New York Laws
Article 160 - Fingerprinting and Photographing of Defendant After Arrest--Criminal Identification Records and Statistics
160.50 - Order Upon Termination of Criminal Action in Favor of the Accused.

(a) every photograph of such person and photographic plate or proof,
and all palmprints and fingerprints taken or made of such person
pursuant to the provisions of this article in regard to the action or
proceeding terminated, except a dismissal pursuant to section 170.56 or
210.46 of this chapter, and all duplicates and copies thereof, except a
digital fingerprint image where authorized pursuant to paragraph (e) of
this subdivision, shall forthwith be, at the discretion of the recipient
agency, either destroyed or returned to such person, or to the attorney
who represented such person at the time of the termination of the action
or proceeding, at the address given by such person or attorney during
the action or proceeding, by the division of criminal justice services
and by any police department or law enforcement agency having any such
photograph, photographic plate or proof, palmprint or fingerprints in
its possession or under its control;
(b) any police department or law enforcement agency, including the
division of criminal justice services, which transmitted or otherwise
forwarded to any agency of the United States or of any other state or of
any other jurisdiction outside the state of New York copies of any such
photographs, photographic plates or proofs, palmprints and fingerprints,
including those relating to actions or proceedings which were dismissed
pursuant to section 170.56 or 210.46 of this chapter, shall forthwith
formally request in writing that all such copies be destroyed or
returned to the police department or law enforcement agency which
transmitted or forwarded them, and, if returned, such department or
agency shall, at its discretion, either destroy or return them as
provided herein, except that those relating to dismissals pursuant to
section 170.56 or 210.46 of this chapter shall not be destroyed or
returned by such department or agency;
(c) all official records and papers, including judgments and orders of
a court but not including published court decisions or opinions or
records and briefs on appeal, relating to the arrest or prosecution,
including all duplicates and copies thereof, on file with the division
of criminal justice services, any court, police agency, or prosecutor's
office shall be sealed and not made available to any person or public or
private agency;
(d) such records shall be made available to the person accused or to
such person's designated agent, and shall be made available to (i) a
prosecutor in any proceeding in which the accused has moved for an order
pursuant to section 170.56 or 210.46 of this chapter, or (ii) a law

enforcement agency upon ex parte motion in any superior court, or in any
district court, city court or the criminal court of the city of New York
provided that such court sealed the record, if such agency demonstrates
to the satisfaction of the court that justice requires that such records
be made available to it, or (iii) any state or local officer or agency
with responsibility for the issuance of licenses to possess guns, when
the accused has made application for such a license, or (iv) the New
York state department of corrections and community supervision when the
accused is on parole supervision as a result of conditional release or a
parole release granted by the New York state board of parole, and the
arrest which is the subject of the inquiry is one which occurred while
the accused was under such supervision, or (v) any prospective employer
of a police officer or peace officer as those terms are defined in
subdivisions thirty-three and thirty-four of section 1.20 of this
chapter, in relation to an application for employment as a police
officer or peace officer; provided, however, that every person who is an
applicant for the position of police officer or peace officer shall be
furnished with a copy of all records obtained under this paragraph and
afforded an opportunity to make an explanation thereto, or (vi) the
probation department responsible for supervision of the accused when the
arrest which is the subject of the inquiry is one which occurred while
the accused was under such supervision; and
(e) where fingerprints subject to the provisions of this section have
been received by the division of criminal justice services and have been
filed by the division as digital images, such images may be retained,
provided that a fingerprint card of the individual is on file with the
division which was not sealed pursuant to this section or section 160.55
of this article.
2. A report of the termination of the action or proceeding in favor of
the accused shall be sufficient notice of sealing to the commissioner of
the division of criminal justice services unless the report also
indicates that the court directed that the record not be sealed in the
interests of justice. Where the court has determined pursuant to
subdivision one of this section that sealing is not in the interest of
justice, the clerk of the court shall include notification of that
determination in any report to such division of the disposition of the
action or proceeding.
3. For the purposes of subdivision one of this section, a criminal
action or proceeding against a person shall be considered terminated in
favor of such person where:
(a) an order dismissing the entire accusatory instrument against such
person pursuant to article four hundred seventy was entered; or
(b) an order to dismiss the entire accusatory instrument against such
person pursuant to section 170.30, 170.50, 170.55, 170.56, 180.70,
210.20, 210.46 or 210.47 of this chapter was entered or deemed entered,
or an order terminating the prosecution against such person was entered
pursuant to section 180.85 of this chapter, and the people have not
appealed from such order or the determination of an appeal or appeals by
the people from such order has been against the people; or
(c) a verdict of complete acquittal was made pursuant to section
330.10 of this chapter; or
(d) a trial order of dismissal of the entire accusatory instrument
against such person pursuant to section 290.10 or 360.40 of this chapter
was entered and the people have not appealed from such order or the
determination of an appeal or appeals by the people from such order has
been against the people; or
(e) an order setting aside a verdict pursuant to section 330.30 or
370.10 of this chapter was entered and the people have not appealed from

