For more than a decade, Illinois has allowed people to clear old arrests and many convictions through expungement and sealing. The problem was that you had to know the relief existed, gather your records, file a petition in every county where you had a case, and then wait. Most people who were eligible never did it. The Illinois Clean Slate Act is designed to change that by having the State seal eligible records on its own.
Governor Pritzker signed the Clean Slate Act (Public Act 104-0459, originally House Bill 1836) on January 16, 2026, and it took effect on June 1, 2026. Illinois is now the thirteenth state with an automated sealing law. Advocates estimate that more than 1.7 million Illinois residents have records that could eventually be sealed under it.
There is an important distinction that a lot of the early coverage blurred. Some parts of the law are already in effect today. The automated sealing system, the part that does the work for you, does not start until 2029. If you are trying to clear a record now, knowing which is which makes a real difference.
What the Clean Slate Act Actually Does
The Clean Slate Act does not create new categories of records that can be cleared. The list of what is eligible for sealing is largely the same as it was before. What the Act changes is the process. It shortens some waiting periods, removes a few procedural hurdles, and, beginning in 2029, shifts the work of sealing eligible records from the individual to the State.
That last piece is the headline. It is also the part that is still years away. The changes you can actually use right now are the procedural ones, and they took effect on June 1, 2026.
What Changed on June 1, 2026
Several changes now apply to anyone filing a petition to seal a record in Illinois.
The waiting period to seal most records dropped from three years to two. That two-year period now covers orders of supervision, qualified probation, and convictions that resulted in probation, conditional discharge, a misdemeanor, or an ordinance violation. The clock runs from the date your last sentence ended. Felony convictions are the exception and still require a three-year wait.
You no longer have to attach a clean drug test to seal a felony drug conviction. Under the old rules, a positive cannabis test could sink a petition. That requirement is gone.
A later felony conviction no longer blocks the sealing of your earlier records. Before this change, picking up a new felony could permanently bar you from sealing convictions you otherwise could have cleared.
Petitions also no longer require notice to a municipality’s chief legal officer unless the petition includes an ordinance violation, which removes one more step from the process.
None of these changes depend on the automated system. They are live now, in every Illinois circuit court.
How Automatic Sealing Will Work, Starting in 2029
The part of the law that gets the headlines, the State sealing records with no petition from you, begins on January 1, 2029. After that date, the Illinois State Police will identify eligible records, notify the circuit clerk in each county through the statewide e-filing system, and the clerks will seal them.
Older records are handled on a phased schedule based on when the case was decided:
| Case Disposition Date | State Police Identify & Notify Clerks | Circuit Clerks Seal |
|---|---|---|
| On or after Jan. 1, 2029 | Quarterly, beginning Jan. 1, 2029 | Within 90 days of notice |
| July 1, 2005 to Dec. 31, 2028 | By Jan. 1, 2030 | By Jan. 1, 2031 |
| July 1, 1990 to June 30, 2005 | By Jan. 1, 2031 | By Jan. 1, 2032 |
| July 1, 1970 to June 30, 1990 | By Jan. 1, 2032 | By Jan. 1, 2034 |
Going forward, eligibility turns on the disposition and how much time has passed. Dismissals and acquittals are sealed soon after a case ends. Supervision, qualified probation, and misdemeanor or ordinance convictions are sealed two years after the sentence is complete. Felony convictions are sealed three years after the last felony sentence, and no felony record seals until all of them have aged out. Nothing seals while you are still serving a sentence or while a case is pending.
The system also depends on the legislature funding it. The dates in the law are deadlines, not promises of an earlier rollout, and building the data-matching between agencies is a heavy lift. A new Illinois Clean Slate Task Force will oversee that work, meeting quarterly and reporting to the General Assembly until it dissolves six years after the law took effect.
Who Qualifies, and Who Is Left Out
Automatic sealing reaches the same records that have always been eligible for sealing: most non-conviction records, misdemeanor convictions, and Class 3 and Class 4 felony convictions. The exclusions fall into two groups.
Some offenses can never be sealed, by petition or automatically. These include DUI and reckless driving, domestic battery, any sex offense and anything requiring sex offender registration, violations of orders of protection and no contact orders, and animal cruelty offenses.
