Guide · Clark County
How to seal a criminal record in Las Vegas, Nevada: who qualifies, waiting periods, steps
If your charges were dismissed you can petition now; after a conviction you must wait 1 to 10 years, depending on the offense.
Updated November 1, 2026 at 2:23 PM
You seal a criminal record by filing a petition with the court that handled your case. If your charges were dismissed or you were acquitted, you can petition at any time after that (NRS 179.255). After a conviction, you have to wait first.
Waiting periods after a conviction
The wait starts on the day you are released from custody, or the day parole, probation or a suspended sentence ends, whichever is later (NRS 179.245). The waits are:
Most misdemeanors: 1 year. Misdemeanor battery, harassment, stalking, or violating a protection order: 2 years. Gross misdemeanor or category E felony: 2 years (NRS 179.245(1)).
DUI or domestic battery that was not a felony: 7 years. Category B, C or D felony: 5 years. Category A felony, crime of violence, or residential burglary: 10 years (NRS 179.245(1)).
Some convictions can never be sealed. These include a crime against a child, a sexual offense and a felony DUI (NRS 179.245(6)).
Steps to seal your record
1. Work out which court handled your case. Misdemeanors and traffic cases are usually in a Justice Court, felonies are in the Eighth Judicial District Court (NRS 3.010), and city ordinance misdemeanors are in that city's municipal court (NRS 5.050).
2. Find your case number on any paperwork you were given, such as a citation, notice or order. It is at the top of the first page. Write it down, because the court and any helper will ask for it.
3. Count your waiting period using the table above. If your case was dismissed or you were acquitted, you can go straight to the petition.
4. Get your current verified records from the Central Repository for Nevada Records of Criminal History. Your petition must include them (NRS 179.245(2)(a)).
5. File the petition with the court that handled the case. Civil Law Self-Help Center staff can help you find the right court. They are at the Regional Justice Center, 200 Lewis Ave, 1st floor.
6. If you cannot afford the filing fees, ask for a fee waiver. The court must let you file without paying if you get public assistance or your household's net income is at or under 150% of the federal poverty guideline (NRS 12.015).
What happens next
If you meet every requirement, the law presumes your records should be sealed (NRS 179.2445). If the prosecutor agrees, the court seals them (NRS 179.245(4)).
Once a case is sealed, it no longer shows up in the Las Vegas Justice Court's public records search, so a search that finds nothing does not always mean there was never a case.
Free help with sealing a record is available from the Legal Aid Center of Southern Nevada (lacsn.org), or call 211.
Sources: Look up a Clark County court case