If you’ve been watching the news this summer, you may have heard that Missouri passed a “Clean Slate” law. Records get wiped automatically. No lawyer, no court, no paperwork. Sounds great.
So my phone started ringing. “Guss, does that mean my DWI from 2012 just goes away?”
No. Sorry. Put the champagne back in the fridge.
But before you hang up, here’s the good news: Missouri has had a separate law on the books for years that lets you ask a judge to erase a first DWI. You just have to go ask for it.
What the New Clean Slate Law Actually Does
Governor Kehoe signed Senate Bill 1421 on July 9, 2026. It created a new statute, RSMo § 610.141, that took effect August 28, 2026. The automatic part has to be up and running no later than January 1, 2027.
Here’s the catch. The automatic process only covers certain drug possession and drug paraphernalia convictions. That’s the whole list. A DWI is not on it.
And while lawmakers were in Jefferson City, they also passed tougher DWI penalties. So nobody down there was in a hurry to go easy on drunk driving this year.
Your DWI is not going to clean itself up.
The Law That Does Help: RSMo § 610.130
Missouri’s DWI expungement law is RSMo § 610.130. It’s been around since 1989, long before anybody said “Clean Slate.” The short version:
- At least ten years since your guilty plea or conviction
- It was your first intoxication-related offense, and a misdemeanor or ordinance violation
- Nothing since: no other DWI and no other alcohol-related enforcement contacts, like suspensions or refusals
- Nothing pending on the day of your hearing
- No CDL, and only one of these per lifetime
Check every box and the statute says the court “shall” grant it. But “shall” isn’t “automatic.” You still file a petition and prove every box at a hearing, and a forgotten suspension or a petition in the wrong court can sink it.
If it’s granted, the records become confidential and you’re restored to the status you had before the arrest. Ask whether you’ve ever been arrested or convicted, and you can lawfully say no.
I put the whole thing together, including who qualifies, why good petitions still get denied, and what to do next, on my Missouri DWI Expungement page.
Know That You Have Options
The Clean Slate law won’t do it for you. But if your first DWI is ten or more years old and you’ve kept your nose clean since, Missouri law may still give you a clean slate. You just have to ask for it the right way.
St. Peters, MO 63303
Phone: 636-486-1093
Fax: 636-634-3462
This article is general information about Missouri law, not legal advice for your situation. Reading it doesn’t make you my client.
