Mugshot Website Removal Laws in All 50 States
Updated November 2026. This state-by-state guide explains laws concerning online booking photographs, removal requests, fees, and restrictions on government disclosure. It covers all 50 states and Washington, D.C. It is a research starting point, not legal advice or a guarantee of removal. Laws change; check current statutory text and consult a qualified lawyer for a specific case.
How mugshot removal laws differ
- Removal rights: Some states require covered websites to remove photos after a qualifying written request.
- No-fee rules: Some states prohibit charging money for removal but do not require removal in every case.
- Agency disclosure limits: Restrictions on sheriff or police release do not automatically force an independent website to remove previously obtained material.
- Sealing and expungement: Court orders and restricted records may create separate legal issues; requirements vary.
State-by-state mugshot removal law reference
Important: “Further primary-source review needed” means this guide does not make a claim about whether a state has or lacks a current law. The legislative overview cited below is historical and is not a substitute for checking the latest statute.
| State | Removal, fee, or publication rule | Research status |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama | No specific current private-site mugshot removal requirement verified for this entry. This does not mean there is no applicable law; check state statutes, expungement rules, and current case law. | Further primary-source review needed |
| Alaska | No specific current private-site mugshot removal requirement verified for this entry. This does not mean there is no applicable law; check state statutes, expungement rules, and current case law. | Further primary-source review needed |
| Arizona | No specific current private-site mugshot removal requirement verified for this entry. This does not mean there is no applicable law; check state statutes, expungement rules, and current case law. | Further primary-source review needed |
| Arkansas | A 2021 law addresses pay-for-removal booking-photo websites and provides a written-request removal process for covered publishers. | Identified in legislative overview; confirm current law |
| California | California prohibits certain fees to remove, correct, or modify criminal-record information; separate restrictions apply to law-enforcement social-media publication of some booking photos. | Identified in legislative overview; confirm current law |
| Colorado | Colorado restricts supplying booking photos to publishers that charge removal fees; review the statutory scope and exceptions. | Identified in legislative overview; confirm current law |
| Connecticut | No specific current private-site mugshot removal requirement verified for this entry. This does not mean there is no applicable law; check state statutes, expungement rules, and current case law. | Further primary-source review needed |
| Delaware | No specific current private-site mugshot removal requirement verified for this entry. This does not mean there is no applicable law; check state statutes, expungement rules, and current case law. | Further primary-source review needed |
| Florida | Florida restricts businesses publishing booking photos from charging for removal, correction, or modification; commercial publisher rules were expanded in 2021. | Identified in legislative overview; confirm current law |
| Georgia | Under O.C.G.A. § 10-1-393.5, qualifying people may request free removal within 30 days using the specified written notice procedure. | Identified in legislative overview; confirm current law |
| Hawaii | No specific current private-site mugshot removal requirement verified for this entry. This does not mean there is no applicable law; check state statutes, expungement rules, and current case law. | Further primary-source review needed |
| Idaho | No specific current private-site mugshot removal requirement verified for this entry. This does not mean there is no applicable law; check state statutes, expungement rules, and current case law. | Further primary-source review needed |
| Illinois | Illinois restricts certain for-profit criminal-record publishers charging for removal/correction and requires correction of qualifying errors within five business days; other rules limit some agency postings. | Identified in legislative overview; confirm current law |
| Indiana | No specific current private-site mugshot removal requirement verified for this entry. This does not mean there is no applicable law; check state statutes, expungement rules, and current case law. | Further primary-source review needed |
| Iowa | No specific current private-site mugshot removal requirement verified for this entry. This does not mean there is no applicable law; check state statutes, expungement rules, and current case law. | Further primary-source review needed |
| Kansas | No specific current private-site mugshot removal requirement verified for this entry. This does not mean there is no applicable law; check state statutes, expungement rules, and current case law. | Further primary-source review needed |
| Kentucky | Kentucky restricts commercial misuse of law-enforcement booking photographs, including certain fee-based removal arrangements. | Identified in legislative overview; confirm current law |
| Louisiana | Louisiana limits law-enforcement release of booking photos, subject to statutory exceptions; this is not a general private-site takedown guarantee. | Identified in legislative overview; confirm current law |
| Maine | No specific current private-site mugshot removal requirement verified for this entry. This does not mean there is no applicable law; check state statutes, expungement rules, and current case law. | Further primary-source review needed |
| Maryland | Maryland provides a removal-request procedure under specified circumstances and restricts fees in covered cases. | Identified in legislative overview; confirm current law |
| Massachusetts | No specific current private-site mugshot removal requirement verified for this entry. This does not mean there is no applicable law; check state statutes, expungement rules, and current case law. | Further primary-source review needed |
| Michigan | No specific current private-site mugshot removal requirement verified for this entry. This does not mean there is no applicable law; check state statutes, expungement rules, and current case law. | Further primary-source review needed |
| Minnesota | No specific current private-site mugshot removal requirement verified for this entry. This does not mean there is no applicable law; check state statutes, expungement rules, and current case law. | Further primary-source review needed |
| Mississippi | No specific current private-site mugshot removal requirement verified for this entry. This does not mean there is no applicable law; check state statutes, expungement rules, and current case law. | Further primary-source review needed |
| Missouri | Missouri enacted a booking-photo website removal-upon-request measure; check current codification and exceptions before relying on it. | Identified in legislative overview; confirm current law |
