How to Seal a Record in Maricopa County, Arizona

Maricopa County is the most populated county in Arizona with over 3,942,169 residents. While there is ample opportunity to find employment, there is also a great deal of competition in these major cities. If you have a criminal record, chances are that the candidate who is able to pass the criminal background check is going to be the one chosen for the position. Do not allow an offense of your past to haunt you present and future. If you have a criminal record in Maricopa County, you may be eligible to have it sealed, which may help you to pass background checks for employment and housing.

The first step that you need to take in sealing your record is to determine your eligibility. Your eligibility for record sealing is contingent on many factors. Generally, you may be eligible to seal an offense from your record if you have satiated the mandatory waiting period, have paid all fines owed to the court, are no longer on probation, and are not facing any additional charges. Once you have determined your eligibility, you will file the petition for your record sealing with the court that oversaw your original hearing as they are the same court that will have jurisdiction over your record sealing.

The Steps Required to Seal your Record

To file the petition, you will need as much information about your offense as possible such as

• The name of the arresting agency
• The date of your arrest
• Your court case number
• The class of your offense
• The date of your final disposition
• The date that you successfully completed probation, if applicable

To obtain information about your case, you can contact the court clerk’s office of your respective courthouse, or you can get your records through the Department of Justice (DOJ) who also maintains copies of court documents. The court clerks and customer service representatives of these agencies are very busy, so it is important that you are prepared to give them as much information as possible so that they can more readily locate your case, and be prepared to tell them what specific information you need.

The contact information for the Maricopa County Superior Court can be found on their website at http://www.superiorcourt.maricopa.gov

To contact the DOJ for Maricopa County is:
Two Renaissance Square 40 N. Central Avenue, Suite 1200
Phoenix, AZ 85004-4408
(602) 514-7500

More information on setting aside a record in Arizona can be found in our how to guide.