A division of
0
Cart
877-573-7273
A division of
A division of
Do you worry that your criminal records will hold you back in the life you want? Are you concerned that your Colorado criminal record will affect your ability to find or retain a good job or get into school? Having a record can inhibit your chances of finding better paying jobs, getting into school, or from living a better life.
Sealing or expunging your record will give you the freedom to apply to higher paying jobs and have a greater chance at getting into a good school. With so many employers, landlords, neighbors, and loved ones conducting background checks, getting an expungement or record sealing is a great investment in your future. Allow us to help you achieve a better life for yourself.
In Colorado you can have many conviction records, dismissed criminal cases, and juvenile records sealed or expunged. Our firm has cleared over 24,000 criminal records nationwide and we can help you too. Take our no-obligation, free online eligibility test to see if you qualify for sealing in Colorado.
In Colorado, adult records are sealed and juvenile records are expunged, but both are basically the same thing. Neither sealings nor expungements result in destruction of records and both sealed and expunged records can be accessed by the court, prosecutor, and the person whose record it is.
Expunged and sealed cases are considered to have never existed and the public cannot see expunged records. This allows you to state that you have never been arrested, charged, adjudicated, convicted or sentenced regarding the expunged case.
Sealings have a few small differences from expungements and the largest is that it is possible that a sealed record can be ordered unsealed. The most common reason for unsealing a previously sealed record would be if the person whose record was sealed is then convicted for another offense following the sealing order. Therefore, it is important to not reoffend so that your record stays sealed. Expunged records cannot be un-expunged. The other instance of a sealed record being unsealed is only possible when circumstances come into existence after the original sealing that show that the public interest in the disclosure outweigh the defendant’s interest in privacy. We believe this is extremely rare.
One other difference between sealed and expunged records is if you are applying to become a licensed attorney in Colorado. The Colorado Bar Committee can inquiry about and seek access your sealed records but not your expunged records. Also, if you are a current teacher or currently applying for a teaching license, the Department of Education must be given notice of your application to seal your record and may inquiry about the facts regarding the pending sealing petition. However, once your record is sealed, you may deny the existence of the offense to the Department of Education.
The Colorado sealing process can be a complicated and time-consuming process to face on your own. Our attorneys and staff will alleviate the stress of the sealing process by handling the process for you and making it as easy on you as possible. The first step in sealing a record is obtaining all documents related to your conviction, dismissal, or juvenile case. We will contact all relevant agencies that possess any documents relevant to your case and obtain them for you. Our attorneys will then begin preparing the application and, once complete, file the forms in the appropriate court.
After the court receives the appropriate paperwork, it can take about 6 weeks for the court to select a hearing date. Your case could be decided without a hearing in some cases. If the court grants a hearing, one of our attorneys will be there to represent you so that you don’t have to go to court. It is extremely rare that a client needs to show up in court with their attorney. If the court grants the petition to seal your records, our staff will notify all relevant agencies of the Order and all service costs will be included in the flat service fee.
The entire process can take several months since the courts can get backed up, but we will complete our portion of the process as quickly as possible. The sooner you get started, the sooner you will have a clear record and the confidence that comes with it.
Determining whether or not your record is eligible to be sealed or expunged can be very difficult on your own. The quickest and easiest way for you to determine if your record is eligible is to take our free online eligibility test or call our office at 877-573-7273.
In order to to have a criminal records for a dismissed case sealed, all charges in the case must have been dismissed or you must have been acquitted of all charges. This includes cases where you have completed a deferred sentence or a deferred prosecution, where no charges were filed and the statute of limitations has expired, or where a case was dismissed due to a plea agreement in another case and more than 10 years have passed since the case was concluded and no additional criminal charges were filed.
Certain offenses and offense types are not eligible for conviction sealing relief. The state views these offenses as particularly harmful to public safety and believe records related to such offenses should remain available for review. Offenses for certain traffic misdemeanors (DUI's) and felonies, offenses of a particularly violent nature, or those which involve unlawful sexual behavior are among the offense types not eligible for sealing relief. In addition to not being convicted of an excluded offense-type, you must complete your sentence, and satisfy the applicable waiting period, The waiting periods vary depending on the seriousness or level of offense. The waiting period begins from the final disposition of all criminal proceedings against you for the case, or once you've been released from supervision as a result of the criminal conviction, whichever is later.
