What does a governor's pardon actually do in Pennsylvania?

A pardon forgives the conviction as a matter of executive clemency, but it does not by itself erase the record. Since June 11, 2024, 18 Pa.C.S. § 9122(a.1) — added by Act 36 of 2023 — makes the expungement that follows an unconditional pardon automatic: the Board of Pardons sends those cases to the AOPC quarterly, and the county court then orders the expungement without a petition. A conditional pardon is automatically sealed instead under § 9122.2(a)(4).

Who decides whether I get a pardon — the Board or the Governor?

Both, in sequence. The Board of Pardons must recommend clemency by majority vote before the application even reaches the Governor, and only then does the Governor decide, at his or her own discretion, whether to actually grant it.

Does a pardon restore my right to own a firearm?

Not automatically. A pardon addresses the conviction itself, but firearm-rights restoration involves separate legal requirements and is not a guaranteed byproduct of receiving a pardon.

Do I still have to file an expungement petition after a pardon?

No — not for an unconditional pardon handled under the current law. Act 36 of 2023 added § 9122(a.1), effective June 11, 2024, so the Board of Pardons transmits unconditionally pardoned cases to the AOPC on a quarterly basis and the county court enters the expungement order on its own. A conditional pardon does not trigger automatic expungement; that conviction is automatically sealed instead under § 9122.2(a)(4). Because the process runs on a quarterly cycle it still takes months, and it's worth verifying afterward that the state police and PennDOT records were actually cleared.

Can the Governor deny a pardon even if the Board recommends it?

Yes. A majority Board recommendation is a constitutional prerequisite for the Governor to consider the application, but it does not obligate the Governor to grant the pardon — the final decision remains discretionary.

Expungements & Pardons · Governor's Pardon

An unconditional pardon doesn't erase a conviction by itself — but since 2024, the expungement that follows it is automatic.

For convictions that fall outside every other relief mechanism — not eligible for expungement, not eligible for Clean Slate sealing, and old enough that the person has genuinely moved past it — a governor's pardon is often the only remaining option. It's also the slowest one. The process runs through the Board of Pardons under Pa. Const. art. IV, § 9: an application, a merit review, in many cases a public hearing, and ultimately a written recommendation that requires a majority of the Board before the Governor can even consider granting clemency. For a sentence of death or life imprisonment, the Board's unanimous written recommendation after full hearing in open session is required. Once an unconditional pardon is granted, Act 36 of 2023 changed what happens next: under 18 Pa.C.S. § 9122(a.1), effective June 11, 2024, the pardoned case is expunged automatically through a quarterly transmission process rather than a petition you have to file yourself. I help people across Dauphin, Cumberland, York, and Adams counties evaluate whether a pardon is realistic for their situation and prepare an application that actually gives the Board something to work with.

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How the remedy works

The Pennsylvania Governor's Pardon Process.

Authority: Pa. Const. art. IV, § 9[1] [2]

Record relief, in context

A pardon is a years-long process with no guaranteed outcome, but for a conviction that's otherwise permanent, it's often the only door left — and it's worth starting early rather than waiting until the consequence becomes urgent.

expungement & pardon lawyer · pardon vs. expungement · DUI expungement

Pennsylvania's pardon power sits with the Governor under Pa. Const. art. IV, § 9, but it isn't exercised unilaterally. The Board of Pardons — made up of the Lieutenant Governor, the Attorney General, and three other members appointed under the constitution — reviews every application first. The Board's regulations set out the application requirements and merit-review screening. Expedited review may resolve an application without a public hearing; when a hearing is held, the applicant and sometimes victims or objectors may be heard.

The Board votes on whether to recommend clemency, and Pa. Const. art. IV, § 9 requires a majority recommendation before the application can go to the Governor. For a sentence of death or life imprisonment, a unanimous recommendation after full hearing in open session is required. Only then does the Governor decide whether to grant the pardon.

