Denver County Court

Cleaning up Your Record

Any person may petition the Court to seal juvenile or criminal records under certain circumstances.  This section describes various scenarios that qualify and the process that must be followed.

NOTE: These standard instructions are for information purposes and are not intended as legal advice. If you choose to represent yourself, you are bound by the same rules and procedures as an attorney.

CAUTION:  Sealing of records is often a complicated process.  By law, not all records are eligible to be sealed based upon the type of case, time line when the offense(s) occurred, how often a person can petition to seal a record or because of other items for which you may have been convicted.

You may wish to seek the advice of an attorney.

The Court, law enforcement and criminal justice agencies will always have access to adult sealed records. However, as stated in the statutes, when an adult has a sealed case, and if inquiries are made by anyone other than a criminal justice agency, all agencies must respond that “no record exists with respect to such person.”

If a juvenile case is ordered expunged, basic information identifying the juvenile will be available to a prosecuting attorney, local law enforcement agency, and the Department of Human Services. The entire juvenile record will be available to any Judge or probation department for use in any future juvenile or adult sentencing hearing. However, if inquiries are made by the public, the court will reply that “no record exists.”

Records ordered expunged may only be inspected by criminal justice agencies if a hearing is held and the Court decides to allow the review for good reason. A notice of hearing shall be given to all interested parties at least five days before the hearing.