<section number="77-40a-303"><effdate>5/6/2026</effdate><histories><history>Amended by Chapter <modchap sess="2026GS">452</modchap>, 2026 General Session</history><modyear>2026</modyear></histories><catchline>Requirements for a certificate of eligibility to expunge records of a conviction.</catchline><subsection number="77-40a-303(1)">Except as otherwise provided by this section, a petitioner is eligible to receive a certificate of eligibility from the bureau to expunge the records of a conviction if:<subsection number="77-40a-303(1)(a)">the petitioner has paid in full all fines and interest ordered by the court related to the conviction for which expungement is sought;</subsection><subsection number="77-40a-303(1)(b)">the petitioner has paid in full all restitution ordered by the court under Section <xref depth="3" refnumber="77-38b-205">77-38b-205</xref>; and</subsection><subsection number="77-40a-303(1)(c)">the following time periods have passed after the day on which the petitioner was convicted or released from incarceration, parole, or probation, whichever occurred last, for the conviction that the petitioner seeks to expunge:<subsection number="77-40a-303(1)(c)(i)">10 years for the conviction of a misdemeanor under Subsection <xref depth="4" refnumber="41-6a-501(2)">41-6a-501(2)</xref>;</subsection><subsection number="77-40a-303(1)(c)(ii)">10 years for the conviction of a felony for operating a motor vehicle with any amount of a controlled substance in an individual's body and causing serious bodily injury or death, as codified before May 4, 2022, Laws of Utah 2021, <eol/>Chapter 236, Section 1, Subsection <xref depth="4" refnumber="58-37-8(2)(g)">58-37-8(2)(g)</xref>;</subsection><subsection number="77-40a-303(1)(c)(iii)">seven years for the conviction of a felony;</subsection><subsection number="77-40a-303(1)(c)(iv)">five years for the conviction of a drug possession offense that is a felony;</subsection><subsection number="77-40a-303(1)(c)(v)">five years for the conviction of a class A misdemeanor;</subsection><subsection number="77-40a-303(1)(c)(vi)">four years for the conviction of a class B misdemeanor; or</subsection><subsection number="77-40a-303(1)(c)(vii)">three years for the conviction of a class C misdemeanor or infraction.</subsection></subsection></subsection><subsection number="77-40a-303(2)">A petitioner is not eligible to receive a certificate of eligibility from the bureau to expunge the records of a conviction under Subsection <xref depth="4" refnumber="77-40a-303(1)">(1)</xref> if:<subsection number="77-40a-303(2)(a)">except as provided in Subsection <xref depth="4" refnumber="77-40a-303(3)">(3)</xref>, the conviction for which expungement is sought is:<subsection number="77-40a-303(2)(a)(i)">a capital felony;</subsection><subsection number="77-40a-303(2)(a)(ii)">a first degree felony;</subsection><subsection number="77-40a-303(2)(a)(iii)">a felony conviction of a violent felony as defined in Subsection <xref depth="4" refnumber="76-3-203.5(1)(c)(i)">76-3-203.5(1)(c)(i)</xref>;</subsection><subsection number="77-40a-303(2)(a)(iv)">a felony conviction described in Subsection <xref depth="4" refnumber="41-6a-501(2)">41-6a-501(2)</xref>; or</subsection><subsection number="77-40a-303(2)(a)(v)">an offense, or a combination of offenses, that require registration as a sex offender, kidnap offender, or child abuse offender under Title 53, Chapter 29, Sex, Kidnap, and Child Abuse Registry, at the time of sentencing or at the time of the application for the certificate of eligibility; </subsection></subsection><subsection number="77-40a-303(2)(b)">there is a criminal proceeding for a misdemeanor or felony offense pending against the petitioner, unless the criminal proceeding is for a traffic offense;</subsection><subsection number="77-40a-303(2)(c)">there is a plea in abeyance for a misdemeanor or felony offense pending against the petitioner, unless the plea in abeyance is for a traffic offense;</subsection><subsection number="77-40a-303(2)(d)">the petitioner is currently incarcerated, on parole, or on probation, unless the petitioner is on probation or parole for an infraction, a traffic offense, or a minor regulatory offense;</subsection><subsection number="77-40a-303(2)(e)">the petitioner intentionally or knowingly provides false or misleading information on the application for a certificate of eligibility;</subsection><subsection number="77-40a-303(2)(f)">there is a civil protective order, a criminal protective order, or a criminal stalking injunction against the petitioner that is in effect; or</subsection><subsection number="77-40a-303(2)(g)">the bureau determines that the petitioner's criminal history makes the petitioner ineligible for a certificate of eligibility under Subsection <xref depth="4" refnumber="77-40a-303(4)">(4)</xref> or <xref depth="4" refnumber="77-40a-303(5)">(5)</xref>.</subsection></subsection><subsection number="77-40a-303(3)">Subsection <xref depth="4" refnumber="77-40a-303(2)(a)">(2)(a)</xref> does not apply to a conviction for a qualifying sexual offense, as defined in Section <xref depth="3" refnumber="76-3-209">76-3-209</xref>, if, at the time of the offense, a petitioner who committed the offense was at least 14 years old but under 18 years old, unless the petitioner was convicted by a district court as an adult in accordance with Title 80, Chapter 6, Part 5, Minor Tried as an Adult.