Free Expungement Help: Legal Aid, Fee Waivers & Clean Slate by State
Last updated: May 2026
If you've been told expungement costs thousands of dollars and you're sitting here wondering how you'll ever clear this record — read this first. You may not have to pay anything at all. Tens of thousands of Americans get their records cleared every year through free legal aid clinics, fee waivers, and automatic Clean Slate sealing they never even had to apply for.
Maybe you've been clean for ten years and the same old charge keeps costing you jobs. Maybe you're a single parent trying to get certified for a better-paying field and the licensing board flagged your background check. Whatever brought you here — asking for help with this is not weakness. It's the most efficient move you can make right now.
Here's something most people don't realize: the legal system actively wants people in your situation to get their records cleared. That's why every state has a fee waiver form. That's why state legislatures keep passing Clean Slate laws. That's why every major city has at least one non-profit running free expungement clinics.
Three ways to expunge your record for free
- Automatic Clean Slate sealing. Michigan, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Illinois, New York, Connecticut, Delaware, Virginia, Utah, Oklahoma, and others seal qualifying records automatically — no petition, no fee. Check your state below.
- Fee waiver (indigency waiver). Every state has a form that waives court filing fees if your income qualifies. Submit it with your petition, and the filing fee disappears.
- Free legal aid clinic or expungement project. Non-profit legal aid organizations, public defender offices, law-school clinics, and reentry programs run free expungement clinics in every state. Income cutoffs are typically 125–200% of the federal poverty level — and many expungement clinics waive income limits entirely.
Free expungement help by state
Each state page below includes verified legal aid organizations, city-level clinic information, fee waiver instructions, and Clean Slate eligibility — with direct links.
Florida
No statewide automatic sealing program. Fee waivers available for indigent filers.
4 verified legal aid orgs →
Texas
No general automatic sealing program. Limited automatic nondisclosure available for some f…
5 verified legal aid orgs →
Illinois
Yes — Cannabis Regulation and Tax Act (2019) requires automatic expungement of qualifying …
6 verified legal aid orgs →
Michigan
Yes — Michigan Clean Slate Act (2020) automatically seals eligible misdemeanors after 7 ye…
6 verified legal aid orgs →
Pennsylvania
Yes — Pennsylvania Clean Slate Act (Act 5 of 2018) automatically seals eligible misdemeano…
5 verified legal aid orgs →
Ohio
Ohio Sealing of Records Act (2023) expanded eligibility substantially and added limited au…
6 verified legal aid orgs →
North Carolina
Limited automatic expungement for dismissed charges and not-guilty verdicts under SB 562 (…
4 verified legal aid orgs →
Georgia
No statewide automatic program. Some misdemeanor restrictions happen at the agency level f…
4 verified legal aid orgs →
Washington
New Hope Act (2019) and HB 1041 marijuana vacate streamline relief but are still petition-…
3 verified legal aid orgs →
Arizona
No automatic program statewide, but ARS 13-905 Set Aside has no filing fee and Prop 207 ma…
3 verified legal aid orgs →
Virginia
Virginia's 2021 reform created automatic sealing for some marijuana convictions; broader a…
4 verified legal aid orgs →
New Jersey
Yes — Clean Slate (10-year) expungement is petition-based but filing fees were eliminated …
4 verified legal aid orgs →
New York
Yes — the New York Clean Slate Act (CPL 160.57) took effect November 16, 2024 and automati…
5 verified legal aid orgs →
Indiana
Indiana does not have a Clean Slate auto-sealing law. Expungement is petition-based under …
5 verified legal aid orgs →
California
Partial — California AB 1076 (PC 1203.425) created automatic record sealing for eligible a…
6 verified legal aid orgs →
Colorado
Yes — Colorado's Clean Slate Act (SB 22-099) took effect January 1, 2023. Qualifying petty…
5 verified legal aid orgs →
Maryland
Partial — Maryland's Shielding and Expungement laws (Criminal Procedure §10-101 through 10…
5 verified legal aid orgs →
Massachusetts
No automatic sealing. Massachusetts has petition-based CORI (Criminal Offender Record Info…
6 verified legal aid orgs →
Minnesota
Yes — Minnesota's Clean Slate Act (HF 3884, Session Law 2023, ch. 52) took effect January …
5 verified legal aid orgs →
Missouri
Missouri does not have a Clean Slate automatic-sealing law. Record clearing is entirely pe…
5 verified legal aid orgs →
National free legal aid resources
- Legal Services Corporation — federally funded directory of every legal aid organization in the United States.
- LawHelp.org — state-by-state directory of free legal aid and self-help resources.
- Clean Slate Initiative — state-by-state status tracker for automatic record sealing legislation.
- ABA Legal Aid Directory — American Bar Association's national directory of pro bono programs.
Watch out for expungement scams
- Real legal aid is staffed by licensed attorneys. Verify the lawyer's license at your state bar's public lookup — 30 seconds.
- Real legal aid doesn't take upfront cash for a "guarantee." No attorney can guarantee an expungement. Anyone promising a guaranteed result is a red flag.
- Real legal aid uses public forms. If a "service" wants $300 to "file paperwork" you can download free from the court website, that's a markup — not a service.
- Real legal aid will tell you if you don't qualify. Scam services accept everyone because they get paid up front regardless of outcome.
Frequently asked questions
How can I get my record expunged for free?
Three main paths. (1) If you live in a Clean Slate state — Michigan, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Illinois, Connecticut, Delaware — your eligible record may auto-seal after a waiting period with no petition or fee required. (2) Apply for a fee waiver (indigency waiver, in forma pauperis affidavit) with your petition. (3) Find a free legal aid clinic or law-school expungement project in your county. All three are listed by state below.
Do I qualify for free legal help with my expungement?
Most legal aid organizations use income guidelines around 125% to 200% of the federal poverty level. If your household income is under roughly $30,000 for a single person or $60,000 for a family of four, you likely qualify under most programs. Many expungement clinics waive income requirements entirely because record clearing is a high-impact service.
What is Clean Slate and is my state on the list?
Clean Slate laws automatically seal qualifying criminal records after a waiting period — no petition, no fee, no court appearance. As of 2026, Pennsylvania, Michigan, New Jersey, Illinois, Connecticut, Delaware, Virginia, Utah, Oklahoma, Minnesota, Colorado, New York, California, and Washington DC have some form of Clean Slate.
Are expungement clinics legitimate?
Yes when run by accredited legal aid organizations, state bar associations, public defender offices, law schools, or city/county reentry programs. Watch out for companies that charge upfront fees and do not employ licensed attorneys — those are often scams.
How do I apply for a fee waiver?
Every state has an indigency waiver form — Affidavit of Indigency, In Forma Pauperis petition, or Application for Waiver of Court Fees. Submit it with your expungement petition. If approved, the filing fee is waived in full.