Expungement of misdemeanor, violation, and traffic infraction records of convictions and dismissed or amended charges
KRS 431.078
in effect431.078. Expungement of misdemeanor, violation, and traffic infraction records of convictions and dismissed or amended charges
(1) Any person who has been convicted of:
(a) A misdemeanor, a violation, or a traffic infraction not otherwise classified as a misdemeanor or violation, or a series of misdemeanors, violations, or traffic infractions arising from a single incident; or
(b) A series of misdemeanors, violations, or traffic infractions not arising from a single incident; may petition the court in which he was convicted for expungement of his misdemeanor or violation record within that judicial district, including a record of any charges for misdemeanors, violations, or traffic infractions that were dismissed or amended in the criminal action. The person shall be informed of the right at the time of adjudication.
(2) Except as provided in KRS 218A.275(8) and 218A.276(8), the petition shall be filed no sooner than five (5) years after the completion of the person's sentence or five (5) years after the successful completion of the person's probation, whichever occurs later.
(3) Upon the filing of a petition, the court shall set a date for a hearing, no sooner than thirty (30) days after the filing of the petition, and shall notify the county attorney; the victim of the crime, if there was an identified victim; and any other person whom the person filing the petition has reason to believe may have relevant information related to the expungement of the record. Inability to locate the victim shall not delay the proceedings in the case or preclude the holding of a hearing or the issuance of an order of expungement.
(4) For a petition brought under subsection (1)(a) of this section, the court shall order expunged all records in the custody of the court and any records in the custody of any other agency or official, including law enforcement records, if at the hearing the court finds that:
(a) The offense was not a sex offense or an offense committed against a child;
(b) The person had not in the five (5) years prior to the filing of the petition for expungement been convicted of a felony or a misdemeanor;
(c) No proceeding concerning a felony or misdemeanor is pending or being instituted against the person; and
(d) The offense is not one subject to enhancement for a second or subsequent offense or the time for such an enhancement has expired.
(5) For a petition brought under subsection (1)(b) of this section, the court may order expunged all records in the custody of the court and any records in the custody of any other agency or official, including law enforcement records, if at the hearing the court finds that:
(a) The offense was not a sex offense or an offense committed against a child;
(b) The person had not in the five (5) years prior to the filing of the petition for expungement been convicted of a felony or a misdemeanor;
(c) No proceeding concerning a felony or misdemeanor is pending or being instituted against the person; and
(d) The offense is not one subject to enhancement for a second or subsequent offense or the time for such an enhancement has expired.
(6) Upon the entry of an order to expunge the records, the proceedings in the case shall be deemed never to have occurred; the court and other agencies shall cause records to be deleted or removed from their computer systems so that the matter shall not appear on official state-performed background checks; the persons and the court may properly reply that no record exists with respect to the persons upon any inquiry in the matter; and the person whose record is expunged shall not have to disclose the fact of the record or any matter relating thereto on an application for employment, credit, or other type of application.
(7) The filing fee for a petition under this section shall be one hundred dollars ($100). The first fifty dollars ($50) of each fee collected pursuant to this subsection shall be deposited into a trust and agency account for deputy clerks and shall not be refundable.
(8) Copies of the order shall be sent to each agency or official named therein.
(9) Inspection of the records included in the order may thereafter be permitted by the court only upon petition by the person who is the subject of the records and only to those persons named in the petition.
(10) This section shall be deemed to be retroactive, and any person who has been convicted of a misdemeanor prior to July 14, 1992, may petition the court in which he was convicted, or if he was convicted prior to the inception of the District Court to the District Court in the county where he now resides, for expungement of the record of one (1) misdemeanor offense or violation or a series of misdemeanor offenses or violations arising from a single incident, provided that the offense was not one specified in subsection (4) and that the offense was not the precursor offense of a felony offense for which he was subsequently convicted. This section shall apply only to offenses against the Commonwealth of Kentucky.
(11) As used in this section, "violation" has the same meaning as in KRS 500.080.
(12) Any person denied an expungement prior to June 25, 2013, due to the presence of a traffic infraction on his or her record may file a new petition for expungement of the previously petitioned offenses, which the court shall hear and decide under the terms of this section. No court costs or other fees, from the court or any other agency, shall be required of a person filing a new petition under this subsection.
Effective: July 15, 2016
History: Amended 2016 Ky. Acts ch. 94, sec. 3, effective July 15, 2016. -- Amended 2013 Ky. Acts ch. 69, sec. 17, effective June 25, 2013. -- Amended 2011 Ky. Acts ch.2, sec. 97, effective June 8, 2011. -- Amended 2008 Ky. Acts ch. 158, sec. 7, effective July 1, 2008. -- Amended 1996 Ky. Acts ch. 374, sec. 3, effective July 15, 1996. -- Created 1992 Ky. Acts ch. 325, sec. 1, effective July 14, 1992.
Source: Kentucky Legislative Research Commission (legislature.ky.gov)URL: https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/statute.aspx?id=45221Fetched: 10/20/2026