</subsection><subsection number="77-40a-303(4)">Subject to Subsections <xref depth="4" refnumber="77-40a-303(6)">(6)</xref>, (7), and (8), a petitioner is not eligible to receive a certificate of eligibility if, at the time the petitioner seeks the certificate of eligibility, the bureau determines that the petitioner's criminal history, including previously expunged convictions, contains any of the following:<subsection number="77-40a-303(4)(a)">two or more felony convictions other than for drug possession offenses, each of which is contained in a separate criminal episode;</subsection><subsection number="77-40a-303(4)(b)">any combination of three or more convictions other than for drug possession offenses that include two class A misdemeanor convictions, each of which is contained in a separate criminal episode;</subsection><subsection number="77-40a-303(4)(c)">any combination of four or more convictions other than for drug possession offenses that include three class B misdemeanor convictions, each of which is contained in a separate criminal episode; or</subsection><subsection number="77-40a-303(4)(d)">five or more convictions other than for drug possession offenses of any degree whether misdemeanor or felony, each of which is contained in a separate criminal episode.</subsection></subsection><subsection number="77-40a-303(5)">Subject to Subsections <xref depth="4" refnumber="77-40a-303(7)">(7)</xref> and <xref depth="4" refnumber="77-40a-303(8)">(8)</xref>, a petitioner is not eligible to receive a certificate of eligibility if, at the time the petitioner seeks the certificate of eligibility, the bureau determines that the petitioner's criminal history, including previously expunged convictions, contains any of the following:<subsection number="77-40a-303(5)(a)">three or more felony convictions for drug possession offenses, each of which is contained in a separate criminal episode; or</subsection><subsection number="77-40a-303(5)(b)">any combination of five or more convictions for drug possession offenses, each of which is contained in a separate criminal episode.</subsection></subsection><subsection number="77-40a-303(6)">If the petitioner's criminal history contains convictions for both a drug possession offense and a non-drug possession offense arising from the same criminal episode, the bureau shall count that criminal episode as a conviction under Subsection <xref depth="4" refnumber="77-40a-303(4)">(4)</xref> if any non-drug possession offense in that episode:<subsection number="77-40a-303(6)(a)">is a felony or class A misdemeanor; or</subsection><subsection number="77-40a-303(6)(b)">has the same or a longer waiting period under Subsection <xref depth="4" refnumber="77-40a-303(1)(c)">(1)(c)</xref> than any drug possession offense in that episode.</subsection></subsection><subsection number="77-40a-303(7)">Except as provided in Subsection <xref depth="4" refnumber="77-40a-303(8)">(8)</xref>, if at least 10 years have passed after the day on which the petitioner was convicted or released from incarceration, parole, or probation, whichever occurred last, for all convictions:<subsection number="77-40a-303(7)(a)">each numerical eligibility limit under Subsections <xref depth="4" refnumber="77-40a-303(4)(a)">(4)(a)</xref> and <xref depth="4" refnumber="77-40a-303(b)">(b)</xref> shall be increased by one; and</subsection><subsection number="77-40a-303(7)(b)">each numerical eligibility limit under Subsections <xref depth="4" refnumber="77-40a-303(4)(c)">(4)(c)</xref> and <xref depth="4" refnumber="77-40a-303(d)">(d)</xref> is not applicable if the highest level of convicted offense in the criminal episode is:<subsection number="77-40a-303(7)(b)(i)">a class B misdemeanor;</subsection><subsection number="77-40a-303(7)(b)(ii)">a class C misdemeanor;</subsection><subsection number="77-40a-303(7)(b)(iii)">a drug possession offense if none of the non-drug possession offenses in the criminal episode are a felony or a class A misdemeanor; or</subsection><subsection number="77-40a-303(7)(b)(iv)">an infraction.</subsection></subsection></subsection><subsection number="77-40a-303(8)">When determining whether a petitioner is eligible for a certificate of eligibility under Subsection <xref depth="4" refnumber="77-40a-303(4)">(4)</xref>, <xref refnumber="77-40a-303(5)" depth="4">(5)</xref>, or <xref refnumber="77-40a-303(7)" depth="4">(7)</xref>, the bureau may not consider a petitioner's pending case or prior conviction for:<subsection number="77-40a-303(8)(a)">an infraction;</subsection><subsection number="77-40a-303(8)(b)">a traffic offense;</subsection><subsection number="77-40a-303(8)(c)">a minor regulatory offense; or</subsection><subsection number="77-40a-303(8)(d)">a clean slate eligible case that was automatically expunged.</subsection></subsection><subsection number="77-40a-303(9)">If the petitioner received a pardon before May 14, 2013, from the Board of Pardons and Parole, the petitioner is entitled to an expungement order for all pardoned crimes in accordance with Section <xref depth="3" refnumber="77-27-5.1">77-27-5.1</xref>.</subsection></section>