How to file to clear a record in Nevada

The steps, cost, fee waiver and forms to clear a record in Nevada.

Checked against official sources: October 25, 2026.

Short answer

Get your current verified Criminal History Report from the Central Repository (DPS). File a petition with a proposed order in the court that convicted you, listing every agency holding the records.

Main remedy
Sealing Records After Conviction (NRS 179.245)
Cost
Court filing fees vary by court: e.g. $74 in Las Vegas, Henderson and North Las Vegas Justice Courts, $270 in the Eighth Judicial District Court; $71 in Sparks Justice Court (Washoe County).
Forms
5

How to file in Nevada

Sealing Records After Conviction (NRS 179.245)

Get your current verified Criminal History Report from the Central Repository (DPS). File a petition with a proposed order in the court that convicted you, listing every agency holding the records. The court notifies the police and prosecutor. If the prosecutor agrees, the court must seal; if no objection within 30 days, the judge may seal without a hearing; otherwise there is a hearing. The law presumes sealing should be granted if you meet the requirements.

Law: NRS 179.2445

Cost
Court filing fees vary by court: e.g. $74 in Las Vegas, Henderson and North Las Vegas Justice Courts, $270 in the Eighth Judicial District Court; $71 in Sparks Justice Court (Washoe County). Criminal History Report from DPS: $27, not waivable, plus fingerprinting ($5-$25 depending on agency) and certified copies ($3 each).
If you can't pay
File an Application to Proceed in Forma Pauperis with the court clerk. No fees at all if you were a sex-trafficking victim when the crime was committed.

Law: NRS 179.2445; NRS 179.245(9)

Sealing After Dismissal, Declined Prosecution or Acquittal (NRS 179.255)

File in the court where the charges were dismissed or the acquittal was entered (for declined cases, the court with jurisdiction) with your verified DPS record and the disposition. The same stipulation / 30-day objection / hearing process applies.

Cost
Court filing fee varies by court (see conviction sealing).
If you can't pay
Application to Proceed in Forma Pauperis.

Sealing of Decriminalized Offenses (NRS 179.271)

Send a written request to the court that convicted you. The prosecutor has 10 judicial days to object; with no objection the court must grant it. With an objection there is a hearing and the court grants it unless the prosecutor shows good cause by clear and convincing evidence.

Cost
No fee may be charged.

Law: NRS 179.271(2)

Sealing After Discharge From Deferred Probation (NRS 176A.265)

Sealing is ordered by the court when you complete the program; for DUI and domestic battery cases you file a petition after 7 years.

Sealing After Reentry Program (NRS 179.259)

The court may order sealing; Parole and Probation can ask for a hearing. Licensing boards and the Division of Insurance can still inspect these records.

Court self-help

Checklist: what to gather before you file

Records that are not eligible in Nevada

  • Sealing Records After Conviction (NRS 179.245): Crimes against a child; sexual offenses; home invasion with a deadly weapon; felony DUI; DUI causing death or substantial harm; vehicular homicide; felony boating under the influence. You must have no new conviction (other than minor traffic) and no pending charges during the waiting period.
  • Sealing of Decriminalized Offenses (NRS 179.271): Traffic offenses.
  • Sealing After Discharge From Deferred Probation (NRS 176A.265): Records cannot be sealed under this section if you were charged with child abuse or neglect or abuse, neglect or exploitation of an older or vulnerable person.
  • Sealing After Reentry Program (NRS 179.259): Crimes against a child and sexual offenses.

Law: NRS 179.2405-179.301 (esp. 179.245, 179.2445, 179.265); NRS 179.271; NRS 176A.265; NRS 179.259

After your record is cleared

After sealing, the proceedings are deemed never to have occurred and you may answer any inquiry, including a job application, as if they did not happen; your rights to vote, hold office and serve on a jury are restored, but not the right to own a gun unless a pardon restores it. Exceptions: gaming and insurance regulators can inspect sealed records related to gaming or insurance, the Central Repository can report sexual offenses to employers under federal law, and the pardons board can inspect records of applicants.

Law: NRS 179.285; NRS 179.301

Get your own record in Nevada

Central Repository for Nevada Records of Criminal History (Nevada DPS Records, Communications and Compliance Division) · (775) 684-6262

Submit the Request for Nevada Criminal History (DPS-006) with an FD-258 fingerprint card and a $27 money order or certified check (fee cannot be waived), or the electronic request from inside Nevada. The report is valid for sealing for one year.

Letter: ask the state records office for a copy of your record

In nearby states

  • California: No filing fee
  • Utah: BCI application fee $65 (non-refundable). No BCI certificate issuance fee for dismissals, acquittals or declined cases (except dismissals after a plea in abeyance or diversion).
  • Idaho: No filing fee for the petition.

What to do now in Nevada

  1. Gather your papers

    Collect your case numbers, final court papers and proof of payment. Checklist: what to gather before you file.

  3. File and serve

    After you file, the prosecutor may respond and the court decides.

Free legal help in Nevada

Questions about filing in Nevada

How long do I have to wait in Nevada?

Misdemeanor (most): 1 year, counted from release from actual custody or end of a suspended sentence, whichever is later; Misdemeanor battery, harassment, stalking or violating a protection order: 2 years, counted from release from actual custody or end of a suspended sentence, whichever is later; Misdemeanor DUI, misdemeanor domestic battery, or Medicaid fraud: 7 years, counted from release from actual custody or end of a suspended sentence, whichever is later; Gross misdemeanor: 2 years, counted from release from actual custody or discharge from probation, whichever is later.

What is the filing fee in Nevada?

Sealing Records After Conviction: Court filing fees vary by court: e.g. $74 in Las Vegas, Henderson and North Las Vegas Justice Courts, $270 in the Eighth Judicial District Court; $71 in Sparks Justice Court (Washoe County). Criminal History Report from DPS: $27, not waivable, plus fingerprinting ($5-$25 depending on agency) and certified copies ($3 each). Sealing After Dismissal, Declined Prosecution or Acquittal: Court filing fee varies by court (see conviction sealing). Sealing of Decriminalized Offenses: No fee may be charged.

How can I see my Nevada record?

Submit the Request for Nevada Criminal History (DPS-006) with an FD-258 fingerprint card and a $27 money order or certified check (fee cannot be waived), or the electronic request from inside Nevada. The report is valid for sealing for one year.

Who helps for free in Nevada?

Legal Aid Center of Southern Nevada - Criminal Record Sealing classes and forms clinic and Nevada Legal Services - record sealing forms.

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