Arapahoe County Record Sealing Lawyer
A criminal record does not disappear on its own. In Arapahoe County, a past arrest or conviction can surface on background checks run by employers, landlords, professional licensing boards, and lenders, often years after the case resolved. Colorado law provides a legitimate path to close that chapter, but eligibility rules are specific, waiting periods differ by offense category, and a procedural mistake can result in denial or unnecessary delay. Working with an Arapahoe County record sealing lawyer who understands how the process actually works in this jurisdiction can mean the difference between a clean record and continued exposure.
Record sealing in Colorado is not automatic, and it is not available for every conviction. The framework distinguishes between sealing arrests that did not lead to conviction, sealing dismissed charges, sealing convictions after a waiting period, and expunging juvenile records, each with its own set of rules. For Arapahoe County residents, petitions are filed in the Eighteenth Judicial District, which covers the Arapahoe County Justice Center in Centennial. Understanding how that court handles these petitions, what prosecutors are likely to contest, and how to document rehabilitation matters as much as knowing the statute itself.
The value of a sealed record is concrete. Once sealed, a Colorado criminal record is not available to most employers, landlords, or members of the public through background check services. You are legally permitted to answer “no” to most questions asking whether you have been arrested or convicted. That matters when you are applying for a job in Aurora’s growing healthcare and technology sectors, seeking housing in Englewood or Centennial, or pursuing a professional license with the state. A record that follows you into those conversations can cost you opportunities that a sealed record would have left open.
What Reid DeChant Brings to Arapahoe County Record Sealing Cases
Reid DeChant’s background as a former public defender gives him direct familiarity with how cases move through the Arapahoe County courts. He has represented clients on DUI charges, drug offenses, assault, theft, and a wide range of other matters in the Eighteenth Judicial District, and that hands-on experience with how cases were originally charged, resolved, and documented translates directly into record sealing work. Knowing how a case was disposed of, what plea was entered, how the charge was classified, and whether any conditions of the sentence were completed correctly, is essential groundwork for a successful sealing petition.
Reid is a graduate of the Trial Lawyers College, the program founded by Gerry Spence that emphasizes honest, human storytelling in legal advocacy. That training shapes how he presents a record sealing petition when prosecutors object or when the court requires more than a standard form submission. Petition hearings are not purely mechanical. When a judge has discretion, how your circumstances, rehabilitation, and purpose are presented can matter. Reid also maintains active membership in the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers and the Colorado Criminal Defense Bar, keeping him current on evolving state law in an area, record sealing, that the Colorado legislature has amended repeatedly in recent sessions. The firm’s case results in Arapahoe County, including dismissed DUI cases and not guilty verdicts, reflect a track record of strategic, persistent defense across this jurisdiction.
Offense Categories and Sealing Eligibility in Arapahoe County
- Arrests Without Conviction: If you were arrested in Arapahoe County but the charges were dismissed, you were acquitted, or the prosecution never filed charges, you are generally eligible to petition immediately for sealing of the arrest record. This includes cases dismissed after successful completion of a deferred judgment.
- Drug Offenses: Colorado has expanded sealing eligibility for many drug convictions, including possession charges. Waiting periods and eligibility depend on the specific offense, its classification, and whether all sentencing conditions including fines and probation have been completed. Petty drug offenses may qualify sooner than felony drug convictions.
- Misdemeanor Convictions: Many misdemeanor convictions become eligible for sealing after a statutory waiting period following final disposition or release from supervision. The specific waiting period depends on the misdemeanor class. Certain misdemeanors, particularly those involving domestic violence or sexual offenses, carry restrictions that may affect eligibility.
- Felony Convictions: Colorado allows sealing of certain felony convictions, though waiting periods are longer and fewer felony classes qualify. Class 1 and Class 2 felonies, as well as offenses involving crimes against persons such as assault, sexual assault, and domestic violence, are generally not sealable regardless of how much time has passed.
- DUI and Traffic Offenses: DUI convictions occupy a specific category under Colorado sealing law. The current statutory framework places meaningful limitations on sealing DUI convictions, making these cases particularly fact-sensitive. An attorney who has handled DUI defense in Arapahoe County, as Reid has, can assess whether your specific disposition creates any path to relief.
- Juvenile Records: Juvenile adjudications are handled through a separate expungement process rather than adult record sealing. Eligibility rules differ from the adult framework, and the Eighteenth Judicial District’s juvenile division handles these petitions separately from adult criminal matters.
- Civil Infractions and Municipal Offenses: Aurora, Englewood, Centennial, and other Arapahoe County municipalities have their own court systems for lower-level violations. Sealing these records may require action in municipal court rather than district court, and the procedures differ from the standard district court petition process.