The waiting periods are:
Petty Offense or Drug Petty Offense - 1 or more years
Class 2 or 3 Misdemeanor or Any Drug Misdemeanor - 2 or more years
Class 4, Class 5, or Class 6 Felony, a Level 3 or 4 Drug Felony, or Class 1 Misdemeanor - 3 or more years
All Other Offenses not explicitly excluded - 5 or more years
However, you may not petition the court to seal criminal conviction records if you still owe restitution, fines, late fees, or other financial penalties ordered by the court for the case you have requested to be sealed. Also, some case types are not eligible including cases that involve unlawful sexual offenses and minor traffic cases. There are other various requirements that may make you eligible or ineligible for sealing.
The eligibility requirements can be complicated and we can help you figure out which cases are eligible. We would love the opportunity to clean your record and help you have a more successful life. Please take our free online eligibility test or contact our office at 877-573-7273 so one of our specialists may assist you.
Juvenile records can sometimes be expunged. As with adult sealing, some crimes can not expunged, including felony unlawful sexual behavior and certain violent offenses. If your case was dismissed or you were found not guilty, you can petition immediately. If your case did not go to court, there is a one year waiting period to file for expungement. If you were adjudicated and sentenced, there is a three year waiting period before you can file for expungement.
Depending on the case and court, some cases can carry a substantial filing fee. We require that all filing fees be paid prior to filing and the filing fee is not included in our attorney fee. The fee will not have to be paid until we are ready to file your petition. Filing fees range from no fee to over $400. For example, at the time that we wrote this article, juvenile cases have no filing fee, some non-conviction filing fees are as low as $65, and municipal conviction filing fees are $424.
Filing fees change all the time so please contact our office to determine current filing fees. If you mess up your case by attempting to do it on your own, you would have to pay the filing fee twice. This makes hiring a skilled attorney your best choice for sealing a Colorado record.
Our law firm has handled thousands of cases across the country. We serve every county in Colorado and have a low price guarantee. We make sure you get a great deal while still providing excellent customer service by making the process as quick and easy as possible for you. Call us now to get started today!
Our exclusive Expedited Record Clearance Update service allows us to have the leading background check companies reflect changes to your criminal record in less than 14 days, instead of months and even years like our competitors.
| Record Sealing | Our Law Firm | Typical Law Firm |
| Price* | $1,500.00 | $2,500.00 |
| Payment Plans | Yes | No |
| Low-Price Guarantee | Yes | No |
| Specializes in Record Clearing | Yes | No |
| Get started with $250.00 Plus 5 interest-free monthly payments of only $250.00. | ||
* Filing fees and any document processing fees are not included in the Attorney fee and these fees will be due at the time of court filing and not according to the payment plan. Client may also need to have documents notarized by a Notary Public and Client will be responsible for that cost.
In some instances a criminal history report from the Colorado Bureau of Investigation and/or FBI will need to be obtained. This will require Client to be fingerprinted and Client will be responsible for those additional costs.
| Benefits | RecordGone.com | Typical Attorney Site |
| More than 30,000 successful cases | Yes | No |
| "A+" rating with Better Business Bureau | Yes | No |
| Updates background check companies | Yes | No |
| Gladly offers to price match | Yes | No |
| Work starts with your first payment | Yes | No |
| Fastest possible results | Yes | No |
| 50+ combined years of experience | Yes | No |
| National law firm | Yes | No |
| Online case management system | Yes | No |
| Experts who helped create expungement law | Yes | No |
| Award-winning customer service | Yes | No |
| Interest-free payment plans | Yes | No |
Sign Up Online *
* You must first take our free eligibility test in order to sign up online.
“I want to thank The Law offices of Higbee & Associates for giving me back the chance to pursue my dreams. Without this firms persistence and experience I wouldn't be looking at a brighter future.”
- Reggie from Palm Beach
