If you or someone you love has a conviction in Maine and is looking for relief, this guide is written for you. Maine's pardon system has several features that set it apart from most other states. First, Maine does not expunge criminal records in the traditional sense, but a full pardon converts a conviction into confidential information that does not appear on standard background checks. That is functionally closer to a record seal than what pardons accomplish in most other states. Second, the Board of Executive Clemency will simply not hear certain categories of applications, including OUI convictions and applications focused solely on regaining gun rights, no matter how strong the case looks. Knowing what the Board will and will not consider before you apply saves significant time. I have been through the system myself, and most of the fear comes from not knowing how the process works. So let me walk you through it in plain language. None of this is legal advice, and every case is different, so treat this as a map and lean on a lawyer for the turns.
What Maine offers: the forms of clemency
The Governor of Maine has authority to grant pardons, commutations of sentence, and reprieves. A pardon is the form most relevant to people who have already completed their sentences and are looking for relief from the consequences of a conviction. A commutation of sentence is available to incarcerated individuals seeking a reduction in their sentence. A conditional pardon is also available but carries important differences from a full pardon in how the resulting record is treated.
Who decides: the Governor's Board on Executive Clemency
The Governor is assisted by the Governor's Board on Executive Clemency, established by executive order and composed of three members appointed by the Governor. The Board holds public hearings, conducts investigations, and makes recommendations to the Governor on each pardon petition. The Board's role is advisory; the final decision on every petition rests solely with the Governor. The Governor's decision is final and cannot be appealed or reconsidered.
When a hearing is granted, the Division of Probation and Parole within the Department of Corrections conducts a more thorough background investigation and presents its findings to the Board. The investigation includes a personal interview with the petitioner and may include contact with family members, friends, co-workers, neighbors, and others in the community. This investigation is more thorough than a preliminary background check; it provides the Board with a picture of who the petitioner is today, not just a criminal record summary. All information gathered during the investigation is confidential by statute.
What categories of application the Board will not hear
This is one of the most practically important sections for anyone considering applying for a pardon in Maine, because the Board has specific categories it will not hear regardless of other circumstances. Submitting an application in one of these categories wastes time and will not result in a hearing.
The Board will not hear applications for OUI (operating under the influence) convictions. This is an absolute policy; no matter the circumstances, OUI pardons are not considered.
The Board will not hear applications where the person is seeking the pardon solely to regain the right to possess a firearm. If firearms restoration is the primary or sole reason for seeking a pardon, the application will not be heard. There is a separate statutory pathway for firearm rights restoration after five years that does not go through the pardon process.
The Board will not hear applications where the sole purpose is to be removed from the Sex Offender Registry.
The Board will not hear applications where the sole purpose is to be able to enter another country, such as Canada.
The Board will not hear an application seeking a pardon for one conviction when the petitioner has one or more additional serious convictions that are not included in the application. If a petitioner has multiple serious convictions, all must be included in the pardon petition, not selected individually.
The Board will not hear applications from people serving a life sentence, though exceptional circumstances may result in a waiver of this guideline.
The Governor's Board may waive any of these guidelines in exceptional cases.
Who is eligible for a pardon in Maine
Applications are not considered until at least five years have passed since the petitioner completed their entire sentence, including any probation and parole. The five-year clock does not start until every supervision obligation is finished.
After a denial, petitioners must wait one year before reapplying.
The Board's eligibility guidelines may be waived in exceptional cases. Only Maine state convictions are within the scope of the pardon. Federal convictions require a Presidential Pardon.
The application process step by step
Step one: obtain the petition form. The petition is the "State of Maine Petition for Executive Clemency." The application and information about the process are available from the Maine Department of Corrections at maine.gov/corrections or by calling (207) 287-4340. Make sure to identify each conviction for which a pardon is being requested on the application.
Step two: complete and submit the application. The petition must be completed in black ink, either printed or typed. Identify each conviction for which a pardon is being requested, and be thorough and accurate in describing your post-conviction life, your current circumstances, and the reasons you are seeking clemency. Submit the completed petition to the Department of Corrections, Division of Adult Community Corrections, 111 State House Station, Augusta, Maine 04333. Keep a copy of everything submitted, as all information submitted is treated as confidential.
Step three: preliminary background check. Once the Department of Corrections receives the application, it asks the State Bureau of Identification of the Maine State Police to conduct a preliminary background check. The Secretary of State's office obtains the driving record and sends the full file to the Department of Corrections, which then sends it to the Board.
