Seal Petty Offense and Municipal Ordinance Violations

Events from ten or more years ago can still affect you today if someone runs a background check. Even arrests will show up on your permanent record, potentially denying you a job opportunity, rental, or other benefit where a background check is necessary. Rather than spend the time in Court and arduous resources to have your record sealed for a past criminal matter, we encourage you to instead consider the flat-rate record seal petition package offered by us. A new law provides relief to certain people. If you were convicted of a municipal ordinance violation, you may qualify to have your record sealed.

Municipal Ordinance Violation Records from Municipal Courts and certain Petty offenses

Only a limited set of circumstances qualify for a record seal petition, so it is important to determine in advance whether you qualify to have your record sealed. If you were convicted in a municipal court (or entered a guilty plea) of a municipal ordinance violation AND you were not convicted of a misdemeanor or felony within three years after that conviction, you may qualify.

Is my record a municipal violation or petty offense?

• Municipal Ordinance Violations are prosecuted by the Municipal Attorney and in the Municipal Court. A Municipal Court is a Court for the home rule municipality (Lakewood, Arvada, etc..), as opposed to County or District Court. This is also sometimes called City Court.
• A “petty offense” is specifically classified as a class 1 or class 2 petty offense. The penalty for commission of a class 1 petty offense, upon conviction, is a fine of not more than five hundred dollars, or imprisonment for not more than six months other than in state correctional facilities, or both. The penalty for commission of a class 2 petty offense is a fine specified in the section defining the offense.

If you cannot remember what court you went to or what the charge you faced was, more research may be necessary. However, if the charges meet the qualification of a petty offense or municipal ordinance violation, it may qualify to be sealed. The other major eligibility requirement is that within three years after the conviction, you were not convicted of a misdemeanor or felony.

Extra costs apply if you proceed under this section which are written into the law. If you pled guilty under a deal that caused the case to be dismissed later, or your municipal ordinance or petty offense was otherwise dropped, we should also explore proceeding under a different statute that should not accrue these additional costs. Please see our page regarding sealing adult criminal justice records.

See our page regarding other types of records

What the lawyers of our firm can do for you:

We will confirm whether you are eligible to qualify for a record seal petition. If you qualify, we will petition the court on your behalf, and then ensure that your record is sealed and that all parties are properly notified of any issued order to seal. The cost of filing is included in the flat-rate and includes research, filing fees, e-filing fees, mail, paper, and basic costs. If your case was dropped or charges were never brought, we can do the work for substantially less. If you case is a drug conviction record (controlled substance) or other type of record, please see the relevant page for pricing and more information.

Please contact our firm for more information at 303-459-7898