An unconditional pardon, once granted, does not itself erase the conviction from the record — but you no longer have to petition for the expungement that follows it. Act 36 of 2023 added 18 Pa.C.S. § 9122(a.1), effective June 11, 2024, which makes expungement of an unconditionally pardoned conviction automatic: the Board of Pardons transmits pardoned cases to the Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Courts quarterly, the AOPC forwards them to the court where the conviction was entered, and that court orders expungement without a separate petition. A conditional pardon does not trigger automatic expungement; the conviction is automatically sealed instead under § 9122.2(a)(4).

Timelines here are measured in years, not months. The Board applies expedited review automatically to every application as of 2025 — applicants no longer request it. The thresholds run from the applicant's last criminal-justice contact: five years for a single case of misdemeanor retail theft or marijuana possession under 35 P.S. § 780-113(16), (31) or (32); ten years for one criminal case of any offense type; fifteen years where there is more than one case. A published disqualifying-offense list applies, and expedited review does not guarantee a public hearing. A pardon does not restore firearm rights automatically, does not vacate a conviction the way an appeal would, and does not guarantee approval.

Eligibility at a glance

What qualifies — and what does not.

The Pennsylvania Governor's Pardon Process: eligibility categories under Pa. Const. art. IV, § 9
Situation	What the law allows	Condition
Old conviction not eligible for expungement or Clean Slate sealing	Pardon is often the only remaining avenue	Typically applies to felony convictions or repeat-offense records that don't qualify under § 9122 or the Clean Slate Act on their own
Demonstrated rehabilitation over a substantial period	Central to the Board's merit review and hearing evaluation	Employment history, community involvement, and time elapsed since the conviction all factor into the Board's assessment
Application meeting the Board's published expedited-review criteria	Expedited review is applied automatically as of 2025	The thresholds run from the applicant's last criminal-justice contact, and a published disqualifying-offense list applies; expedited review does not guarantee a public hearing
Conviction with a specific, articulable collateral consequence	Strengthens the application's stated purpose	Professional licensing barriers, employment restrictions, or housing consequences give the Board a concrete reason tied to the request
Multiple convictions across different cases	Each conviction generally requires its own pardon application	A person with several old convictions may need to apply for, and receive, a pardon for each one separately — automatic expungement under § 9122(a.1) then follows each unconditional pardon that is granted
Active supervision or unresolved case	Not a realistic candidate for pardon review	The Board generally expects sentences to be fully completed, with a period of stability afterward, before an application is likely to be considered favorably
Victim objection or contested facts underlying the conviction	Doesn't automatically disqualify, but complicates the hearing	The Board weighs victim input where it's presented, alongside the applicant's record since the conviction

Eligibility categories are statutory, but how a specific docket is graded and disposed controls which category applies. Nothing here is a prediction about a particular record.

The process

Step by step.

Step 1
Application and required documentation
The applicant submits a formal application to the Board of Pardons, including personal history, the details of the conviction, and supporting documentation of rehabilitation and current circumstances.
Step 2
Merit review screening
Board staff conduct an initial review to determine whether the application should proceed to a full hearing, screening out applications that don't meet baseline criteria at this stage.
Step 3
Public hearing, if scheduled
Expedited review may resolve an application without a public hearing. When a public hearing is held, the applicant can testify, present evidence of rehabilitation, and respond to questions from Board members; victims or other interested parties may also be heard.
Step 4
Board vote and recommendation
A majority recommendation is constitutionally required — and for a sentence of death or life imprisonment, a unanimous recommendation after full hearing in open session.
Step 5
Governor's decision
If the Board recommends clemency by majority vote, the application goes to the Governor, whose decision to grant or deny the pardon is discretionary even at this final stage.
Step 6
Automatic expungement after an unconditional pardon
Under 18 Pa.C.S. § 9122(a.1), added by Act 36 of 2023 and effective June 11, 2024, the Board of Pardons transmits unconditionally pardoned cases to the AOPC quarterly; the AOPC passes them to the county court, which orders the expungement without a petition. A conditional pardon is automatically sealed instead under § 9122.2(a)(4). The step still takes months because it moves on that quarterly cycle, and it is worth confirming afterward that PSP, PennDOT, and the arresting agency actually cleared their copies.

