In most states, mugshots are public records. Booking photos are created by police departments, sheriff’s offices, and other government agencies during the arrest process, and state open-records laws treat those government-created documents as available to anyone who asks. Federal booking photos are the main exception, and even at the state level a mugshot can lose its public status if a court seals or expunges the underlying record. Getting a photo off a government website after that happens is fairly straightforward. Getting it off commercial sites, news archives, and data broker databases is a different fight.
Why State Mugshots Start Public
Every state has an open-records law built on the idea that the public should be able to see what its government is doing. Arrests and bookings are government activity, so the records they generate, including photographs, fall inside that principle. Unless a specific exemption applies, a booking photo is available on request.
That default matters because of where it puts the burden. A mugshot doesn’t become public because a judge releases it or someone files paperwork. It starts public and stays public until something changes its status. If you want it kept private, you’re the one who has to act.
Federal Mugshots Are Treated Differently
At the federal level, the Freedom of Information Act gives the public a right to request records from executive-branch agencies, including federal law enforcement bodies like the FBI and the U.S. Marshals Service.1FOIA.gov. Freedom of Information Act: FOIA.gov But FOIA also contains an exemption for law enforcement records whose release “could reasonably be expected to constitute an unwarranted invasion of personal privacy.”2Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 5 USC 552 – Public Information; Agency Rules, Opinions, Orders, Records, and Proceedings Federal agencies routinely apply that exemption to booking photos.
The current practice was cemented by the Sixth Circuit in Detroit Free Press v. Department of Justice in 2016. The court held that individuals have a significant privacy interest in their booking photos, which are taken “in the vulnerable and embarrassing moments immediately after [an individual is] accused, taken into custody, and deprived of most liberties.” The court noted that viewers overwhelmingly associate mugshots with guilt, and that in the digital era a released photo “casts a long, damaging shadow” because it remains findable through a simple internet search indefinitely.3Justia Law. Detroit Free Press v. Department of Justice, No. 14-1670 (6th Cir. 2016) Federal agencies now withhold booking photos unless there’s a specific law enforcement reason to release them, such as locating a fugitive.
When a Mugshot Is Not Public
Several categories sit outside the default rule, either from the start or after a court acts.
- Juvenile records. Most states treat juvenile arrest and court records as confidential. They are typically sealed from public access and, in many states, automatically expunged when the individual reaches adulthood or a specified age. Federal law also restricts disclosure of juvenile records in the federal system.
- Sealed or expunged adult records. When a court grants an expungement or sealing order, government agencies holding the record have to remove it from public access, booking photo included.
- Active investigations. Law enforcement may withhold a mugshot when release could compromise an ongoing case or endanger someone’s safety.
- Nonviolent-offense restrictions. A growing number of states have passed laws barring police from posting booking photos on social media for people arrested on suspicion of nonviolent crimes.
Getting a Mugshot Off a Government Database
If your case ended in a dismissal, an acquittal, or successful completion of a diversion program, you may qualify to have your record expunged or sealed. Eligibility rules vary by state, but the process is fairly consistent.
You file a petition with the court that handled your case and pay a filing fee, usually between $100 and $400, though some states waive fees for indigent petitioners. If the petition is granted, you receive a certified court order directing government agencies to seal or destroy the record. You then send that order to the arresting agency, the state criminal records repository, and any other agencies holding your booking information. Once they process it, the mugshot comes off their public databases.
Timing varies. Some states automatically seal certain outcomes, like dismissed charges, with no petition required. Others impose a waiting period of several years after the case concludes before you can file. You’ll also need certified copies of your case disposition from the court clerk, usually costing a few dollars up to about $40 depending on the jurisdiction.
One thing to keep in mind: an expungement order binds government agencies. It does not bind private websites. By the time you get your petition granted, your photo may already have been copied to dozens of other places, and that’s where most of the frustration in this area comes from.
Getting a Mugshot Off Commercial Sites
Many commercial mugshot websites operate on a simple model. They collect booking photos from law enforcement databases, republish them for free, and then charge the person in the photo hundreds of dollars to take them down. The practice has drawn comparisons to extortion, and roughly 18 states have passed laws restricting it, including outright bans on charging fees for removal. Enforcement is uneven because many sites operate from jurisdictions that make it difficult, and new sites keep appearing.
