Clearing a criminal record in Colorado
In Colorado it is called record sealing: sealing hides your arrest or conviction records from public view. Some misdemeanor and felony convictions may be cleared, and Colorado also clears some records automatically (Automatic conviction sealing).
Checked against official sources: October 25, 2026. · Free letter and checklist ↓
Can my record be cleared in Colorado?
Record sealing (expungement for juvenile records and mistaken-identity arrests) — Sealing hides your arrest or conviction records from public view. The records still exist and courts, police, prosecutors and agencies required by law to run background checks can still see them. Sealing a conviction does not vacate it.
Colorado has 3 ways to clear a record. Each covers different records and has its own waiting period.
Sealing of arrest records when no charges were filed (C.R.S. 24-72-704)
Arrests where no charges were filed, including completed pre-filing diversion
| Kind of case | Waiting period | Counted from |
|---|---|---|
Arrest, no charges filed (court petition) | See the rule You can petition once the statute of limitations has run or police are no longer investigating, or after completing diversion with no charges filed. | When the statute of limitations has run or you are no longer under investigation |
Arrest on or after January 1, 2022, no charges (automatic at CBI) | 1 year The Colorado Bureau of Investigation seals the arrest record automatically if no charges are filed within one year. | Date of arrest |
- Not eligible
- Automatic CBI sealing does not apply to felonies with a statute of limitations over 3 years or no statute of limitations
Law: C.R.S. § 24-72-704
Source: Official text
Sealing of non-conviction records (C.R.S. 24-72-705)
Cases completely dismissed, acquittals on all counts, completed diversion, and completed deferred judgments with all counts dismissed
| Kind of case | Waiting period | Counted from |
|---|---|---|
Dismissed, acquitted, diversion or deferred judgment completed | No waiting period The court seals the record on its own at the time the case ends; if it did not, you can file a motion at any time. | Dismissal or acquittal |
- Not eligible
- Charges dismissed because you were found incompetent to proceed cannot be sealed this way.
Law: C.R.S. § 24-72-705; C.R.S. 16-8.5-109(4), 16-8.5-113 or 16-8.5-116
Source: Official text
Sealing of conviction records (C.R.S. 24-72-706)
Petty offenses, misdemeanors, and felonies except those listed as excluded
| Kind of case | Waiting period | Counted from |
|---|---|---|
Civil infraction, petty offense or drug petty offense | 1 year You can file 1 year after your case ends or your supervision ends, whichever is later. | Final disposition of all proceedings or release from supervision, whichever is later |
Class 2 or 3 misdemeanor, any drug misdemeanor, or a level 4 drug felony under 18-18-403.5(2.5) | 2 years You can file 2 years after your case ends or your supervision ends, whichever is later. | Final disposition of all proceedings or release from supervision, whichever is later |
Class 1 misdemeanor, class 4-6 felony, level 3 or other level 4 drug felony | 3 years You can file 3 years after your case ends or your supervision ends, whichever is later. | Final disposition of all proceedings or release from supervision, whichever is later |
All other eligible offenses | 5 years You can file 5 years after your case ends or your supervision ends, whichever is later. | Final disposition of all proceedings or release from supervision, whichever is later |
- Not eligible
- Class 1 and 2 misdemeanor traffic offenses and class A/B traffic infractions; DUI/DWAI (42-4-1301(1),(2)); offenses involving unlawful sexual behavior; child abuse (18-6-401); domestic violence; crimes of violence; class 1, 2 or 3 felonies and level 1 drug felonies (with narrow old-drug-law exceptions); felony victim-rights crimes; and other offenses listed in 24-72-706(2)(a). An excluded misdemeanor or petty offense can still be sealed if the DA consents or the court makes special findings.
- Limits
- You cannot have been convicted of a new offense since the case ended or supervision ended, and you must not owe restitution (unless the restitution order was vacated). You may file for each case only once every 12 months unless the court allows otherwise. A new conviction after sealing causes the record to be unsealed.
Law: C.R.S. §§ 24-72-706, 24-72-708, 24-72-709; 24-4.1-302(1); C.R.S. 24-72-703(3)
Source: Official text
When can I file? Waiting periods in Colorado
Pick your kind of case and the date the waiting period runs from. We add the waiting period from the law; nothing else.
How to file in Colorado
Sealing of arrest records when no charges were filed (C.R.S. 24-72-704)
File a Petition to Seal Arrest Records (JDF 417) in the district court where the records are. If the court finds it sufficient it sets a hearing at least 35 days out; if no one objects 7 days before, the court seals without a hearing.
Sealing of non-conviction records (C.R.S. 24-72-705)
Automatic at disposition. If it did not happen, file Motion to Seal Non-Conviction Records (JDF 477) in the criminal case. There are no fees or costs for this motion.
- Cost
- No fees or costs.
Law: C.R.S. 24-72-705(2)
Sealing of conviction records (C.R.S. 24-72-706)
File the Motion to Seal Criminal Conviction Records (JDF 612) in the court where you were convicted, with a verified CBI criminal history no older than 20 days, and give notice to the District Attorney. Petty offenses are sealed if your record is clean; for misdemeanors and felonies the DA may object and the court may hold a hearing and weigh your privacy against the public interest. Municipal cases use JDF 683; several cases use JDF 641.