How the Record Sealing Process Actually Works in the Eighteenth Judicial District
The first step in any Arapahoe County record sealing case is a complete review of your criminal history, not just in Arapahoe County but across all Colorado jurisdictions. The Colorado Bureau of Investigation maintains the state’s criminal history repository, and you can request your own record to see exactly what appears. This matters because eligibility for sealing in Arapahoe County can be affected by convictions from other counties. A DUI in Jefferson County or an assault in Adams County can make an otherwise-sealable Arapahoe record ineligible, or it can reset the waiting period clock. Reviewing the full picture before filing prevents wasted effort and avoids disclosures you did not anticipate.
Once eligibility is confirmed, the petition is filed in the Eighteenth Judicial District Court at the Arapahoe County Justice Center, located in Centennial. The petition identifies the specific case or cases to be sealed, the basis for eligibility, and your current circumstances. The court notifies the relevant prosecuting agency, which in most Arapahoe County cases is the Eighteenth Judicial District Attorney’s Office. Prosecutors have the right to object to a sealing petition, and their response, whether to consent, remain silent, or formally oppose, can affect the timeline and whether a hearing is required. In some situations the court can seal a record without a hearing. In others, particularly when the DA objects or the court has discretion to consider whether sealing is in the interest of justice, a hearing is set.
One of the most common mistakes in self-represented sealing petitions is treating the petition as purely administrative when it is actually quasi-adversarial. Incomplete petitions, failure to identify all cases on the same record, missing documentation of completed sentence conditions, and errors in identifying the applicable statutory basis for sealing are all grounds for denial or delay. A denial is not the end of the road in every case, but it adds time and requires understanding why the petition failed before refiling. Avoiding that outcome from the start is why representation matters here, even for cases that appear straightforward on the surface.
What a Sealed Record Does and Does Not Accomplish
Colorado’s record sealing statute creates real legal protections, but understanding their scope prevents disappointment later. Once a record is sealed, it is removed from the Colorado Bureau of Investigation’s public database, meaning consumer background check services that pull from that source will no longer show it. You have a statutory right to deny the existence of the arrest, charge, or conviction in most contexts. Most private employers, landlords, and schools will no longer see it. That is a genuinely significant result for someone whose old record has been limiting their options.
However, sealed records in Colorado are not completely destroyed. They remain accessible to law enforcement agencies, courts in subsequent criminal proceedings, certain licensing boards with statutory access, and federal agencies that conduct their own background investigations. If you hold a security clearance or are subject to federal employment screening, a sealed Colorado record may still surface in that context. Similarly, if you are applying for certain professional licenses, particularly in fields like healthcare, law, financial services, or education, the relevant licensing board may have authority to access sealed records or may require self-disclosure regardless of sealing. Understanding these exceptions before you file helps set realistic expectations about what sealing will accomplish in your specific situation. An Arapahoe County record sealing attorney can help you think through how sealing interacts with your particular employment or licensing goals before committing to the process.
Questions About Sealing Records in Arapahoe County
How long do I have to wait before I can petition to seal a conviction in Arapahoe County?
Waiting periods vary by offense class and type. For many misdemeanor convictions, the waiting period runs from the date of final disposition of the case or release from supervision, whichever is later. Felony convictions that are eligible to be sealed generally carry longer waiting periods. Drug offenses have their own statutory framework that may provide shorter paths for certain possession-level offenses. Because the legislature has amended these timelines in recent years, verifying your specific waiting period against the current statute before filing is essential.
Can I seal a dismissed charge even if I was convicted on a different charge in the same case?
This is a nuanced situation. Colorado law generally allows sealing of charges that were dismissed even within a case where another charge resulted in conviction. However, the sealability of the dismissed charge depends on its classification, and the presence of the conviction on the same case record may affect the practical outcome. The answer is fact-specific and depends on how the charges were filed and how the plea or verdict was structured.
Does sealing a DUI from Arapahoe County restore my driving record with the DMV?
The criminal court record and the Colorado DMV driver history record are separate systems. Sealing a DUI conviction in district court does not automatically remove the DUI from your DMV record. The DMV maintains its own database under different rules, and a DMV record showing prior DUI activity can still affect insurance rates and consequences for future offenses even after the criminal court record is sealed. If your DMV history is a concern alongside the criminal record, that warrants a separate conversation about what options, if any, exist on that side.
Will sealing a record in Arapahoe County affect how a federal court or federal employer sees my background?
Federal agencies conduct background investigations under federal standards that are not bound by state sealing orders. A Colorado court order sealing a record does not compel federal databases or federal investigators to treat the record as if it does not exist. If you are pursuing federal employment, a federal security clearance, or any position that requires a federal background investigation, you should discuss the limitations of state sealing with an attorney before assuming the record is fully invisible at the federal level.
