When can I petition to remove my name from the Missouri sex offender registry?

Your name will not be removed automatically from the Missouri sex offender registry even if you are eligible. To be relieved of your duty to register, you must file a petition for early termination with the court in the jurisdiction in which the offense causing registration occurred.

The court will then hold a hearing on your petition. You may present witnesses and other evidence at the hearing. If the court determines from the evidence presented that you meet the requirements for early termination, it will issue an order stating that you no longer have a duty to register as a Missouri sex offender.

It usually takes about 6 months from the filing of a petition to get your duty to register terminated. Until your petition has been approved and the order has been entered, you must continue to comply with all sex offender registration requirements.

All early termination does is remove your duty to register as a Missouri sex offender. It will not seal the record of your finding of guilt, restore your gun rights, or remove the duty to disclose the conviction on job and housing applications. You must still follow the restrictions listed in Chapter 566 (i.e., distance, location, and Halloween restrictions). The only way to fully restore your civil rights is to receive an unconditional pardon from the Missouri Governor.

It will, however, remove the obligation to notify the state of Missouri when you move and to provide an annual verification. Failure to register as a sex offender, first offense, in Missouri is a category E felony. It can be punished by up to 4 years in the Missouri Department of Corrections and a fine of up to $10,000.