Jurisdiction & venue

Where the petition is filed.

Board of Pardons, Harrisburg

The entire pardon application and merit review process is administered centrally by the Board of Pardons in Harrisburg. Expedited review may resolve an application without a public hearing; any hearing that is scheduled is also administered centrally.

Dauphin County

Once an unconditional pardon is granted, the Dauphin County court that originally handled the conviction receives the case through the AOPC's quarterly transmission under § 9122(a.1) and enters the expungement order without a petition from you.

Cumberland County

The pardon process itself runs through the statewide Board in Harrisburg. After an unconditional pardon, the expungement is entered by the Cumberland County court that recorded the original conviction once the case reaches it on the quarterly cycle.

York, Adams, Perry, Franklin, and Lancaster Counties

For applicants whose original convictions were entered in any of these counties, the pardon application still goes exclusively through the Board of Pardons in Harrisburg; after an unconditional pardon, automatic expungement is entered by the local court, so the practical follow-up is confirming the order issued and the record was actually cleared.

Where these petitions are won or lost.

Build the record before applying, not during the hearing
Employment history, community ties, and evidence of stability since the conviction should be documented and organized well before the application is submitted, not assembled hastily once a hearing date is set.
Be candid about the underlying offense
The Board's hearing process is not the place to minimize or dispute facts already established by the conviction; credibility about what happened matters more than arguing the case was wrongly decided.
Understand expedited review
The Board applies expedited review automatically to every application as of 2025 under its published thresholds and disqualifying-offense list. Expedited review does not guarantee a public hearing.
Set realistic timeline expectations
Pardon applications typically take years from filing to a final decision; applicants should not delay other planning (employment, licensing applications) on the assumption that a pardon will resolve things quickly.
Track the automatic expungement instead of assuming it happened
Since June 11, 2024, § 9122(a.1) expunges an unconditionally pardoned conviction without a petition, but it moves on the Board's quarterly transmission cycle — the practical work is confirming the court entered the order and that PSP, PennDOT, and the arresting agency cleared their copies.
Understand what a pardon does not restore
A pardon does not automatically restore firearm rights, does not function as an appellate reversal of the conviction, and does not guarantee the Governor will grant it even after a favorable Board recommendation — set expectations accordingly from the outset.

Where we file

Record relief across Central Pennsylvania.

Other record-relief guides.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions.

Common questions about governor's pardon in Pennsylvania — eligibility, procedure, and what the order actually changes.

A pardon forgives the conviction as a matter of executive clemency, but it does not by itself erase the record. Since June 11, 2024, 18 Pa.C.S. § 9122(a.1) — added by Act 36 of 2023 — makes the expungement that follows an unconditional pardon automatic: the Board of Pardons sends those cases to the AOPC quarterly, and the county court then orders the expungement without a petition. A conditional pardon is automatically sealed instead under § 9122.2(a)(4).
Realistically, years rather than months. The process includes an application, merit-review screening, any public hearing, a Board vote, and finally the Governor's own decision. The Board applies expedited review automatically to every application as of 2025 under published thresholds and a disqualifying-offense list, but expedited review does not guarantee a public hearing or a quick final decision.
Both, in sequence. The Board of Pardons must recommend clemency by majority vote before the application even reaches the Governor, and only then does the Governor decide, at his or her own discretion, whether to actually grant it.
The Board applies expedited review automatically to every application as of 2025 — applicants no longer request it. The thresholds run from the applicant's last criminal-justice contact: five years for a single case of misdemeanor retail theft or marijuana possession under 35 P.S. § 780-113(16), (31) or (32); ten years for one criminal case of any offense type; fifteen years where there is more than one case. A published disqualifying-offense list applies, and expedited review does not guarantee a public hearing.
Not automatically. A pardon addresses the conviction itself, but firearm-rights restoration involves separate legal requirements and is not a guaranteed byproduct of receiving a pardon.
No — not for an unconditional pardon handled under the current law. Act 36 of 2023 added § 9122(a.1), effective June 11, 2024, so the Board of Pardons transmits unconditionally pardoned cases to the AOPC on a quarterly basis and the county court enters the expungement order on its own. A conditional pardon does not trigger automatic expungement; that conviction is automatically sealed instead under § 9122.2(a)(4). Because the process runs on a quarterly cycle it still takes months, and it's worth verifying afterward that the state police and PennDOT records were actually cleared.
Yes. A majority Board recommendation is a constitutional prerequisite for the Governor to consider the application, but it does not obligate the Governor to grant the pardon — the final decision remains discretionary.