such order or the determination of an appeal or appeals by the people
from such order has been against the people and no new trial has been
ordered; or
(f) an order vacating a judgment pursuant to section 440.10 of this
chapter was entered and the people have not appealed from such order or
the determination of an appeal or appeals by the people from such order
has been against the people, and no new trial has been ordered; or
(g) an order of discharge pursuant to article seventy of the civil
practice law and rules was entered on a ground which invalidates the
conviction and the people have not appealed from such order or the
determination of an appeal or appeals by the people from such order has
been against the people; or
(h) where all charges against such person are dismissed pursuant to
section 190.75 of this chapter. In such event, the clerk of the court
which empaneled the grand jury shall serve a certification of such
disposition upon the division of criminal justice services and upon the
appropriate police department or law enforcement agency which upon
receipt thereof, shall comply with the provisions of paragraphs (a),
(b), (c) and (d) of subdivision one of this section in the same manner
as is required thereunder with respect to an order of a court entered
pursuant to said subdivision one; or
(i) prior to the filing of an accusatory instrument in a local
criminal court against such person, the prosecutor elects not to
prosecute such person. In such event, the prosecutor shall serve a
certification of such disposition upon the division of criminal justice
services and upon the appropriate police department or law enforcement
agency which, upon receipt thereof, shall comply with the provisions of
paragraphs (a), (b), (c) and (d) of subdivision one of this section in
the same manner as is required thereunder with respect to an order of a
court entered pursuant to said subdivision one.
(j) following the arrest of such person, the arresting police agency,
prior to the filing of an accusatory instrument in a local criminal
court but subsequent to the forwarding of a copy of the fingerprints of
such person to the division of criminal justice services, elects not to
proceed further. In such event, the head of the arresting police agency
shall serve a certification of such disposition upon the division of
criminal justice services which, upon receipt thereof, shall comply with
the provisions of paragraphs (a), (b), (c) and (d) of subdivision one of
this section in the same manner as is required thereunder with respect
to an order of a court entered pursuant to said subdivision one.
(k) (i) The conviction was for a violation of article two hundred
twenty or section 240.36 of the penal law prior to the effective date of
article two hundred twenty-one of the penal law, and the sole controlled
substance involved was marihuana and the conviction was only for a
misdemeanor and/or violation; or
(ii) the conviction is for an offense defined in section 221.05 or
221.10 of the penal law prior to the effective date of chapter one
hundred thirty-two of the laws of two thousand nineteen; or
(iii) the conviction is for an offense defined in former section
221.05 221.10, 221.15, 221.20, 221.35, or 221.40 of the penal law; or
(iv) the conviction was for an offense defined in section 240.37 of
the penal law; or
(v) the conviction was for a violation of section 220.03 or 220.06 of
the penal law prior to the effective date of the chapter of the laws of
two thousand twenty-one that amended this paragraph, and the sole
controlled substance involved was concentrated cannabis; or
(vi) the conviction was for an offense defined in section 222.10,
222.15, 222.25 or 222.45 of the penal law.