A second group is shut out of automatic sealing but can still be sealed by petition. This includes Class X felonies, homicide, robbery, residential burglary, burglary, vehicular hijacking, human trafficking, organized retail crime, and offenses classified as crimes of violence such as armed robbery, arson, kidnapping, home invasion, and aggravated battery causing serious harm. For those records, the courthouse, not the automated system, remains the only path.
One Thing Clean Slate Does Not Do: Restore Gun Rights
This one surprises people, so it is worth stating plainly. Sealing a record does not give you your firearm rights back. A sealed felony conviction still shows up when the State processes a FOID card, and state and federal law still prohibit firearm possession by people with felony convictions, sealed or not. Restoring firearm rights is a separate process that runs through the FOID Card Board, the courts, or the Governor. If a conviction cost you your gun rights, clearing the record and restoring the rights are two different jobs that often need to happen together.
What Southern Illinois Residents Should Do Now
The most common mistake we expect to see is people assuming Clean Slate already cleared their record, or deciding to wait for 2029. Neither is a safe bet.
Automatic sealing has not started. Until it does, filing a petition is the only way to seal a record in Jefferson, Marion, Williamson, Franklin, and the other counties around Mt. Vernon and Centralia. Even after the system goes live, it runs on the State’s calendar, not yours. If you are job hunting, applying for housing, or pursuing a professional license this year, a record that can be sealed now is worth clearing now, rather than waiting years for your file to reach the top of the State’s queue.
The shorter two-year waiting period and the end of the drug-test requirement make this a good time to take a fresh look at an old record. A case that was a year short of eligible under the old three-year rule may qualify today.
Frequently Asked Questions About the Illinois Clean Slate Act
When did the Illinois Clean Slate Act take effect?
The Clean Slate Act took effect on June 1, 2026. The changes to the petition process, including the shorter two-year waiting period and the end of the drug-test requirement, apply now. The automated sealing system does not begin until January 1, 2029, and then rolls out in phases through 2034.
The most recent cases, those disposed between 2005 and 2028, are sealed first, and the oldest cases, going back to 1970, are sealed last.
Will my record be sealed automatically?
Eventually, if it qualifies, but not yet. Automatic sealing begins January 1, 2029 and proceeds in phases over several years. Until then, the only way to seal a record is to file a petition with the circuit court.
Even after automatic sealing is running, filing a petition lets you control the timing instead of waiting for the State to reach your record.
How long do I have to wait to seal my record now?
Since June 1, 2026, most records can be sealed two years after your last sentence ends, including supervision, qualified probation, misdemeanors, and ordinance violations. Felony convictions still require a three-year wait. Dismissals and acquittals can usually be sealed right away.
The waiting period runs from the date your most recent sentence ended. Convictions that require sex offender, arsonist, or violent offender registration cannot be sealed until that registration requirement ends.
What records are excluded from Clean Slate?
DUI, reckless driving, domestic battery, sex offenses, and order-of-protection violations can never be sealed. Class X felonies, homicide, and other serious violent offenses are excluded from automatic sealing but can still be sealed by petition in some circumstances.
The Act did not expand or shrink the list of sealable offenses. It changed the process, not the eligibility categories.
Does the Clean Slate Act restore my gun rights?
No. Sealing does not restore firearm rights. A sealed felony conviction still bars gun possession and still appears in the FOID card process. Restoring those rights is a separate matter handled through the FOID Card Board, the courts, or the Governor.
For many people, clearing a record and restoring firearm rights are handled together, but they are two distinct legal steps.
Do I still need a lawyer with Clean Slate now in place?
You can file a petition on your own, and free statewide forms are available. But the process rewards getting it right the first time, especially when a record involves multiple cases, qualified probation, or offenses that fall into the petition-only category. A denied petition costs time and can delay a job or housing decision.
Most denials in self-filed cases come from missing dispositions, miscategorized offenses, or waiting periods that had not yet passed. A careful review on the front end avoids those problems.
Clear Your Record Without Waiting for 2029
If you have an old arrest or conviction on your record in Southern Illinois, you do not have to wait years for the State to get to it. Olson & Reeves handles expungement and sealing petitions throughout the region for a fixed-flat fee, and we start with a free expungement evaluation that tells you what is eligible and what is not. Learn more on our Southern Illinois expungement and record sealing page, or call (618) 316-7322 to find out what can come off your record today.