Indiana Mugshot Removal & Expungement Guide
How mugshot removal, expungement, and record sealing actually work under Indiana law.
Unlike Florida, Illinois, or Utah, Indiana does not currently have a statute specifically requiring commercial mugshot websites to remove a photo on request, or barring removal fees. Mugshots are public record under Indiana's Access to Public Records Act (IC 5-14-3), which is part of why they circulate as freely as they do. That makes source-level negotiation and search-engine de-indexing the primary tools for removal in Indiana, rather than a statutory deadline you can point to.
Indiana's Second Chance Act (IC 35-38-9) is a genuinely useful, structured expungement law, with different waiting periods depending on your case:
- Arrest with no conviction: 1 year from arrest (sooner with prosecutor's written consent); some dismissals/acquittals are now automatic 60 days–1 year after the case ends)
- Misdemeanors: 5 years from conviction
- Class D / Level 6 felonies (no bodily injury): 8 years from conviction
- Felonies with no serious bodily injury: 8 years from conviction, or 3 years from sentence completion
- Remaining eligible felonies: 10 years from conviction, or 5 years from sentence completion, with prosecutor's written consent
Identify every site publishing your mugshot
Since Indiana has no removal-on-request law, your arrest record can end up scraped by multiple aggregators without a single statutory deadline forcing any of them to act.
Send direct takedown requests to each publisher
Without a state mandate to lean on, a well-documented direct request is still the right first step, but results vary by site.
Pursue search-engine de-indexing where a publisher won't cooperate
This is often the more reliable path in Indiana specifically, since there's no source-removal law to enforce against a non-compliant site.
File for expungement under the Second Chance Act where eligible
A sealed record under IC 35-38-9 restricts it from most public access going forward, even though it won't retroactively force removal from a site that already published it.
We handle removal cases in Indiana the same way we handle every case: locating every copy of your mugshot online, filing takedown requests within 72 hours, pursuing search-engine de-indexing where publishers won't cooperate, and monitoring afterward for reappearances. Every case starts with a free analysis, backed by a 100% money-back guarantee.
State law affects your legal options, but it doesn't determine which website is publishing your mugshot. See our site-by-site removal directory for site-specific removal steps once you know where your listing is.
This page is for general information only and is not legal advice. Laws summarized here are current as of publication but change frequently — consult a licensed attorney in your state before relying on them for your specific situation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Indiana have a law requiring mugshot sites to remove my photo?
No. Indiana does not currently have a mugshot-specific removal statute. Some sites and articles reference laws that don't actually exist in Indiana — removal here relies on direct negotiation and search-engine de-indexing rather than a statutory deadline.
What is Indiana's Second Chance Act?
It's Indiana's expungement law (IC 35-38-9), with waiting periods ranging from 1 year for arrests without conviction up to 10 years for certain felonies. Violent and sex offenses are generally ineligible.
Will expunging my record remove my mugshot from a website?
Not automatically. Expungement restricts access to your official record going forward, but a mugshot site that already published your photo has no separate legal obligation in Indiana to take it down just because your record was later sealed.
How long does mugshot removal take in Indiana?
Without a state law setting a deadline, timelines depend on the specific publisher. We typically file takedown requests within 72 hours and pursue de-indexing within about 5–7 days when a site won't cooperate directly.
Get Your Indiana Mugshot Removed
Start with a free analysis — we'll confirm exactly what removal takes under your state's laws.