Connecticut Clean Slate Law: How Automated Erasure Works in 2026

You may have read that Connecticut's Clean Slate Act was stalled, broken, or delayed indefinitely. That was true for a while — but as of 2026, the system is fully operational and processing erasures on a rolling basis. Here's what that actually means for your record.

The Clean Slate Act: From Delays to Full Operation

Connecticut passed the Clean Slate Act (Public Act 21-32) with an implementation target of January 2023. It didn't go that way. Fragmented county databases, legacy mainframe systems, and complex data-matching requirements stalled the automated system for nearly three years. The state invested over $8 million in database upgrades and brought in external software quality assurance contractors to get it working.

By late 2025, the automated system came online. By mid-2026, DESPP confirmed the backlog was cleared — over 150,000 old, low-level convictions erased automatically, covering approximately 170,000 eligible individuals and 350,000 total cases.

The system now runs continuously. As individuals complete their waiting periods and meet the statutory requirements, their eligible records are flagged and erased through automated database matching. No petition required.

Who Qualifies for Automated Erasure

The Clean Slate Act covers convictions that occurred on or after January 1, 2000. Pre-2000 convictions are excluded because the state's databases don't maintain digitized records from before that date — those require a separate petition process.

Eligible offenses (post-2000):

• Classified or unclassified misdemeanors — 7-year waiting period
• Class D and Class E felonies — 10-year waiting period
• Unclassified felonies with a statutory maximum prison term under 5 years — 10-year waiting period
• OUI (operating under the influence) convictions — 10-year waiting period

Excluded offenses (no automatic erasure):

• Class A, B, or C felonies
• Nonviolent or sexually violent sexual offenses as defined by C.G.S. § 54-250
• Family violence crimes
• Certain firearm-related offenses
• An OUI conviction followed by another OUI conviction within 10 years

The waiting period clock starts from the later of the court's judgment date or your release from custody. It does not begin until you've completed all supervision terms — probation, parole, special parole, and transitional supervision must all be fully discharged. Unpaid fines or restitution also block the process.

The Notification Gap

Here's the part most people don't know: Connecticut has no mechanism to notify you when your record has been erased. The state doesn't send a letter, an email, or any confirmation. The burden of verification falls entirely on you.

This matters because automated erasure in the state's databases doesn't guarantee that third-party background screening companies have updated their records simultaneously. Private consumer reporting agencies pull from a mix of court records, public databases, and proprietary data aggregators — and those sources frequently lag behind.

If you believe your record should have been erased under Clean Slate, you need to verify it proactively. Order your official criminal history from the State Police Bureau of Identification (SPBI) using Form DPS-0846-C (currently listed at $75, plus $15 for fingerprinting if you want a fingerprint-based search; rates are scheduled to change on October 1, 2026, so verify the current amounts before ordering). If the record still appears despite meeting all the eligibility criteria, you can initiate a formal administrative audit using Form DESPP-0847-C.

What If Clean Slate Doesn't Cover Your Record?

Automated Clean Slate handles a large category of cases, but it isn't the only path. If your record doesn't qualify — because it's too serious, too old, or from before 2000 — there are other options:

• Pre-2000 convictions: File Form JD-CR-202 with the original sentencing court (separate petition for each docket)
• Higher-level felonies: Apply for an absolute pardon through the Board of Pardons and Paroles via the ePardons portal
• Employment/licensing barriers: Apply for a Certificate of Employability, which removes occupational barriers without erasing the record itself

The Connecticut Expungement & Record Sealing Guide maps every pathway — automated and manual — so you can identify which relief applies to each charge on your record and verify when it should have been processed.

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