Can I Speed Up the Record Sealing Process?
Las Vegas, Nevada

Is there a way to speed up the record sealing process?

While sealing a criminal record in Nevada may take between six (6) and ten (10) months, there are two things you can do to speed up a record sealing process. Before coming to our office:

• Obtain your criminal history report and
• Obtain your fingerprints.

Criminal history report

You can obtain your criminal history report (also known as SCOPE) from the Metropolitan Police at the location where your charges were filed.

For example:

If you were charged with a crime in Las Vegas or a police officer issued your citation/ticket in Las Vegas, you must obtain your criminal history report from the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police.

If you were charged with a crime in Henderson or a police officer issued a citation/ticket in Henderson, you must obtain your criminal history report from the Henderson Metropolitan Police.

If you were charged with a crime in North Las Vegas or a police officer issued a citation/ticket in North Las Vegas, you can get your criminal history report from the North Las Vegas Metropolitan Police.

There is a small fee involved in getting a criminal history report. This fee is paid directly to the police department.

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Fingerprints

To complete a record sealing petition, the court and the Department of Public Safety require a fingerprint card. You can get your fingerprint card from any police department in the area where you live. There is a small charge for this.

Getting a criminal history report and fingerprint card in advance can speed up your record sealing process.

How much does it cost to seal an arrest record in Las Vegas?

The fee depends on how much work is involved in sealing your criminal record.

Each case is different, and a "one-size-fits-all" approach doesn't work in the legal field. Some clients need to seal only one (1) arrest record, and some have had multiple arrests within the last 15 - 20 years.

The court petition fee

Currently, the Court Petition Fee is approximately $300 per filing.

Notarizing document fee

Some required for record sealing documents must be notarized. One of these documents is The Department of Public Safety Criminal History Release Form.

Time requirements

Read our article "Seal a Record", which covers the latest time requirements for sealing criminal records in Nevada and explains the difference between record sealing and record expungement; answers questions about FBI inquiries, background checks, sealing embezzlement charges, how many criminal records can be sealed at the same time and provides other relevant information about record sealing process.

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Challenges/issues of record sealing cases in Las Vegas

There are many challenges involved in sealing court records. One of them is unforeseeable delays that are beyond our control. These delays may be caused by the following:

• Incomplete criminal history report information. Sometimes, the Case Number or Disposition Date may be missing from the criminal history report. Both are required to petition the court to seal a criminal record. If this is the case, the law firm has to do a lot of research, looking for the missing information.

• The phone and address changed after the law firm accepted the case. Make sure the law firm has your latest information in case they need to contact you for additional information.

• Courts have a backlog. The court system in Las Vegas is understaffed, leading to many unexpected delays in processing record sealing petitions.

• Two people must sign the petition to allow record sealing, the Judge and the District Court Attorney. Both have different schedules and a mixed load of cases.

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