Rhode Island Expungement Guide — Every Path, With the Statute

How long the wait is, by path

Which path you are on depends on how your case ended, not on how serious the charge was. Note the top group: several records clear with nothing filed at all.

A first offense usually ends in a filing, not a conviction. A completed filing expunges itself at the end of the filing period with nothing to file — so the five-year row above is not what a typical first offense costs. That row is for an actual conviction carrying a fine, probation or a suspended sentence, and its five years run from the day that sentence closes, not from the date of the conviction.

Rhode Island expungement lawyerRhode Island expungement attorney handling record sealing and expungement statewide. Free eligibility check in two minutes, then a lawyer reviews your case. Serving Providence, Kent, Washington, Newport and Bristol counties.
Rhode Island expungement: every path, and the statute behind itR.I. Gen. Laws ch. 12-1.3Every Rhode Island expungement and sealing path, with the statute for each: first offender, multiple misdemeanors, deferred sentences, dismissals, traffic violations, cannabis, and more.
First offender expungement: five years, or ten§ 12-1.3-2(a), (d), (e) · § 12-1.3-1(3) · § 12-1.3-3(b)(1)(i)Rhode Island's first-offender expungement path under § 12-1.3-2: five years for a misdemeanor, ten for a felony, counted from completion of sentence. What counts as a first offender, and what disqualifies you.
Two to five misdemeanors: the path most people don't know exists§ 12-1.3-2(b), (g) · § 12-1.3-3(b)(1)(iii)Rhode Island lets people with more than one but fewer than six misdemeanors expunge them under § 12-1.3-2(b) — subject to two separate ten-year clocks and three excluded offense categories.
Two to four felonies can now be expunged. That changed in June 2026.§ 12-1.3-2(c), (h) · § 12-1.3-3(b)(1)(iv) · P.L. 2026 (H 7079 Sub A / S 3036 Sub A)Rhode Island law changed on June 22, 2026. People with two to four non-violent felony convictions can now petition for expungement after fifteen years under § 12-1.3-2(c) — a path that did not exist before.
The crimes of violence that bar expungement — the actual list§ 12-1.3-1(1), as amended by P.L. 2024, ch. 386 and ch. 387The statutory list of crimes of violence under R.I. Gen. Laws § 12-1.3-1(1), as amended in 2024. These convictions cannot be expunged — but the list is narrower than most people assume.
Traffic Tribunal violations clear themselves — and almost nobody knows§ 31-41.1-10 · § 31-27-2.1Under R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-41.1-10, Traffic Tribunal and municipal court violations are expunged by operation of law after three years — five for alcohol-related offenses like chemical test refusal. Nothing to file.
What an expungement actually gets you — and the five times you must still disclose§ 12-1.3-4Under § 12-1.3-4 an expunged Rhode Island conviction can be denied on job and license applications — except for five categories where you must still disclose it. What expungement does and does not erase.
If you were not convicted, you are looking at sealing — and it is easier§ 12-1-12.1 · § 12-1-12 · § 12-1-12.2If your Rhode Island case ended without a conviction, § 12-1-12.1 lets you seal it regardless of the rest of your record. Rule 48(a) dismissals since January 1, 2023 are sealed automatically.
Completed a deferred sentence? There is no waiting period§ 12-1.3-2(f) · § 12-19-19(c) · § 12-1.3-3(b)(1)(ii)A completed deferred sentence in Rhode Island is expungeable on completion under § 12-1.3-2(f) and § 12-19-19(c) — with no five or ten year waiting period.
Marijuana possession records: automatic, free, and it overrides almost everything§ 12-1.3-5R.I. Gen. Laws § 12-1.3-5 required automatic expungement of eligible marijuana possession records by July 1, 2024 — overriding prior convictions, pending charges and unpaid fines.
If it is not a crime anymore, there is no waiting period§ 12-1.3-2(i) · § 12-1.3-3(e)If the conduct you were convicted of is no longer a crime in Rhode Island, § 12-1.3-2(i) lets you move to expunge with no waiting period, and § 12-1.3-3(e) orders it without cost.
A completed filing expunges itself§ 12-10-12(c), (d) · § 12-1-12.1(c)A Rhode Island filing that runs its course without a violation is automatically expunged under § 12-10-12(c) — with a separate three-year track for domestic violence filings.
One year, and your prior record does not close this path§ 11-34.1-5R.I. Gen. Laws § 11-34.1-5 allows expungement of prostitution and related convictions one year after completion of sentence, and expressly regardless of first offender status.
Vacating the conviction, not just sealing it§ 11-67.1-17R.I. Gen. Laws § 11-67.1-17 allows a trafficking victim convicted of prostitution or solicitation to move to vacate the conviction and seal or expunge the record, with a statutory presumption from agency documentation.
Look up your own record first. It is free, and it takes ten minutes.The Rhode Island Judiciary's public portal lets you search your own criminal cases for free. What to search, what to write down, and where the portal falls short of the official BCI record.
How to file — including the step most people miss§ 12-1.3-3 · § 12-1-12.1(b)(1)The Rhode Island expungement process: get your BCI record, file in the court of conviction, give ten days' notice to the Attorney General and the arresting police department, and attend the hearing. No filing fee.

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Every answer names the statute it comes from. If you appear eligible, you can send your answers to a Rhode Island expungement attorney at the end — the same questions, no second form.

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