If you or someone you love has a conviction in Michigan and is looking for relief, this guide covers both paths worth knowing. Michigan's pardon is powerful, backed by some of the strongest language in any state about what a pardon accomplishes: the Michigan Supreme Court has written that a pardon "releases the punishment and blots out of existence the guilt, so that in the eye of the law the offender is as innocent as if he had never committed the offense." But pardons in Michigan are extremely rare. For most people, Michigan's Clean Slate Act is the more accessible and appropriate path, and since automatic expungement began in 2023, nearly 1.6 million convictions have been cleared without anyone having to apply. Check whether expungement already covers your situation before investing time in the pardon process, because the two paths lead to different outcomes through very different procedures. 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.
Michigan's Clean Slate Act: the right path for most people
In October 2020, Michigan enacted the Clean Slate Act, one of the most significant expansions of criminal record relief in any state. Michigan became the third state to adopt automatic expungement. The law took effect in April 2021 and the automatic expungement process began April 11, 2023.
Under Michigan's Clean Slate Act, misdemeanor convictions are automatically expunged after seven years and eligible felony convictions after ten years, as long as the person remains conviction-free during that period. No application is required for automatic expungement. As of April 2026, nearly 1.6 million convictions have been automatically cleared. The Michigan Attorney General's office estimates that over 400,000 people ended April 11, 2023 completely conviction-free after the initial automatic run.
Petition-based expungement (also called set-aside) is also available for people who want to expunge convictions that have not yet reached the automatic waiting period, or for multiple convictions. Under the expanded law, eligible individuals may petition to set aside up to three felony convictions and unlimited misdemeanors. When a conviction is expunged or set aside in Michigan, it is removed from public view and no longer accessible to most employers and landlords, though the Michigan State Police retains a nonpublic record.
Some offenses are not eligible for expungement, including murder, criminal sexual conduct, and certain traffic offenses. For those ineligible offenses, a pardon is the only executive relief available.
The Michigan Attorney General has a website that explains Clean Slate eligibility and the process, with links to upcoming expungement fairs across the state. Visit michigan.gov/ag and search expungement for current information. To check whether a conviction has already been automatically expunged, use the Internet Criminal History Access Tool (ICHAT) through the Michigan State Police website. If a conviction should have been automatically expunged but does not show as cleared, the Michigan State Police has a process for flagging the discrepancy.
For people with convictions that are not eligible for automatic expungement but who may qualify under the petition-based set-aside provisions, the process goes through the court where the conviction occurred. Petition-based set-asides cover more offense types than the original pre-2021 law and the expanded categories created by the Clean Slate Act represent the most significant expansion of record relief in Michigan's history.
What Michigan offers: the forms of clemency
The Governor of Michigan has authority under Article V, Section 14 of the Michigan Constitution to grant reprieves, commutations, and pardons after convictions for all offenses except cases of impeachment. The Governor must inform the Legislature annually of each reprieve, commutation, and pardon granted, along with the reasons for each. This is a constitutional requirement that creates public accountability for Michigan's clemency decisions.
A pardon forgives the offense entirely. A commutation of sentence reduces or modifies an active sentence for someone currently incarcerated, without forgiving the conviction. A reprieve temporarily delays punishment.
Who decides: the Governor and the Michigan Parole Board
The Governor holds final authority on all clemency decisions. All applications for pardons and commutations must be filed with the Michigan Parole Board. The Parole Board, composed of ten members appointed by the Director of the Department of Corrections to four-year terms, receives all applications, conducts initial reviews and investigations, holds hearings, and makes recommendations to the Governor. The Governor is not bound by those recommendations. The Parole Board's recommendations are a matter of public record, as are the files in clemency cases under the statute, except for medical records protected by doctor-patient privilege.
The Board follows a detailed statutory framework. Within 60 days of initiating or receiving an application, the Board must conduct an initial review to determine whether the application has merit. If the Board has majority interest in proceeding, a full investigation must be completed within 270 days, and a hearing must be held within 90 days after that determination. One Board member may conduct the hearing. The public is represented at hearings by the Attorney General or AG staff. If the Parole Board recommends executive clemency, it makes all data in its files available to the Governor. Because the recommendation and the case files are public record, Michigan's clemency process is more transparent than states like Massachusetts or Connecticut where the advisory body's recommendation is confidential.
Who is eligible and how to apply
Any person convicted of a Michigan state crime may file an application for clemency with the Parole Board. There is no statutory waiting period, but the Parole Board is not required to act on an application that is substantially identical to one denied within the last two years.
