How it works in Connecticut

The steps

1. Get fingerprinted

   Have your fingerprints taken by a law enforcement agency — your local police department or a State Police location.

   Fingerprint fee: $15.00 — the rolling fee at a State Police location; fingerprinting for a criminal record check must be done by a law enforcement agency

2. Request your record

   Complete and submit your application to request an official copy of your criminal history record from the Connecticut Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection.

   Record request fee: $75.00 — the Personal Record Search (Form DPS-0846-C or the CCHRS portal)

3. Review your record

   Confirm there is no disqualifying information in your history. If there is something incorrect, follow the process to challenge the issue. If everything is accurate, make a copy for your file and keep the original somewhere safe.

4. Request certified documents

   Collect certified copies of relevant documents. These include a copy of the disposition of the case from the clerk of court that handled the original case and the arrest record from the arresting agency. If you had probation or parole, had to take classes, had to pay fees, or had any other obligations, you also need certified proof that you completed those requirements.

   Certified copy fee: $2.00 — $2 per certification under seal, plus $1 per page for the copy (schedule items 29–30); a certified copy of a judgment file is $25 (item 36)

5. Verify the final documents

   Review each document for accuracy. Confirm each one is certified and clearly shows you completed your obligations. Make copies of every original.

6. Prepare your petition

   Complete the petition based on the type of charge and outcome you are seeking. Note the timing restrictions that apply: A misdemeanor needs seven years from your most recent conviction before you file; a class D or E felony, another crime with a top sentence of five years or less, or driving under the influence needs ten.

7. Finalize your petition

   Take the completed petition from Step 6, the documents collected in Step 4, and the background check from Step 2, and put them together in a complete package. Double-check every file in the package is the original and ensure you have a copy of the complete package for your personal file.

8. File your erasure petition

   File the petition with the Connecticut court that handled the original case.

9. Work with the court

   After the Connecticut court confirms it has received your filing, watch for the next instructions from the court — typically the schedule for a hearing or a request for additional information. Respond promptly to anything the court asks for.

10. Receive the court's order

    Once the Connecticut court rules on your petition, it issues an order either granting or denying erasure. Review the order's terms carefully — they spell out which records are covered and the date the erasure takes effect. Keep a certified copy of the order for your own files.

11. Verify the record is erased

    Under Conn. Gen. Stat. § 54-142a, the police and court records of the conviction, the state's attorney's records, and any Board of Pardons and Paroles record of court obligations from it are erased, and the court clerk sends notice of the erasure to every law enforcement agency it knows received the arrest information, which erases it from its own records too. Once erased, the law treats you as never having been arrested for it, and you may say so under oath. Confirm with the original arresting agency that its records reflect the erasure as well. If a background-check provider later produces an outdated report, your certified copy of the court's order is your authoritative reference.

If you have to mail anything, remember to keep a copy of whatever you send and to use a method with a tracking number like the USPS Flat Rate Envelope.