| Montana | Montana addresses public access to booking photos and agency release fees; it does not necessarily establish a private-site takedown right. | Identified in legislative overview; confirm current law |
| Nebraska | No specific current private-site mugshot removal requirement verified for this entry. This does not mean there is no applicable law; check state statutes, expungement rules, and current case law. | Further primary-source review needed |
| Nevada | No specific current private-site mugshot removal requirement verified for this entry. This does not mean there is no applicable law; check state statutes, expungement rules, and current case law. | Further primary-source review needed |
| New Hampshire | No specific current private-site mugshot removal requirement verified for this entry. This does not mean there is no applicable law; check state statutes, expungement rules, and current case law. | Further primary-source review needed |
| New Jersey | New Jersey prohibits charging a fee to stop publishing certain identifying information obtained through the criminal justice system. | Identified in legislative overview; confirm current law |
| New Mexico | No specific current private-site mugshot removal requirement verified for this entry. This does not mean there is no applicable law; check state statutes, expungement rules, and current case law. | Further primary-source review needed |
| New York | New York limits public disclosure of booking photographs unless release serves a specific law-enforcement purpose; private-site removal is a separate question. | Identified in legislative overview; confirm current law |
| North Carolina | No specific current private-site mugshot removal requirement verified for this entry. This does not mean there is no applicable law; check state statutes, expungement rules, and current case law. | Further primary-source review needed |
| North Dakota | No specific current private-site mugshot removal requirement verified for this entry. This does not mean there is no applicable law; check state statutes, expungement rules, and current case law. | Further primary-source review needed |
| Ohio | Ohio prohibits soliciting or accepting payment to remove, correct, or stop disseminating covered criminal-record information. | Identified in legislative overview; confirm current law |
| Oklahoma | No specific current private-site mugshot removal requirement verified for this entry. This does not mean there is no applicable law; check state statutes, expungement rules, and current case law. | Further primary-source review needed |
| Oregon | Oregon restricts law-enforcement release of booking photos and has a removal process for covered fee-charging publishers in specified case outcomes. | Identified in legislative overview; confirm current law |
| Pennsylvania | No specific current private-site mugshot removal requirement verified for this entry. This does not mean there is no applicable law; check state statutes, expungement rules, and current case law. | Further primary-source review needed |
| Rhode Island | No specific current private-site mugshot removal requirement verified for this entry. This does not mean there is no applicable law; check state statutes, expungement rules, and current case law. | Further primary-source review needed |
| South Carolina | South Carolina provides a removal process for covered online arrest and booking records when charges are dismissed/discharged or the person is acquitted, subject to statutory conditions. | Identified in legislative overview; confirm current law |
| South Dakota | South Dakota addresses agency release and retrieval of booking photographs; it does not automatically require private websites to remove images. | Identified in legislative overview; confirm current law |
| Tennessee | No specific current private-site mugshot removal requirement verified for this entry. This does not mean there is no applicable law; check state statutes, expungement rules, and current case law. | Further primary-source review needed |
| Texas | Texas regulates certain commercial publication and removal-fee practices involving criminal-record information; statutory conditions matter. | Identified in legislative overview; confirm current law |
| Utah | Utah has booking-photo disclosure restrictions and removal/destruction requirements for covered websites after qualifying requests. | Identified in legislative overview; confirm current law |
| Vermont | Vermont prohibits covered websites from charging for removal of booking photographs. | Identified in legislative overview; confirm current law |
| Virginia | Virginia creates civil liability for certain publishers who request or accept money to remove arrest/criminal-history information. | Identified in legislative overview; confirm current law |
| Washington | No specific current private-site mugshot removal requirement verified for this entry. This does not mean there is no applicable law; check state statutes, expungement rules, and current case law. | Further primary-source review needed |
| West Virginia | No specific current private-site mugshot removal requirement verified for this entry. This does not mean there is no applicable law; check state statutes, expungement rules, and current case law. | Further primary-source review needed |
| Wisconsin | No specific current private-site mugshot removal requirement verified for this entry. This does not mean there is no applicable law; check state statutes, expungement rules, and current case law. | Further primary-source review needed |
| Wyoming | Wyoming enacted a process governing removal of arrest photos from websites, subject to statutory requirements. | Identified in legislative overview; confirm current law |
| District of Columbia | No specific current private-site mugshot removal requirement verified for this entry. This does not mean there is no applicable law; check state statutes, expungement rules, and current case law. | Further primary-source review needed |
How to request removal of a mugshot
- Save the exact URL and a copy of the listing, including its date and publisher.
- Identify the arresting agency, case disposition, and any sealing or expungement order.
- Check the state’s current law for who qualifies, what evidence is needed, and where to send notice.
- Submit a written request to the publisher and keep proof of delivery. Do not pay a removal fee without checking whether state law prohibits it.
- Where applicable, contact the state attorney general or a licensed attorney if a publisher ignores a qualifying request.
To report an inaccurate or outdated SheriffConnect listing, use our Corrections page.
Sources and further research
- National Conference of State Legislatures — Mug Shots and Booking Photo Websites (historical legislative overview, updated 2022)
- Georgia Attorney General — Mugshot Websites and O.C.G.A. § 10-1-393.5
- State legislature websites for current statutes and amendments
Editorial note: State entries marked for further review have intentionally not been assigned a definitive “no law” status. The existence of an arrest record does not establish guilt.