Informational, not legal advice. Statute citations and eligibility windows reflect research as of the “last verified” date on this page. Always confirm with a licensed attorney in your state of conviction before acting.
Louisiana expungement eligibility.
Louisiana requires you to file a petition with the court of conviction to seal your record. The eligibility, fee, and form details are below.
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Eligibility quiz
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Form checklist
Printable PDF: every form, fee, and document you need to file in Louisiana.
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Wait periods by offense category
Years required between completion of all sentence requirements and the earliest date relief is available.
| Offense category | Wait period | Eligible after |
|---|---|---|
| Misdemeanor | 3 yr | Year 3 after sentence completion |
| Non-violent felony | 7 yr | Year 7 after sentence completion |
| Violent felony | Excluded | — |
| Sex offense | Excluded | — |
| DUI | 5 yr | Year 5 after sentence completion |
| Drug offense | 5 yr | Year 5 after sentence completion |
Wait periods are counted from the latest of: release from custody, end of probation/parole, or final restitution payment. Statute citation applies. Confirm with a licensed attorney before relying.
Compute your earliest eligible date
Enter your sentence-completion date and offense category to compute the earliest petition date.
Wait-period calculator
La. C.Cr.P. art. 977Enter the date all sentence requirements were fully completed (release date, end of probation, or final restitution payment — whichever is latest). We'll compute the earliest date you can file.
Earliest eligible date: May 4, 2030
About 48 months remaining (wait period: 7 years).
How to file in Louisiana
- Pull a certified copy of your record from Louisiana's criminal history repository.
- Confirm restitution and fines are fully paid. Outstanding obligations block almost every petition.
- Confirm probation/parole discharge. Get a final discharge letter or a current letter from your supervising officer.
- Verify the wait period for your offense (table above) is satisfied.
- File the petition at the Louisiana District Court. Filing fee: $550.
- Serve the prosecutor with notice of the petition. Most states require this before a judge will rule.
- Attend the hearing if the court schedules one. Many uncontested petitions are decided on the papers.
Recent amendments
Major statutory changes affecting record relief in Louisiana.
- 2023
SB 111 (Act 280 of 2023), codified at La. C.Cr.P. art. 985.2
Created an automated expungement process administered by the Louisiana Bureau of Criminal Identification and Information for records eligible under arts. 976/977/978 back to Jan 1, 2006. Defendants may submit requests beginning Jan 1, 2025; the Bureau must process within 30 days.
Primary source: law.justia.com ↗
Louisiana-specific carve-outs
Categories the law treats differently in this state.
Funding-contingent rollout
The automated process under art. 985.2 is operational subject to legislative appropriation; until full funding lands, the process runs in parallel with petition-based expungement under arts. 976-978 with traditional fees still applying.
Source: law.justia.com ↗RS 44:9 obsolete
Louisiana moved its expungement framework out of La. R.S. 44:9 into La. C.Cr.P. arts. 971-996 in 2014; petitions citing RS 44:9 are still rejected on form despite being a common drafting error.
Source: legis.la.gov ↗
Common mistakes to avoid
Reasons Louisiana petitions get bounced or sealings fail to land.
- Citing the obsolete La. R.S. 44:9 instead of the post-2014 Code of Criminal Procedure articles 971-996 is a frequent ground for the clerk to reject the petition on its face.
- The 30-day automated processing window under art. 985.2 begins when the Bureau receives a properly completed request — submitting an incomplete form (missing arrest date or last-4 SSN) restarts the clock.
Excluded categories
These categories are typically excluded from petition relief in Louisiana based on our research. An attorney may still see options.
Sex offenses
Excluded from automatic and petition relief in nearly every state. A few narrow carve-outs exist for older non-registerable offenses.
See state-by-state pagesViolent felonies
Generally excluded from automatic Clean Slate sealing; some states allow petition relief after long wait periods.
DUI / DWI
Treatment varies widely. Some states (e.g. Michigan, Virginia) carve out DUIs entirely; others treat them as standard misdemeanors.
Pending cases or unpaid restitution
Most states require all sentence requirements — including restitution to victims — to be fully discharged before the clock starts.
Federal convictions
Federal expungement is functionally non-existent. There is no statutory federal expungement remedy for most offenses.
Related reading
When the eligibility clock starts
Why the wait period in Louisiana runs from the latest of release, end of supervision, or restitution paid.
What most states leave out
Categories of offenses excluded from automatic sealing and petition relief.
Unpaid restitution as a silent block
How an open balance on the criminal docket blocks an otherwise eligible record.
Sealing and professional licensing
Why FBI-fingerprint background checks see records that consumer reports don't.
Louisiana form checklist
What to assemble before you file. The petition gets bounced for missing items more than any other reason — work through this list end-to-end.
- Certified copy of your record from the state repository ($15–$30).
- Final probation/parole discharge letter or current supervisor letter.
- Restitution-paid confirmation from the court ledger or DA.
- The petition form (state-specific — see court website).
- Proposed order for the judge to sign.
- Fee waiver application if income qualifies.
- Notice to the District Attorney with proof of service.
- Filing fee: $550.
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