How it works in Iowa

The steps

1. Request your record

   Complete and submit your application to request an official copy of your criminal history record.

   Record request fee: $15.00

2. 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.

3. 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: $50.00

4. 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.

5. Prepare your application

   Complete the application for the kind of case you have. Note the timing rules: for a case in which every charge ended in a not-guilty verdict or was dismissed, 180 days must have passed since the verdict or the dismissal, unless the court waives the wait for good cause; for a misdemeanor conviction, more than eight years must have passed since the conviction.

6. Finalize your application

   Take the completed application from Step 5, the documents collected in Step 3, and the background check from Step 1, 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.

7. File your expungement application

   Once you have confirmed you have everything, file the application in the court that handled the original case — for a misdemeanor conviction, in the county where the conviction occurred. Electronic filing in Iowa court cases is mandatory unless otherwise required or authorized; you can register to file electronically at no fee.

8. Work with the court

   After the court confirms it has received your application, watch for the next instructions. For a dismissed or not-guilty case, the court will not enter the order until every party in the case has had time to object. Respond promptly to anything the court asks for.

9. Receive the court's order

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

10. Verify the record update

    Under Iowa Code § 901C.2 and Iowa Code § 901C.3, the expunged record is a confidential record, exempt from public access under section 22.7. The clerk of the district court keeps it: a record expunged under section 901C.2 is available on request, without a court order, to you or to an agency or person with access to the deferred judgment docket; a record expunged under section 901C.3 is available only on court order. For a misdemeanor conviction, once the clerk's notice reaches the Department of Public Safety, the department removes the conviction from its criminal history data files. A deferred judgment's expunged record under Iowa Code § 907.9 is confidential the same way, available without a court order to those with access to the deferred judgment docket. Confirm with the Department of Public Safety that its files reflect the expungement. If a background-check provider later produces an outdated report, your certified copy of the court's order is your authoritative reference.

If the court lets you file on paper and 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.