Rhode Island expungement waiting periods depend on the offense. Under R.I. Gen. Laws § 12-1.3-2, a first offender can petition to expunge a misdemeanor 5 years after completing the sentence, including probation and payment of all fines, and a felony 10 years after completing the sentence. A first-offense misdemeanor DUI follows the same 5-year rule. Crimes of violence cannot be expunged. You must have no new convictions during the waiting period. People with several misdemeanors and no felonies may have a separate route after a 10-year wait, but it excludes DUI, refusal, and domestic violence convictions. Prior marijuana possession convictions that are now legal were made eligible for automatic expungement under the 2022 cannabis law.