Step four: Board decision on hearing. The Board reviews the application and the preliminary background check and decides whether to grant a hearing. Petitioners are notified in writing of the Board's decision. The Board's decision on whether to grant a hearing is final; there is no right to appeal and no right to ask for reconsideration.
Step five: the investigation and hearing. If a hearing is granted, the Division of Probation and Parole conducts a more thorough investigation, which may include a personal interview with the petitioner, the petitioner's family, friends, co-workers, and neighbors. Prior to the hearing, written notice of the petition must be given to the Attorney General and the district attorney for the county where the case was tried, at least four weeks before the hearing. The petitioner appears before the Board at the hearing.
Step six: Board recommendation and Governor's decision. After the hearing, the Board makes a recommendation to the Governor. The Governor makes the final decision to grant or deny. The Governor's decision is final.
What a pardon does and does not do in Maine
Maine's pardon has a meaningfully different effect on the record than pardons in most other states. When the Governor grants a full, unconditional pardon, the conviction is reclassified as confidential criminal history record information under Maine Revised Statutes Title 16, Sections 611-622. The pardoned conviction is treated as non-conviction data and is not available to the general public. It will not appear on a standard background check of the type employers, landlords, and licensing boards conduct. Only law enforcement agencies and the district attorney's office can access a pardoned conviction.
This means a Maine full pardon functions closer to a record seal than the pardons available in most other states. In places like Iowa or Kansas, a pardon leaves the conviction fully visible on background checks and only adds a notation that forgiveness was granted. In Maine, the conviction effectively disappears from public access after a full pardon. For people whose primary goal is preventing a conviction from showing up in employment, housing, and licensing background checks, this is a meaningfully stronger outcome than what pardons accomplish in the majority of states covered in this series.
The distinction between a full pardon and a conditional pardon matters significantly. A conditional pardon does not receive this confidential treatment. Information related to a conditional pardon may still be released to the public, and the conviction remains publicly accessible. If clearing the record from public view is the goal, only a full unconditional pardon accomplishes that in Maine.
Ten years after the final discharge of sentence, a person with a pardoned conviction may apply to the State Bureau of Identification to have all references to the pardoned crime deleted from the Federal Bureau of Investigation's identification record. This is an additional step available after the pardon, not part of the pardon process itself, and requires a separate application to the State Bureau of Identification at that point. But it represents a meaningful path toward more complete record clearance over time, and it is worth noting for anyone whose timeline allows for it.
Voting rights in Maine
Maine does not take away the right to vote as a consequence of a criminal conviction. Maine is one of only two states in the country where people currently incarcerated retain the right to vote, along with Vermont. This is an important fact for Maine residents with convictions to know: unlike almost every other state covered in this series, there is no voting rights restoration needed, no application required, and no pardon necessary to maintain this right. The right is never taken, so there is nothing to restore. If voting is the reason someone is considering a pardon in Maine, it is not a reason that applies here.
A note on federal convictions
If the conviction is a federal conviction rather than a Maine state conviction, the Governor of Maine and the Governor's Board on Executive Clemency cannot help you. Federal clemency is granted by the President of the United States, and applications go through the Office of the Pardon Attorney within the United States Department of Justice. The federal and state processes are entirely separate.
Where this leaves you
Maine's pardon is a more powerful tool for record access purposes than pardons in most states, because a full unconditional pardon reclassifies the conviction as non-public data rather than just adding a forgiveness notation on a still-public record. The trade-off is the Board's list of applications it will not hear: OUI offenses, gun-rights-only petitions, sex registry removal petitions, Canada entry petitions, and life sentence cases are all excluded unless an exceptional circumstances waiver applies. If your conviction falls outside these categories, the five-year post-sentence waiting period puts you in line to apply, and the combination of the preliminary background check and the full investigation before the hearing means the Board sees a thorough picture of who you are today. Make that picture as strong as possible through the interview process and the application materials. And understand that a conditional pardon is not the goal here, because a conditional pardon provides none of the record confidentiality that makes a Maine full pardon worth pursuing. The confidential treatment of the record is the primary practical benefit, and it only attaches to a full unconditional pardon. If the Board's recommendation and the Governor's eventual decision result in a conditional pardon, the record remains public, and the most significant benefit of the process is not achieved.