Guide
Indiana Expungement Research Resources
Indiana courts expunge or seal records under IC 35-38-9, and the court sends each granted order to the State Police Expungement Section. The official Indiana sources are listed below.
- Indiana State Police, Expunge Criminal HistoryCourts send granted orders to the ISP Expungement Section
- Indiana Courts, Detailed Information on Criminal Case ExpungementCourt office guide to petitions and orders
- Indiana Courts, The Expungement StatutesText of IC 35-38-9, updated July 1, 2026
This directory is for informational and research use only. Expungement eligibility, waiting periods, filing fees, notice rules, and the effect on background checks can differ significantly depending on the state, offense level, case outcome, and later law changes.
Guide
Sealing a divorce or civil file in Indiana
Indiana has no statute or rule that closes divorce files or the financial declarations local rules require in them. Rule 4 of the Indiana Rules on Access to Court Records makes all court records accessible to the public except as provided in Rule 5, and Rule 5 excludes case types such as juvenile, adoption and mental health matters and, under Rule 5(C), specific data within any document: complete Social Security numbers, complete account numbers of specific assets, loans, bank accounts and credit cards, personal identification numbers and passwords, and certain addresses, dates of birth and phone numbers of witnesses and victims in criminal, juvenile and protection order cases. Dissolution files are not on the list.
Excluding anything else is done under Rule 6. A party petitions the court to exclude a record or part of a record from public access, the court holds a public hearing, and it may grant the petition only if it finds by clear and convincing evidence that one or more of the Rule 6(A) requirements is satisfied, such as that the public interest will be substantially served by prohibiting access, that access would create a significant risk of substantial harm, or that it would cause unavoidable prejudice to an ongoing proceeding. The court must balance the public interest against the grounds for exclusion, use the least restrictive means and duration, and issue a written order stating its reasons. The bench card is at in.gov/courts.
Guide
Research Notes
- Start with the court and the originating agency. Expungement or sealing requests are often handled through the court that heard the case, sometimes with supporting records from police, prosecutors, or corrections agencies.
- Terminology differs by state. Some jurisdictions use terms such as sealing, set-aside, vacatur, dismissal relief, or nondisclosure instead of expungement.
- Verify current law. Eligibility rules can change through legislation or court decisions, so always confirm the current process before relying on older instructions or third-party summaries.
- Understand downstream effects. Even after record relief, treatment of court, police, private-background check, and federal records may differ depending on the system involved.
By state