Start by contacting the site directly. Most have a removal or takedown page. Submit your request with proof that the charges were dropped or dismissed, or that your record has been sealed or expunged, and attach copies of the certified court order or case disposition. Some sites will remove the photo within days. Others will stall, redirect you to a paid “reputation management” partner, or ignore you.
If a site refuses, check whether your state has a law that specifically targets this behavior. In states that prohibit charging for mugshot removal, a refusal to take down a photo tied to an expunged record can give you grounds for a formal legal demand or a complaint to your state attorney general’s office.
Using Google’s Removal Tools
When you can’t get the underlying page taken down, you can still reduce its visibility by asking Google to remove it from search results. Google has a specific policy for what it calls exploitative sites: sites that require payment to remove content. To submit a request, three conditions must be met — you are the subject of the content, the site is not a business review platform, and the site charges money, directly or through a third party, for removal.4Google Search Help. Remove Content About You on Exploitative Sites That Try to Charge for Removal If Google approves, the URL stops appearing in Google Search results. The page itself stays online and may still be findable through other search engines or a direct link.
Google also runs a broader tool for removing personal information from search results, covering things like contact details and government ID numbers.5Google Search Help. Remove My Private Info From Google Search Both tools are free.
News Coverage Is Usually Off Limits
This is where most people run out of options. If a news organization published your mugshot with a story about your arrest, an expungement order does not require them to take it down. Private publishers aren’t bound by orders that direct government agencies to seal records. The First Amendment protects the right to publish truthful information that was lawfully obtained, and courts have consistently held that this protection extends to previously published arrest information even after the underlying record is expunged.
There is no established legal remedy against a news outlet that keeps a story about a past arrest accessible online. Some publications have voluntarily created programs that let individuals request removal or de-indexing of old crime coverage, such as the Boston Globe’s “Fresh Start” initiative. Those are editorial choices, not legal obligations, and most outlets have no such program.
If a news article about your arrest ranks highly in search results, you can contact the outlet’s editorial team, explain the disposition of the charges, provide documentation, and ask whether they’ll review old crime coverage. Some editors will agree to remove your name, update the story, or add a note about the outcome. Many will decline, and you have no legal leverage to force it.
Data Brokers and Repeat Republishing
Even after you clear the original law enforcement site and the major commercial mugshot databases, data brokers can keep the cycle going. These companies scrape public records in bulk, package the data, and sell or share it with people-search sites, background check services, and other aggregators.6Federal Register. Request for Information Regarding Data Brokers and Other Business Practices Involving the Collection and Sale of Consumer Information A booking photo captured before you obtained an expungement can exist across dozens of databases.
Each data broker and people-search site has its own opt-out process, usually an online form where you verify your identity and request removal. Processing takes anywhere from a week to 30 days. The problem is that removal is often temporary. Brokers refresh their databases from multiple sources, and your information can reappear months later. Plan on checking back every few months and repeating the process.
No single federal law requires data brokers to honor removal requests for arrest records. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau explored regulating data broker practices but withdrew its proposed rule in 2025. For now, your options are the individual opt-out processes each site offers, plus any protections your state’s privacy or consumer laws provide.
Avoiding Removal Scams
People searching for mugshot removal are a prime target for scams. Some companies charge thousands of dollars for “reputation management” services that amount to submitting the same free removal requests you could file yourself. Others are directly affiliated with the mugshot sites, creating a closed loop where one arm of the business publishes your photo and another charges to remove it.
Before paying anyone, know what you can do for free: file your own expungement petition, or hire a local attorney at a known hourly rate; submit takedown requests directly to websites; and use Google’s free removal tools. If a company guarantees complete removal from the internet, that’s a promise no one can keep. Vague fee structures and pressure to act immediately are red flags. Your state attorney general’s office and the FTC’s fraud reporting site at reportfraud.ftc.gov are the right places to report companies engaging in deceptive practices.