How to Verify Whether Michigan's Clean Slate Law Actually Sealed Your Record

Michigan's Clean Slate law has automatically sealed over five million convictions since April 2023 — and the state didn't notify a single person when it happened. If you have an old Michigan conviction and you're wondering whether it's been cleared, there's no letter, no email, and no dedicated status portal. You can check public results with ICHAT and request an MSP Personal Records Check to see public and nonpublic records; cross-reference those results with the county court's public portal, which may not match the state record.

Here's the short version: run an ICHAT name search ($10) and, if you need to see both public and nonpublic files, a fingerprint-based MSP Personal Records Check ($30). A successfully set-aside conviction should not appear as public in ICHAT; the fingerprint check can show it as nonpublic. Also check the county court's public portal, because synchronization gaps can leave a record visible there.

Why Michigan Doesn't Notify You

The product research states that the Clean Slate program does not notify individuals. It describes the automation as operating on the Michigan State Police database and transmitting eligible set-asides to local courts, but does not explain why there is no notice.

The practical result: people may not know whether a record was sealed, while others may assume it was when an intervening conviction or an unelapsed waiting period blocked automatic relief.

Both mistakes are costly. Disclosing a sealed conviction to an employer when they didn't ask is unnecessarily damaging. Assuming a conviction was sealed when it wasn't — and having it surface on a background check for a job or apartment — is worse.

The Three-Step Verification Process

Step 1: ICHAT Name Search ($10)

The Internet Criminal History Access Tool is Michigan State Police's public portal. A name-based search costs $10 and returns any public criminal history associated with your name and date of birth.

What you're looking for:

• If your conviction doesn't appear → it may have been set aside automatically or by prior petition; a name-search result alone does not confirm why it is absent
• If your conviction still appears → Clean Slate did not process it (or it wasn't eligible)
• If you see partial results (one conviction sealed, another still showing) → Clean Slate processed some records but not others

The limitation: ICHAT is a name-based search and can miss records due to name variations, maiden names, or data entry differences. It's a useful first check but not definitive on its own.

Step 2: MSP Fingerprint-Based Search ($30)

The fingerprint-based Personal Records Check through the Michigan State Police is the most reliable way to review both public and nonpublic state records. Unlike ICHAT (which matches on name/DOB), fingerprint records are tied to your identity.

How to get one:

• Submit fingerprints at a Michigan State Police post or an authorized fingerprinting location
• Pay the $30 processing fee
• Follow the Michigan State Police instructions for how results are returned and the current processing time

What the result tells you:

• A conviction listed as nonpublic indicates that it has been set aside; a conviction still listed as public may need further eligibility review
• If the status is unclear, ask the Michigan State Police or the convicting court how the record is classified before deciding whether to petition

Step 3: Cross-Reference the County Court Records

This is the step most people skip, and it's the one that matters most for background checks.

Michigan's Clean Slate automation updates the MSP database centrally. But local county court systems maintain their own records independently. The transmission from MSP to local courts has suffered significant synchronization gaps since the automation launched — a conviction can be sealed in the MSP database while the county court's public access portal still shows it as an active conviction.

Why this matters: Private background check companies — Checkr, Sterling, HireRight, the services employers and landlords actually use — query both databases. If the county court record still shows your conviction publicly, those companies will report it regardless of what MSP shows. You'll be denied the apartment or the job because of a database that didn't update.

How to check:

• Search your name on the county court's public case search portal (each county has its own)
• Look for the disposition status of your case — does it show "set aside" or does it still show the original conviction?
• If MSP shows the record as sealed but the county still shows it active, you've found a synchronization error

How to fix a synchronization error: Contact the county court clerk's office directly. Explain that your record was automatically set aside under MCL 780.621g, and that the state database reflects this but the local court record hasn't been updated. You may need to provide your MSP results as documentation. This is an administrative correction, not a new legal proceeding.

The Intervening Conviction Problem

One reason Clean Slate may not seal a record is an intervening conviction during the waiting period.

Under MCL 780.621g, the automatic set-aside requires seven years from sentence imposition for eligible misdemeanors. For eligible felonies, the ten-year wait runs from the later of sentence imposition or completion of a prison term with the Michigan Department of Corrections. For eligible felonies and eligible misdemeanors punishable by 93 days or more, a new conviction recorded in the MSP database during the wait blocks automatic eligibility; a pending criminal charge in that database also blocks set-aside while pending. These conditions do not apply to misdemeanors punishable by 92 days or less.