[1]Pa. Const. art. IV, § 9 — The Governor's pardon and commutation power — exercisable only on the written recommendation of a majority of the Board of Pardons, except in a case of a sentence of death or life imprisonment, which requires the Board's unanimous written recommendation after full hearing in open session upon due public notice.
[2]37 Pa. Code Ch. 81 — Board of Pardons regulations — application, merit review, public hearing, and recommendation procedure.
[3]18 Pa.C.S. § 9122 — Expungement of criminal history record information — § 9122(a) covers non-conviction data, unconditional pardons under (a)(2.1), underage drinking under (a)(3), and acquittals under (a)(4); § 9122(b) covers discretionary summary, age-70 and deceased-defendant expungement.
[4]18 Pa.C.S. § 9122(a.1) — Automatic expungement pursuant to an unconditional pardon — added by Act 36 of 2023, effective June 11, 2024. The Board of Pardons transmits pardoned cases to the AOPC quarterly, the AOPC forwards them to the county courts, and the court orders expungement without a separate petition. A conditional pardon results in sealing under § 9122.2(a)(4) instead.
[5]18 Pa.C.S. § 9122.2 — Clean Slate automated limited access — sealing by court order without a petition. Act 36 of 2023 set the periods at 5 years for summary convictions, 7 years for M2/M3 and misdemeanors punishable by no more than 2 years, and 10 years for qualifying drug felonies under § 9122.2(a)(1.1). Conditioned on payment of court-ordered restitution only — unpaid fines and costs do not block sealing.
[6]Act 36 of 2023 — Clean Slate 3.0 — P.L. 334, No. 36 (HB 689), signed December 14, 2023. Petition-sealing and definitional changes effective February 12, 2024; automatic sealing and automatic post-pardon expungement effective June 11, 2024.

Statutes are summarized for public reference. Confirm current text at palegis.us. This page is attorney advertising, not legal advice.

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Pardons by county of conviction

Every application goes to Harrisburg. The record lives in your county.

The Board of Pardons has statewide jurisdiction, so where you live does not change where you apply. What does vary by county is the mix of old convictions we see, the collateral consequences that keep surfacing locally, and which court enters the automatic expungement under 18 Pa.C.S. § 9122(a.1) once a pardon is granted. Read how the automatic expungement actually works, or, if you have moved away, how the process works from out of state.

Who applies for a pardon across Pennsylvania

One process in Harrisburg, 67 very different records.

Southeast

Philadelphia County — Philadelphia applicants are the largest pardon population in the state — home health aides, CNAs, school-district and SEPTA employees, licensed tradespeople, and small-business owners bidding on city contracts, nearly all blocked by convictions from the 1990s and 2000s that Clean Slate sealing cannot touch.
Montgomery County — Norristown, Pottstown, King of Prussia, and Lansdale applicants are heavily pharmaceutical, healthcare, and financial-services professionals, plus teachers and nurses whose licensure is blocked by a decades-old felony.
Bucks County — Bensalem, Levittown, Doylestown, and Quakertown applicants are commonly nurses, teachers, financial-services employees, and contractors who cannot clear licensing or FINRA-style screening with an old felony on record.
Chester County — West Chester, Coatesville, and Exton applicants skew toward pharmaceutical and lab professionals, teachers, and healthcare workers whose employers run rigorous federal and state screening.

