Expunging your criminal record allows you to seal your records so that only the courts, government and law enforcement may access them. If someone else does a criminal background check on you, the records would not show up. In addition, you may also be able to regain some rights you lost due to your conviction. There are rules limiting which crimes are eligible for expungement in Kentucky.
According to the Department of Public Advocacy, if you have a felony charge, it is possible that you are not eligible to get an expungement of your record because only a limited list of Class D felonies are eligible. If you have a Class A, B or C felony, then you cannot seek an expungement.
If you do have an eligible Class D felony, then you need have a clean criminal record for the five years prior to filing. You also must wait five years after the completion of your sentence, which includes finishing probation and paying all fees or fines. You also cannot expunge multiple felonies unless they were all part of the same case and incident. Also, if you have ever had an expungement before, you are not eligible to do it again.
Misdemeanors are a different situation. All misdemeanors are eligible for expungement. There is no limit to the number of them you can go to court to expunge. You do have to wait five years after the completion of y our sentence to be eligible, and if your charge is a DUI, the waiting period increases to ten years.
