How Nevada Record Sealing Works
Sealing a criminal record in Nevada requires a formal petition, prosecutorial review, and a court order — followed by distribution to every agency holding your record. Here is what the process looks like from start to finish.
Sealing a criminal record in Nevada does not happen automatically. It requires a formal petition, sign-off from the District Attorney, and a judge's order — after which you are personally responsible for distributing that order to every agency holding a copy of your record. The process is procedurally unforgiving: a single error in the paperwork returns the entire matter to the beginning.
Once sealed, the record is treated by Nevada law as though it never occurred. You may lawfully answer "no" on employment and housing applications when asked about arrests or convictions covered by the order. Background checks conducted by most private employers will return no result. Certain licensing bodies — including the Nevada Gaming Control Board — retain access regardless of the seal.
The timeline from filing to a fully sealed record typically runs several weeks to several months. The Nevada Criminal History Repository in Carson City is chronically backlogged, and there is no mechanism to expedite compliance once the order has been distributed. Planning ahead matters considerably.
What you need to know
All fees must be paid before filing
A case is not considered closed until all fines, probation fees, jail fees, and required classes are completed. The waiting period does not begin until the case is fully closed.
Denied petitions carry a two-year lockout
If the court rejects your petition, you must wait two years before filing again — and Nevada limits you to two attempts total. Getting it right the first time is not optional.
You distribute the order yourself
After the judge signs, the responsibility for serving copies on every named agency falls to you. Agencies must comply, but only after receiving the signed order directly.
Important caveat
Partial seals are not available in Nevada
Nevada courts seal your entire record or nothing at all. If you have one unsealable conviction — a felony DUI, for instance — it can block sealing of every other case on your record, including matters that would otherwise qualify. Addressing eligible cases as soon as they become eligible, before any new charges arise, is the most important strategic consideration in this area of law.
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Free Consultation →The five steps
Obtain Your SCOPE
The first step is obtaining your criminal history report — known in Nevada as a SCOPE (Shared Computer Operations for Protection and Enforcement). This document shows every arrest and criminal citation on file with local law enforcement. Contact the police department where your charges originated to request it. If you have convictions, you will also need a judgment of conviction and discharge from the District Court Clerk.
Identify the Right Court
The court that presided over your case is generally the one that seals it. If all your charges originate from a single court — Henderson Justice Court, for example — you file there. If your record spans multiple courts, you file a single consolidated petition in the Eighth Judicial District Court, which has jurisdiction over the lower courts in Clark County.
Prepare the Petition, Affidavit, and Order
The paperwork must be typed and must accurately list every arrest, the arresting agency, the date, the charges, and the final disposition of each matter. The order must also name every agency holding a copy of your record. Sign and date each document and prepare three copies of each.
Submit to the District Attorney
Deliver the complete package to the District Attorney's Office. The DA will review for eligibility. One error in the paperwork returns the entire matter to the beginning. If the DA declines to sign because you are ineligible, you may request a judicial hearing to argue the matter directly before a judge.
Obtain the Judge's Signature
Once the DA signs off, the clerk routes the paperwork to the judge, who in practice nearly always signs when the prosecutor has already agreed. After the judge signs, you are responsible for distributing certified copies to every agency listed in the order. Each agency is then legally obligated to remove the record from its databases.