There are two application forms depending on whether the petitioner is currently incarcerated or has completed the sentence. Current prisoners use the Application for Pardon or Commutation of Sentence. People who have completed parole or probation use the Application for Pardon after Parole or Discharge. Both forms are available at michigan.gov/corrections. Applications must be signed by the applicant; non-prisoners must also have the signature notarized. Applications must list every crime for which clemency is being requested, be specific and accurate, and include detailed information about current circumstances and plans for life in the community.
Applications are submitted to the Michigan Parole Board, Michigan Department of Corrections. For current information on the submission address and process, visit michigan.gov/corrections or contact the DOC directly. The application requires a thorough written response to all questions; partial or vague answers work against the petition. Be specific and accurate about every conviction, every piece of the sentence, the circumstances of the offense, the evidence of rehabilitation, and the specific relief being requested.
The Board may also initiate its own review. One Board member is required to interview any person convicted of first-degree murder or serving a life sentence without parole after ten years of the sentence have been served.
What a pardon does in Michigan
The Michigan Supreme Court's description of a pardon's effect is among the most powerful in any state: a pardon "releases the punishment and blots out of existence the guilt, so that in the eye of the law the offender is as innocent as if he had never committed the offense." This language, from People v. Van Heck, means that a Michigan pardon goes beyond what many state pardons accomplish, restoring the person to a state of legal innocence for the pardoned offense.
A pardon in Michigan completely removes the conviction from the criminal record. This distinguishes Michigan from states like Iowa and Maryland where a pardon leaves the conviction visible on the record and merely adds a notation of forgiveness. In Michigan, the pardon's legal effect is the erasure of the conviction itself, not just the forgiveness of its consequences. This is one of the most complete pardon effects of any state in this series.
For rights that were lost or restricted, a pardon restores jury service eligibility, which is otherwise suspended for people with felony convictions. Voting rights in Michigan are restored upon release from incarceration, so a pardon is not needed for that; people on parole and probation in Michigan are also generally able to vote. Firearms rights for specified felony convictions require completion of sentence plus five years and a petition to the circuit court by clear and convincing evidence; expungement, a set-aside, or a pardon all remove the state firearm restriction in most cases, unless the relief order expressly preserves it. Note that for federal firearms purposes, the ATF and FBI have taken the position that Michigan's restoration process may not constitute a "full restoration of civil rights" under federal law, because most civil rights other than firearms and jury service are not actually lost at the state level following a Michigan felony conviction. Anyone seeking to possess a firearm after any form of Michigan relief should consult an attorney to confirm the federal status.
Pardon versus expungement in Michigan
For most people with Michigan convictions, the Clean Slate Act's expungement or automatic expungement process is the better path: it is more accessible, available to more offense types, and since 2023 happens automatically for many without any action needed. A Michigan expungement removes the conviction from public view and similarly removes the state-level consequences of the conviction.
A pardon is the appropriate choice when: the conviction is not eligible for expungement (murder, criminal sexual conduct, and certain others are excluded from expungement); when the full legal innocence language of the Michigan Supreme Court's pardon standard is specifically what is needed for a professional or legal context; or when the Governor's own exercise of clemency carries specific weight in the person's circumstances. Pardons are extremely rare in Michigan, and the expungement law now covers so much ground that many people who might have previously needed a pardon can now address the matter through the court-based expungement process. An attorney who handles Michigan criminal post-conviction matters can evaluate which path is available and appropriate for a specific conviction and set of circumstances.
A note on federal convictions
If the conviction is a federal conviction rather than a Michigan state conviction, the Governor of Michigan and the Michigan Parole Board 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
Michigan's Clean Slate Act has fundamentally changed the landscape of post-conviction relief in the state. The automatic expungement of nearly 1.6 million convictions since April 2023 means the first step for anyone with a Michigan conviction is to check whether the conviction has already been automatically cleared through the ICHAT system at the Michigan State Police website. If it has not been automatically cleared and you believe it qualifies, a petition-based set-aside may be available. If the conviction is one of the categories excluded from expungement, or if the complete legal innocence effect of a pardon is what is specifically needed, then the pardon application process through the Michigan Parole Board is the path. Understand going in that pardons are extremely rare in Michigan, the statutory process through the Parole Board is detailed and takes significant time, and the Governor's decision is entirely discretionary and final. The pardon, when granted, is among the most complete forms of relief available in any state, but it is reserved for cases where other forms of relief are not available or not sufficient. For the vast majority of Michigan residents with convictions, the Clean Slate Act has already provided or will provide substantial relief through automatic or petition-based expungement. Know your status before investing time in the pardon process.