Expungement Hub · Costs · Updated July 13, 2026

How much does expungement cost in Missouri?

Q: How much does expungement cost in Missouri?

The statutory surcharge is $250 per petition (waivable for indigency), plus county civil filing costs that often add roughly $100–$175. Attorney fees for a straightforward petition commonly run about $750–$1,750, with felony or multi-count matters higher.

Q: Can the Missouri expungement filing fee be waived?

Yes — a judge may waive the $250 surcharge for petitioners who are indigent and unable to pay, using the in forma pauperis process.

By Ty McDuffey, J.D. · Back to the hub

Three layers: a $250 statutory surcharge per petition (waivable if you're indigent), county civil filing costs that often add roughly $100–$175, and — if you hire one — attorney fees that commonly run from about $750 for the simplest flat-fee petitions to $1,750 and up for felonies. The automatic Clean Slate track, where it applies, costs nothing.

Read me first General information, not a quote. Court costs vary by county and change; verify the current schedule with the circuit clerk where you'll file.

The court's cut: what you pay no matter what

The $250 surcharge. Set by statute, per petition — and since petitions are filed in each county where you were charged, a three-county record means three surcharges. A judge may waive it for petitioners who are indigent and unable to pay. County filing costs. On top of the surcharge, the county's civil filing and service costs often add roughly $100–$175 depending on the courthouse — certified-mail service runs a few dollars; sheriff's service more.

What attorneys charge

Published Missouri numbers, so you can calibrate any quote: national flat-fee services handle a standard Missouri expungement around $750–$1,000 in attorney fees (court costs separate); Missouri firms that publish prices commonly charge about $1,750 for a misdemeanor and $2,500 for a felony, sometimes with the filing fee folded in. Two questions cut through any quote: Is the $250 surcharge and filing cost included or extra? and Does the fee cover the hearing if the prosecutor objects? A fair flat fee answers both in writing.

When the cost is zero

If your record sits inside the Clean Slate law's automatic lane — certain eligible nonviolent drug records — the state clears it with no petition, no surcharge, and no lawyer, starting no later than January 1, 2027. Here's exactly what qualifies. The indigency waiver covers the surcharge on the petition track, and self-representation is legal (though the notice and drafting requirements are unforgiving of mistakes).

Is it worth it?

The arithmetic most people actually face: a record that blocks a job paying even a dollar more per hour costs more every month than the entire expungement process costs once. Advocates behind the Clean Slate law put the statewide cost of unexpunged eligible records in the billions in suppressed annual wages. Against that, $350–$425 in court costs — or even $2,000 all-in with counsel — is the cheapest raise available.

When this practice opens Flat-fee expungement with the surcharge and scope spelled out in writing — the full rate card publishes here in 2027. The Launch Letter is one email when it does.

Educational content only, current as of July 13, 2026. Fee figures are published third-party benchmarks, not quotes from this site. Not legal advice; no attorney-client relationship. The choice of a lawyer is an important decision and should not be based solely upon advertisements.