No defendant shall be required or permitted to waive eligibility for
sealing or expungement pursuant to this section as part of a plea of
guilty, sentence or any agreement related to a conviction for a
violation of section 222.10, 222.15, 222.25 or 222.45 of the penal law
and any such waiver shall be deemed void and wholly unenforceable.
(l) An order dismissing an action pursuant to section 215.40 of this
chapter was entered.
4. A person in whose favor a criminal action or proceeding was
terminated, as defined in paragraph (a) through (h) of subdivision two
of this section, prior to the effective date of this section, may upon
motion apply to the court in which such termination occurred, upon not
less than twenty days notice to the district attorney, for an order
granting to such person the relief set forth in subdivision one of this
section, and such order shall be granted unless the district attorney
demonstrates to the satisfaction of the court that the interests of
justice require otherwise. A person in whose favor a criminal action or
proceeding was terminated, as defined in paragraph (i) or (j) of
subdivision two of this section, prior to the effective date of this
section, may apply to the appropriate prosecutor or police agency for a
certification as described in said paragraph (i) or (j) granting to such
person the relief set forth therein, and such certification shall be
granted by such prosecutor or police agency.
5. (a) Expungement of certain marihuana-related records. A conviction
for an offense described in paragraph (k) of subdivision three of this
section shall, on and after the effective date of this paragraph, in
accordance with the provisions of this paragraph, be vacated and
dismissed, and all records of such conviction or convictions and related
to such conviction or convictions shall be expunged, as described in
subdivision forty-five of section 1.20 of this chapter, and the matter
shall be considered terminated in favor of the accused and deemed a
nullity, having been rendered by this paragraph legally invalid. All
such records for an offense described in this paragraph where the
conviction was entered on or before the effective date of the chapter of
the laws of 2019 that amended this paragraph shall be expunged promptly
and, in any event, no later than one year after such effective date.
(b) Duties of certain state officials and law enforcement agencies.
Commencing upon the effective date of this paragraph:
(i) the chief administrator of the courts shall promptly notify the
commissioner of the division of criminal justice services and the heads
of all appropriate police departments, district attorney's offices and
other law enforcement agencies of all convictions that have been vacated
and dismissed pursuant to paragraph (a) of this subdivision and that all
records related to such convictions shall be expunged and the matter
shall be considered terminated in favor of the accused and deemed a
nullity, having been rendered legally invalid. Upon receipt of
notification of such vacatur, dismissal and expungement, all records
relating to such conviction or convictions, or the criminal action or
proceeding, as the case may be, shall be marked as expunged by
conspicuously indicating on the face of the record and on each page or
at the beginning of the digitized file of the record that the record has
been designated as expunged. Upon the written request of the individual
whose case has been expunged or their designated agent, such records
shall be destroyed. Such records and papers shall not be made available
to any person, except the individual whose case has been expunged or
such person's designated agent; and
(ii) where automatic vacatur, dismissal, and expungement, including
record destruction if requested, is required by this subdivision but any
record of the court system in this state has not yet been updated to

reflect same (A) notwithstanding any other provision of law except as
provided in paragraph (d) of subdivision one of this section and
paragraph (e) of subdivision four of section eight hundred thirty-seven
of the executive law: (1) when the division of criminal justice services
conducts a search of its criminal history records, maintained pursuant
to subdivision six of section eight hundred thirty-seven of the
executive law, and returns a report thereon, all references to a
conviction for an offense described in paragraph (k) of subdivision
three of this section shall be excluded from such report; and (2) the
chief administrator of the courts shall develop and promulgate rules as
may be necessary to ensure that no written or electronic report of a
criminal history record search conducted by the office of court
administration contains information relating to a conviction for an
offense described in paragraph (k) of subdivision three of this section;
and (B) where court records relevant to such matter cannot be located or
have been destroyed, and a person or the person's attorney presents to
an appropriate court employee a fingerprint record of the New York state
division of criminal justice services, or a copy of a court disposition
record or other relevant court record, which indicates that a criminal
action or proceeding against such person was terminated by conviction of
an offense described in paragraph (k) of subdivision three of this
section, then promptly, and in any event within thirty days after such
notice to such court employee, the chief administrator of the courts or
his or her designee shall assure that such vacatur, dismissal, and
expungement, including record destruction if requested, have been
completed in accordance with subparagraph (i) of this paragraph.
(c) Vacatur, dismissal and expungement as set forth in this
subdivision is without prejudice to any person or such person's attorney
seeking further relief pursuant to article four hundred forty of this
chapter or any other law. Nothing in this section is intended or shall
be interpreted to diminish or abrogate any right or remedy otherwise
available to any person.
(d) The office of court administration, in conjunction with the
division of criminal justice services, shall develop an affirmative
information campaign and widely disseminate to the public, through its
website, public service announcements and other means, in multiple
languages and through multiple outlets, information concerning the
expungement, vacatur and resentencing of marihuana convictions
established by the chapter of the laws of two thousand nineteen that
added this paragraph, including, but not limited to, the automatic
expungement of certain past convictions, the means by which an
individual may file a motion for vacatur, dismissal and expungement of
certain past convictions, and the impact of such changes on such
person's criminal history records.