- Cost
- $65 processing fee; CBI no longer charges a sealing fee since July 1, 2024 (CBI).
- If you can't pay
- The court waives the $65 fee if you are indigent or the record should have been sealed automatically; file JDF 205 Motion to Waive Fees.
Law: C.R.S. 24-72-706(1)(h)
Court self-help
Free help in Colorado
National help
Free letter and checklist
Letter: ask for a copy of your own record
A request to the state records office (Colorado Bureau of Investigation, Biometric Identification and Records Unit) with your name, date of birth and mailing address.
Checklist: what to gather before you file
Case numbers, court papers, proof you finished your sentence, forms and fees for Colorado.
Clearing a record in Colorado by topic
Sealing of arrest records when no charges were filed (C.R.S. 24-72-704) in Colorado
Which records each remedy covers, who is not eligible and what changes afterwards.
Waiting periods in Colorado
How long you wait for each kind of case, and a date helper.
How to file in Colorado
The steps, the cost, fee waivers, the forms and court self-help.
Automatic relief in Colorado
- Law
- Automatic conviction sealing
- What is cleared
- The state court administrator lists eligible convictions and courts seal them without a petition: civil infractions after 4 years, petty offenses and misdemeanors after 7 years from final disposition, and eligible felonies after 10 years from final disposition or release from supervision (whichever is later), if you had no new conviction in that time. Victim-rights crimes are excluded, and the DA can object. Arrests with no charges (CBI, after 1 year) and dismissals/acquittals are also sealed automatically. For arrests from January 1, 2019 to December 31, 2021 with no charges, CBI seals automatically after 18 months (misdemeanors, petty offenses) or 3 years (felonies with a 3-year statute of limitations), and CBI must seal older no-conviction arrest records by January 1, 2027.
- Started
- Drug, misdemeanor and petty offense convictions sealed from July 1, 2024 (quarterly); eligible non-drug felonies added from July 1, 2025
- Check your record
- Official status page
Law: C.R.S. §§ 13-3-117, 24-72-704, 24-72-705; 24-4.1-302(1); C.R.S. 24-72-704(2)(b)
Marijuana records in Colorado
The Governor pardoned state convictions for possessing 2 ounces or less of marijuana by executive order (C 2020 004 for 1 ounce or less; C 2021 019 for 2 ounces or less, December 30, 2021) under HB 20-1424; you do not need to apply, and CBI has a form to check if your conviction was missed. A conviction for marijuana possession can also be sealed: the court must seal it once your record shows no new conviction, and you can then use JDF 680 to seal a pardoned conviction.
Law: C.R.S. 24-72-706(1)(f)(I)
Juvenile records in Colorado
The juvenile court must expunge a delinquency case on its own within 42 days after a not-guilty finding, a full dismissal, or completion of the sentence or diversion for a petty offense, class 2 or 3 misdemeanor or level 1-2 drug misdemeanor (not sexual, domestic violence or victim-rights crimes) committed before age 18; other cases can be expunged on a petition (JDF 301, 302). After expungement you may say you have no juvenile record and lawfully deny the arrest or adjudication, though judges, probation and prosecutors can still use it in a later case.
Law: C.R.S. 19-1-306
Pardons in Colorado
- Who decides
- Governor of Colorado (applications are reviewed by the Executive Clemency Advisory Board, run through the Colorado Department of Corrections)
- How
- Apply to the Governor for clemency; the advisory board reviews the application and sends a recommendation to the Governor. If you receive a full pardon, you can then ask the court to seal the pardoned conviction (JDF 680; C.R.S. 24-72-710).
Law: Colo. Const. art. IV, sec. 7; C.R.S. 16-17-102; C.R.S. 24-72-710
After your record is cleared in Colorado
After sealing you may reply that no public criminal records exist and may say you have not been criminally convicted; employers, landlords, government agencies and others may not require you to disclose sealed records in applications or interviews, and may not deny an application only because you refuse to disclose them. Exceptions: courts, police, prosecutors and agencies required by law to run criminal history checks can still see and use sealed records; the bar examiners and the Department of Education (for educators) have special rights to ask. Sealing does not vacate the conviction.
Law: C.R.S. 24-72-703(2)(b), (2)(d)
Get your own record in Colorado
Colorado Bureau of Investigation, Biometric Identification and Records Unit · (303) 239-4201
Run a name-based check on yourself online through the Internet Criminal History Check, or request a notarized record from CBI. To see your own sealed records, send CBI a written request with fingerprints and a $16.50 fee.
Law: $6.00 per result listed by CBI; $13.00
Letter: ask the state records office for a copy of your record
Good to know in Colorado
- Since July 1, 2024, CBI no longer charges a fee to seal records, and by June 30, 2026 CBI had to waive old unpaid CBI sealing costs and seal those records.