I completed a deferred judgment and sentence in Arapahoe County. Is my record automatically sealed?
Not necessarily. Under Colorado law, successful completion of a deferred judgment results in dismissal of the charge, which then makes the record eligible for sealing. But the sealing does not happen automatically upon dismissal. You still need to file a petition with the court to have the record sealed. Some people complete deferred judgments and assume their records are clean without ever taking this step, only to discover years later that the arrest and charge history still appears on background checks. The petition must be filed separately after the dismissal.
Can an Arapahoe County employer who already knows about my record refuse to hire me even after it is sealed?
Record sealing controls what appears on background checks going forward. It does not erase knowledge that an employer, landlord, or other party already acquired before the record was sealed. If someone ran a background check before you sealed the record and retained that information, sealing does not obligate them to ignore what they already know. The practical value of sealing is primarily prospective, which is a reason not to delay filing once you become eligible.
Can I seal multiple cases from different years in a single petition?
Colorado procedure generally allows petitioning to seal multiple cases, but each case typically requires its own petition filed with the court that handled it. If your cases span multiple counties, you would need to file in each respective jurisdiction. In Arapahoe County, each case number in the Eighteenth Judicial District would need its own petition. Your attorney can coordinate these filings to run simultaneously where possible, which is more efficient than handling them sequentially.
If the Arapahoe County DA objects to my sealing petition, what happens?
A DA’s objection triggers a hearing where both sides can present arguments. The court then decides whether to grant or deny sealing based on the applicable statutory standard, which in discretionary cases involves weighing the petitioner’s interests against the public interest. Preparing for a contested hearing requires more than completing the petition form. A well-prepared presentation of your circumstances, evidence of rehabilitation, the nature of the original offense, and the impact of the record on your current life can influence a judge’s exercise of discretion. Having legal representation for a contested hearing is significantly more important than for an unopposed petition.
Does sealing a drug possession conviction in Arapahoe County affect a professional license application?
It depends on the licensing board and the profession. Many Colorado licensing boards have statutory access to sealed records or may require applicants to disclose all prior criminal history regardless of sealing. Healthcare licensing boards, law enforcement certification bodies, and financial industry regulators are examples of bodies that may ask for disclosure beyond what is on a standard background check. Before assuming that sealing will clear the path to a professional license, verify the specific disclosure requirements of the licensing board that governs your field.
Is there any situation where I should not seal a record even if I am eligible?
In most cases, eligible people benefit from sealing. But there are narrow situations where it warrants careful thought. If you are in the middle of an immigration process and your attorney has advised you that the original disposition created a particular status, changing how that record appears could theoretically affect an immigration argument. If you are involved in civil litigation where the underlying case is relevant to your position, sealing might affect what records are accessible. These are not common concerns, but they are worth raising with your attorney before filing if your situation is complicated by pending legal matters in other areas.
Arapahoe County Record Sealing Representation Across the Region
DeChant Law assists clients with record sealing petitions throughout Arapahoe County and the surrounding area. Within Arapahoe County, the firm serves residents of Aurora, Centennial, Englewood, Greenwood Village, Cherry Hills Village, Littleton, Sheridan, Glendale, and Foxfield, as well as the unincorporated communities across the county. Because many clients who lived or worked in Arapahoe County at the time of their arrest have since moved, the firm also handles petitions for former residents now living in Denver, Jefferson County, Douglas County, Adams County, and Broomfield County who have cases pending in the Eighteenth Judicial District. The Arapahoe County Justice Center in Centennial serves as the primary courthouse for these petitions, and the firm’s familiarity with that court, its clerks, and its procedures is a practical asset for clients who have never navigated it before. Whether your case originated in Aurora Municipal Court, in the Arapahoe County District Court, or in the combined court that handles multiple case types, the firm can identify the correct venue and file your petition in the right place the first time.
Talk to an Arapahoe County Record Sealing Attorney at DeChant Law
A past case resolved in your favor, or a conviction you have long since put behind you, should not keep defining your present. If you are ready to explore whether your Arapahoe County record qualifies for sealing, an Arapahoe County record sealing attorney at DeChant Law can review your history, identify which cases are eligible, and walk you through what to expect from the petition process in the Eighteenth Judicial District. There is no generic answer to whether you qualify. Eligibility depends on the specific charges, how they were resolved, whether all sentence conditions were met, and your broader criminal history across Colorado jurisdictions. The only way to know where you stand is to have someone who actually knows this area of law look at your specific situation. Call DeChant Law to schedule a consultation and get a clear-eyed assessment of what is possible for your record.
