. You are first released on parole in 2023, but probation is revoked and you are subsequently re-incarcerated in 2025. You are then released in 2026, do not incur any new parole violations or criminal convictions, and successfully complete parole. Your felony would have been sealed in 2026 if you had not been reincarcerated for the parole revocation. Instead, your eight-year waiting period starts over in 2026 when you are released, and your felony will now seal in 2034.

A misdemeanor is sealed three years after you were sentenced or released from incarceration, whichever is later.

Example 1:

You are convicted of a misdemeanor and sentenced to three years of probation in 2025. You do well on probation and are discharged after two years. If you have no new convictions or pending charges, your misdemeanor will automatically seal in 2028.

Example 2

You are convicted of a misdemeanor and sentenced to one year of jail in 2025. You are released in 2026. If you have no new convictions or pending charges, your misdemeanor will automatically seal in 2029.