Last Updated: January 23, 2025. Report error / Make suggestion
If your duty to register has ended, local law enforcement will no longer require you to register in Washington State. While being relieved from the duty to register is a critical step, it does not end all the legal consequences from the original conviction. Below are common misconceptions and myths about what the end of registration means.
Criminal History
An order or letter from law enforcement ending a person’s duty to register does not remove, end, expunge, vacate, or clear the criminal conviction. That means on background checks the conviction will be visible. Washington State does not allow any adult convictions for sex offenses to be vacated or expunged.1 Most juvenile convictions can be sealed and vacated.2 Information on juvenile conviction sealing resources is in Part 3 of this Guide.
Important: Any court order or letter from law enforcement relieving a person from the duty to register due to a sex or kidnapping offense must be sent to the Washington State Patrol to ensure a person’s name is removed from the sex offense registry list. The address for the Washington State Patrol is:
Washington State Patrol
Identification and Criminal History Section
PO Box 42633
Olympia, WA
98504-2633
Other States May Still Require a Person to Continue to Register
A letter or order ending a duty to register only applies to Washington State. Other states and federal law may require you to continue to register because the sex offense conviction is not removed, vacated, expunged, or sealed. When travelling outside of Washington, it is important to double check the laws and sex offense requirements of each state.
Lifetime Community Custody Supervision with Department of Corrections Continues
Currently there is no way to end lifetime Department of Corrections (DOC) supervision/community custody in Washington State. A person’s registration status does not change their lifetime supervision requirement.3
- Felony adult convictions and misdemeanor adult convictions for sex offenses cannot be vacated or expunged. RCW 9.94A.030; RCW 9.96.060. ↩︎
- RCW 13.50.260. ↩︎
- RCW 9.94A.701. ↩︎
More Sex Offense Laws Guides
A Guide to Washington State Sex Offense Laws
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