You will file them with the Circuit Clerk in the Missouri County where you were found guilty or convicted. Ask the clerk for copies of your file-stamped petition and summonses for each of the agencies you list as Respondents/Defendants in your case.

Next, you will need to “serve” a copy of your file-stamped petition and the corresponding summons on each of the Defendants you identified. We recommend doing this by certified mail, so you can then file the return-receipts with the court to prove that each agency is served. We recommend doing this because if one can’t prove an agency was served, the court will not order that agency to close their copy of the record. You might also be able to do this by first-class mail with tracking and then file screenshots proving that service was delivered. Both options are available at most post offices.

Once you have filed and completed service, make sure to “Track Your Case” on Missouri’s Case Net to see if there any updates (i.e. the court setting a hearing or a respondent making an objection challenging your right to an expungement).

Once 30 days pass from the date your last defendant agency receives service, you may need to contact the court and ask if a hearing has been scheduled, and if so, when. If a hearing has not been scheduled, you can ask when you can have a hearing on your expungement, and how you can get it scheduled. You may need to file a “notice of hearing” confirming that you want your case heard on that day.

When you go to court for the hearing, be prepared to testify and answer questions from the court about whether you meet the requirements for expungement (Listed as items #1-7 on the Petition for Expungement form). This may include questions about changes you have made in your life since the offense, why you need an expungement, and what you plan to do if the expungement is granted.