Philadelphia, Montgomery, Bucks, Delaware, Chester, Berks, Lehigh, Northampton

Northeast and the Coal Region

Luzerne County — Wilkes-Barre, Hazleton, and Nanticoke applicants are concentrated in warehouse and distribution work along I-81, hospital and nursing-home employment, and school and municipal jobs requiring state clearance.
Lackawanna County — Scranton applicants are frequently hospital and university employees, call-center and logistics workers, and tradespeople who need a clean record for licensing.
Schuylkill County — Pottsville, Frackville, and Shenandoah applicants are often warehouse, corrections, and healthcare employees, plus tradespeople needing clean licensing.
Columbia County — Bloomsburg applicants include university employees, Geisinger-affiliated healthcare workers, and warehouse and food-processing staff along I-80.

Luzerne, Lackawanna, Schuylkill, Carbon, Monroe, Pike, Wayne, Columbia, Northumberland

South Central

York County — York city, Hanover, Red Lion, and Dover applicants are heavily manufacturing and distribution workers, Maryland-line commuters holding licenses in two states, healthcare employees, and school and municipal staff needing Act 34 and Act 151 clearances.
Lancaster County — Lancaster city, Ephrata, and Columbia applicants are heavily healthcare, food-manufacturing, and construction workers, plus Plain-community business owners and school employees who need clean Act 34 and Act 151 clearances.
Cumberland County — Camp Hill, Mechanicsburg, Carlisle, and Shippensburg applicants are heavily state-government employees, Naval Support Activity and defense-contract workers needing federal suitability clearance, and healthcare staff across the West Shore.
Dauphin County — Harrisburg, Hershey, and Middletown applicants are commonly Commonwealth employees, Penn State Health and Hershey Medical Center staff, and capital-area contractors who need a clean record for state suitability review.

Lancaster, York, Dauphin, Cumberland, Lebanon, Adams, Franklin, Perry, Fulton, Bedford, Huntingdon, Juniata, Mifflin, Snyder, Union, Blair

North Central and the West Branch

Montour County — Danville applicants are overwhelmingly Geisinger-affiliated healthcare workers who need clean credentialing for clinical roles.
Cameron County — Emporium applicants are a small group — mostly powdered-metal plant employees, school district staff, and CDL holders whose old conviction surfaced on a new background check.
Centre County — State College applicants are often Penn State employees and graduates whose professional licensure — nursing, education, engineering — is blocked by a conviction from their twenties.
Lycoming County — Williamsport applicants are often healthcare and manufacturing employees, Penn College graduates entering licensed trades, and gas-industry drivers.

Bradford, Tioga, Potter, Sullivan, Susquehanna, Wyoming, Lycoming, Clinton, Centre, Montour, Cameron, Elk, McKean, Clearfield, Jefferson

Southwest

Allegheny County — Pittsburgh applicants are disproportionately health-system employees, trade-union workers, and CDL drivers whose employers or licensing boards flag a decades-old felony that Clean Slate will never reach.
Beaver County — Beaver Falls, Aliquippa, and Ambridge applicants are often Shell cracker-plant and building-trades workers, plus school and healthcare employees who need a clean state clearance.
Washington County — Washington, Canonsburg, and Monongahela applicants are often energy-sector workers, hospital employees, and CDL drivers running I-70 and I-79.
Somerset County — Somerset and Windber applicants are often wind-energy and coal workers, corrections employees, and healthcare staff needing state clearances.

Allegheny, Washington, Westmoreland, Fayette, Greene, Beaver, Armstrong, Indiana, Cambria, Butler, Somerset

Northwest

Erie County — Erie and Millcreek applicants are often hospital and insurance-industry employees, Edinboro and Gannon graduates entering licensed professions, and lake-port and trucking workers.
Mercer County — Sharon, Hermitage, and Greenville applicants are frequently steel and manufacturing workers, hospital employees, and trucking professionals running the Ohio line.
Crawford County — Meadville applicants are often tool-and-die and plastics workers, Allegheny College staff, and healthcare employees needing state clearances.
Forest County — Tionesta applicants are a very small group — corrections employees, forestry and tourism workers, and CDL holders who hit an old conviction on a new background check.

Erie, Crawford, Mercer, Lawrence, Venango, Clarion, Forest, Warren