Law: C.R.S. 24-72-706(4)
- Starting July 1, 2025, courts also seal older dismissals, acquittals, completed deferred judgments and diversions from a statewide list.
Law: C.R.S. 13-3-117(5)
Source: dispositions before August 2022
- If you are convicted of a new crime after your record is sealed, the court must unseal it.
Law: C.R.S. 24-72-703(2)(a)(V)
Changes in 2024–2026
HB 24-1432 (effective August 7, 2024) ended CBI sealing fees. HB 24-1133 (effective July 1, 2025) added court sealing of no-charge arrests on DA notice, simplified victim notice for dismissals, let non-conviction records with a traffic conviction be sealed, made excluded petty offenses eligible with DA consent, and sealed pre-August 2022 non-conviction records in bulk. Automatic sealing of eligible non-drug felonies began July 1, 2025. SB 26-149 (May 2026) widened the incompetency-dismissal exclusion in 24-72-705(1)(g); SB 26-169 (revisor's bill, effective August 12, 2026) removed an obsolete fee-waiver ground. No 2025 or 2026 law changed the waiting periods in 24-72-706 or the automatic sealing dates in 13-3-117.
Law: C.R.S. 13-3-117(1)(d)
Questions about clearing a record in Colorado
What is clearing a record called in Colorado?
Record sealing (expungement for juvenile records and mistaken-identity arrests). Sealing hides your arrest or conviction records from public view. The records still exist and courts, police, prosecutors and agencies required by law to run background checks can still see them. Sealing a conviction does not vacate it.
Can convictions be cleared in Colorado?
Sealing of arrest records when no charges were filed: Arrests where no charges were filed, including completed pre-filing diversion. Sealing of non-conviction records: Cases completely dismissed, acquittals on all counts, completed diversion, and completed deferred judgments with all counts dismissed. Sealing of conviction records: Petty offenses, misdemeanors, and felonies except those listed as excluded.
How long do I have to wait in Colorado?
Arrest, no charges filed (court petition): You can petition once the statute of limitations has run or police are no longer investigating, or after completing diversion with no charges filed, counted from when the statute of limitations has run or you are no longer under investigation; Arrest on or after January 1, 2022, no charges (automatic at CBI): 1 year, counted from date of arrest; Dismissed, acquitted, diversion or deferred judgment completed: No waiting period, counted from dismissal or acquittal; Civil infraction, petty offense or drug petty offense: 1 year, counted from final disposition of all proceedings or release from supervision, whichever is later.
Does Colorado clear records automatically?
The state court administrator lists eligible convictions and courts seal them without a petition: civil infractions after 4 years, petty offenses and misdemeanors after 7 years from final disposition, and eligible felonies after 10 years from final disposition or release from supervision (whichever is later), if you had no new conviction in that time. Victim-rights crimes are excluded, and the DA can object. Arrests with no charges (CBI, after 1 year) and dismissals/acquittals are also sealed automatically. For arrests from January 1, 2019 to December 31, 2021 with no charges, CBI seals automatically after 18 months (misdemeanors, petty offenses) or 3 years (felonies with a 3-year statute of limitations), and CBI must seal older no-conviction arrest records by January 1, 2027.
How much does it cost to clear a record in Colorado?
Sealing of non-conviction records: No fees or costs. Sealing of conviction records: $65 processing fee; CBI no longer charges a sealing fee since July 1, 2024 (CBI).
Can a marijuana record be cleared in Colorado?
The Governor pardoned state convictions for possessing 2 ounces or less of marijuana by executive order (C 2020 004 for 1 ounce or less; C 2021 019 for 2 ounces or less, December 30, 2021) under HB 20-1424; you do not need to apply, and CBI has a form to check if your conviction was missed. A conviction for marijuana possession can also be sealed: the court must seal it once your record shows no new conviction, and you can then use JDF 680 to seal a pardoned conviction.
Can juvenile records be cleared in Colorado?
The juvenile court must expunge a delinquency case on its own within 42 days after a not-guilty finding, a full dismissal, or completion of the sentence or diversion for a petty offense, class 2 or 3 misdemeanor or level 1-2 drug misdemeanor (not sexual, domestic violence or victim-rights crimes) committed before age 18; other cases can be expunged on a petition (JDF 301, 302). After expungement you may say you have no juvenile record and lawfully deny the arrest or adjudication, though judges, probation and prosecutors can still use it in a later case.
What can I say after my record is cleared in Colorado?
After sealing you may reply that no public criminal records exist and may say you have not been criminally convicted; employers, landlords, government agencies and others may not require you to disclose sealed records in applications or interviews, and may not deny an application only because you refuse to disclose them. Exceptions: courts, police, prosecutors and agencies required by law to run criminal history checks can still see and use sealed records; the bar examiners and the Department of Education (for educators) have special rights to ask. Sealing does not vacate the conviction.
How do I get a copy of my criminal record in Colorado?
Run a name-based check on yourself online through the Internet Criminal History Check, or request a notarized record from CBI. To see your own sealed records, send CBI a written request with fingerprints and a $16.50 fee.