Informational, not legal advice. Statute citations and eligibility windows reflect research as of the “last verified” date on this page. Always confirm with a licensed attorney in your state of conviction before acting.

Petition Required

Arizona expungement eligibility.

Arizona requires you to file a petition with the court of conviction to seal your record. The eligibility, fee, and form details are below.

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Eligibility quiz

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Form checklist

Printable PDF: every form, fee, and document you need to file in Arizona.

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Wait periods by offense category

Years required between completion of all sentence requirements and the earliest date relief is available.

Offense category	Wait period	Eligible after
Misdemeanor	3 yr	Year 3 after sentence completion
Non-violent felony	7 yr	Year 7 after sentence completion
Violent felony	Excluded	—
Sex offense	Excluded	—
DUI	5 yr	Year 5 after sentence completion
Drug offense	5 yr	Year 5 after sentence completion

Wait periods are counted from the latest of: release from custody, end of probation/parole, or final restitution payment. Statute citation applies. Confirm with a licensed attorney before relying.

Compute your earliest eligible date

Enter your sentence-completion date and offense category to compute the earliest petition date.

Wait-period calculator

Ariz. Rev. Stat. § 13-911

Enter the date all sentence requirements were fully completed (release date, end of probation, or final restitution payment — whichever is latest). We'll compute the earliest date you can file.

Completion dateOffense category

Earliest eligible date: May 4, 2030

About 48 months remaining (wait period: 7 years).

How to file in Arizona

Pull a certified copy of your record from Arizona's criminal history repository.
Confirm restitution and fines are fully paid. Outstanding obligations block almost every petition.
Confirm probation/parole discharge. Get a final discharge letter or a current letter from your supervising officer.
Verify the wait period for your offense (table above) is satisfied.
File the petition at the Superior Court (felonies) or Justice/Municipal Court (misdemeanors) in the county of conviction. Filing fee: varies — see the court website.
Serve the prosecutor with notice of the petition. Most states require this before a judge will rule.
Attend the hearing if the court schedules one. Many uncontested petitions are decided on the papers.

Recent amendments

Major statutory changes affecting record relief in Arizona.

2021
SB 1294 (codified A.R.S. §13-911)
Created Arizona's first record-sealing law; effective January 1, 2023, with tiered waiting periods (10/5/3/2 years by class).
Primary source: azleg.gov ↗
2019
Certificate of Second Chance (A.R.S. §13-905)
Allowed courts to issue a Certificate of Second Chance with a set-aside, providing additional licensing/employment protections.
Primary source: azleg.gov ↗

Arizona-specific carve-outs

Categories the law treats differently in this state.

Set-aside vs sealing distinction
Set-aside under §13-905 vacates the guilty judgment but the conviction remains visible (annotated) on the AZDPS record; only §13-911 sealing removes from public view.
Source: azleg.gov ↗
Categorical exclusions
Dangerous offenses, sex offenses, offenses involving a minor under 15, DUI extreme/aggravated, and violations resulting in serious physical injury are excluded from sealing.
Source: azleg.gov ↗

Common mistakes to avoid

Reasons Arizona petitions get bounced or sealings fail to land.

Filing for §13-911 sealing while still on probation or with unpaid restitution is denied — completion of all terms is required.
A set-aside under §13-905 does NOT seal the record; petitioners often confuse the two and file the wrong petition.

Excluded categories

These categories are typically excluded from petition relief in Arizona based on our research. An attorney may still see options.

Sex offenses
Excluded from automatic and petition relief in nearly every state. A few narrow carve-outs exist for older non-registerable offenses.
See state-by-state pages
Violent felonies
Generally excluded from automatic Clean Slate sealing; some states allow petition relief after long wait periods.
DUI / DWI
Treatment varies widely. Some states (e.g. Michigan, Virginia) carve out DUIs entirely; others treat them as standard misdemeanors.
Pending cases or unpaid restitution
Most states require all sentence requirements — including restitution to victims — to be fully discharged before the clock starts.
Federal convictions
Federal expungement is functionally non-existent. There is no statutory federal expungement remedy for most offenses.

Arizona form checklist

What to assemble before you file. The petition gets bounced for missing items more than any other reason — work through this list end-to-end.

Certified copy of your record from the state repository ($15–$30).
Final probation/parole discharge letter or current supervisor letter.
Restitution-paid confirmation from the court ledger or DA.
The petition form (state-specific — see court website).
Proposed order for the judge to sign.
Fee waiver application if income qualifies.
Notice to the District Attorney with proof of service.
Filing fee.

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