During the 2023–2024 legislative session, bipartisan bills were introduced to eliminate the intervening conviction barrier. They passed the House committee but stalled in the Senate during the lame-duck session. Those bills did not change MCL 780.621g, which remains the governing rule.

If an intervening conviction blocked automatic sealing, a petition may still be available after its applicable waiting period, but it is not an immediate workaround. MCL 780.621d bars a petition order while criminal charges are pending or if a conviction occurred during the applicable petition waiting period. Petition waits are three years for eligible misdemeanors other than serious misdemeanors, first-offense OWI, or assaultive crimes; five years for serious misdemeanors, a first-offense OWI, or one felony; and seven years for more than one felony.

What to Do After Verification

If your record is sealed across both MSP and county courts: You're in good shape on the government side. Your next step is checking whether private background check databases have updated — they often haven't. Run a self-background check through one of the major consumer screening services, or wait until a specific employment or housing application triggers a check and dispute any convictions that appear.

If your record was not automatically sealed: Determine why. The likely reasons include an intervening conviction, an unelapsed waiting period, or an excluded offense category: life felonies and attempts, specified CSC and child-abuse offenses, felony domestic violence with a prior misdemeanor DV conviction, or specified traffic offenses. If you're eligible for a petition-based set-aside, the Michigan Expungement & Record Sealing Guide walks through the full process — from SCAO petition assembly through court hearing preparation to background check disputes.

If you find a synchronization error: This requires action on two fronts: getting the county court to update their records (administrative) and disputing any private background checks that pulled the outdated information (FCRA dispute process, 30-day reinvestigation window). The guide's dispute kit covers both, with pre-formatted letter frameworks for the major screening companies.

Who This Is For

• Anyone with an old Michigan conviction who doesn't know whether Clean Slate sealed it
• People about to apply for a job, apartment, or professional license who need to know their record status before a background check runs
• Anyone who assumed their record was sealed and wants to confirm before disclosing (or not disclosing) to an employer
• People who checked ICHAT and got a clean result but want to verify the county court and private databases match

Who This Is NOT For

• People with pending criminal charges — your focus should be on the active case, not past records
• Anyone whose conviction falls in an excluded category, including life felonies and attempts or specified CSC, child-abuse, felony domestic-violence, and traffic offenses
• People who already have a set-aside court order — your next step is background check disputes, not verification

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does it take to verify my record status?

The ICHAT name search returns results online ($10). The MSP fingerprint-based check costs $30; consult the Michigan State Police for the current processing time and how results are returned. County court public portals are searchable online for free. Total cost for both state checks: $40, plus any time needed to review the results.

Can my employer see my sealed record?

After a successful set-aside (automatic or by petition), the record becomes nonpublic on the state database. MCL 780.623 limits access to listed entities and statutory purposes. Private screening companies may still report a conviction that was public on the report date; MCL 780.623(6) provides a state-law liability exception for that reporting. Dispute information that is inaccurate or incomplete under the FCRA.

What if ICHAT shows my record is clear but a background check company still reports it?

This is the most common post-sealing problem. ICHAT updates reflect the MSP database, but screening companies like Checkr and Sterling may use their own records and other sources. Under the FCRA, you have the right to dispute inaccurate information. The company generally has 30 days to conduct a reasonable reinvestigation and correct or delete information it finds inaccurate, incomplete, or unverifiable; a limited 15-day extension can apply if you provide relevant information during the first 30 days.

Does Clean Slate seal all types of Michigan convictions?

No. MCL 780.621c excludes life felonies and attempts, specified CSC and child-abuse offenses, felony domestic violence with a prior misdemeanor domestic-violence conviction, qualifying commercial-motor-vehicle traffic offenses, traffic offenses causing any injury or death, and other listed categories. An intervening conviction during the wait blocks automatic sealing for eligible felonies and eligible misdemeanors punishable by 93 days or more, but it is not a permanent exclusion. Misdemeanor waits are seven years from sentence imposition; felony waits are ten years from the later of sentence imposition or completion of a prison term with MDOC.

Should I file a petition even if Clean Slate might eventually seal my record?

If you need a clean record now — for a job offer, a lease, a license application — filing a petition gives you control over whether to seek court review. Clean Slate processes records on its own schedule, with no individual notification. Hearing timing depends on local practice; current SCAO instructions say the clerk may set a date at filing, but the hearing cannot be held until the MSP report is received.

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