Can You Expunge or Seal a Traffic Ticket?
Many Illinois drivers — especially those applying to drive for Uber, Lyft, Amazon, or other delivery services, or those hoping to earn a CDL and start a commercial driving career — want to clean up their driving history through expungement or record sealing. Unfortunately, most people are surprised to learn that traffic offenses can’t be removed from your official Illinois driving record, even if a court grants expungement.
Petty traffic offenses are the most common and include minor violations such as disregarding a stop sign, improper lane usage, speeding less than 25 mph over the limit, etc. These citations are not criminal offenses and are punishable only by a fine. Petty traffic offenses do not qualify for expungement or sealing under Illinois law or removal from your driving record if a conviction was entered.
Criminal misdemeanor traffic offenses, or also called Major Traffic violations, include more serious violations like DUI, Leaving the Scene of an Accident, Driving on a Revoked/Suspended License, Fleeing to Elude, Reckless Driving, just to name a few. These offenses can lead to jail time, probation, or a permanent criminal record. These offenses may qualify for expungement or sealing.
Traffic Offenses Stay on Your Record – Even After Expungement
A lot of drivers assume that once a judge grants an expungement, the entire record disappears. Unfortunately, that’s not how it works. The state’s expungement and sealing laws apply to court records only — not to the Secretary of State’s driving record system, which operates separately.
The Secretary of State (SOS) maintains its own database of every driver’s history for licensing, insurance, and safety purposes. That system isn’t bound by court orders. So even if a judge expunges or seals your case, the SOS won’t remove it from your driving abstract.
In other words, your local Circuit Clerk might delete the court file, but the offense will still appear on your SOS record. That’s the record employers, insurance companies, and rideshare or commercial driving programs actually look at — not the court’s.
This separation between the court’s database and the SOS record is why many people are surprised to find old DUIs, suspensions, or traffic convictions still showing up long after they thought they were “cleared.”
How Long Traffic Offenses Stay on Your Illinois Record
The Illinois Secretary of State keeps traffic offenses for specific time periods — and those timelines vary depending on how serious the offense was. Generally:
- Serious violations like DUI or leaving the scene of an accident stay on your driving record for life.
- Minor or petty traffic violations typically remain for about 4½ years from the date of conviction.
- Offenses that led to a license suspension or revocation stay for 10 years after your driving privileges are restored.
These retention periods are SOS policies, not court mandates. They aren’t publicly listed in one place, which is why many drivers are caught off guard when old tickets or convictions still appear years later.
Does Expunging or Sealing a Traffic Case Help at All?
In some situations, yes — but the benefit is limited. If a judge grants expungement or sealing, that removes the case from the public court record (like the online search system for your county). This can be useful if you simply don’t want the public or potential employers to see your case when searching your name. Still, the practical benefits are often minimal. Because most employers — especially those hiring for delivery or CDL jobs — check driving abstracts through the Secretary of State, cleaning up the court file doesn’t usually change how your record looks to them.
However, your official driving record — the one maintained by the Secretary of State and checked by insurance companies, trucking employers, and rideshare programs — will still list the offense. Expungement doesn’t touch that database.
In short, expunging or sealing a traffic case can clean up your court history, but it won’t clean up your driving history.
At the end of the day, Illinois law doesn’t allow you to completely erase most traffic offenses from your official driving record. The Secretary of State’s office controls those records, and its policies — not the courts — decide how long each offense stays visible.
Who Actually Qualifies for Expungement or Sealing
One answer is those that were charged with criminal offenses like misdemeanor traffic violations. In Illinois, you may qualify for expungement if your case was dropped, dismissed, or you were found not guilty — or if you were arrested but never formally charged. However, this applies only to criminal or quasi-criminal cases, not routine traffic tickets. The only exception is when the traffic-related arrest never turned into an actual court filing. In that case, you might be able to clear the arrest record, but the Secretary of State’s driving history will remain untouched.
When Expungement Isn’t an Option — A Motion to Vacate Might Be
Even though expungement or sealing won’t remove traffic convictions from your driving record, there’s another possible route if your case is recent — filing a motion to vacate the conviction. This legal motion asks the court to undo or reopen the judgment, often because you weren’t properly advised of the consequences, missed your court date, or entered a guilty plea without understanding its effect on your license.
If granted, the conviction can be withdrawn, and the case may be re-heard — giving you the chance to seek court supervision or another non-conviction outcome that won’t appear on your public driving record. Timing is critical, though. In most situations, you must file within 30 days of the original judgment, although certain circumstances may allow longer if good cause is shown.
If you believe a past ticket or conviction is hurting your driving record, employment, or insurance rates, contact The Traffic Defense Firm today. We’ll review your case and determine whether a motion to vacate can help clear your record and protect your driving privileges.