Safety, Crime, Reentry & Legal Help · Surprise rank #406
NY Clean Slate Is Phasing In Automatic Sealing—Full Implementation Is Due by Nov. 16, 2027
New York’s Clean Slate Act creates automatic sealing for many eligible convictions, but the court system is still in the statutory implementation period.
Who
People with eligible New York convictions who have completed the required waiting period and are not on probation, parole or post-release supervision and do not have a pending criminal case.
Where: New York State convictions
What to do
Start here: Check the New York Courts Clean Slate information page for eligibility and implementation status; do not pay a company that claims everyone must file a petition for Clean Slate sealing.
Eligibility: The usual waiting period is 3 years for eligible misdemeanors and 8 years for eligible felonies after sentence or release from incarceration, whichever is later. New convictions can restart the clock. Certain serious offenses are excluded.
What you get
Eligible convictions are to be sealed automatically after the required waiting period without a person filing an individual sealing petition.
Benefit: Automatic sealing of eligible records from most routine public and private background checks, subject to statutory exceptions.
Possible value: No fixed cash value; it can reduce a major barrier to employment, housing and other opportunities that use criminal-background checks.
Good to know
Important: The law is in effect, but automatic sealing is being implemented through November 16, 2027. Not every eligible record will necessarily already show as sealed today, and some offenses are excluded.
Availability: Law in effect; statewide automatic-sealing implementation continues through November 16, 2027.
Why people miss it: “Automatic” sounds immediate, but New York gave the court system three years to implement the sealing process across existing records.
Sources reviewed: Aug 10, 2026