What are the record seal costs in Las Vegas?
The average cost breakdown to get a record seal in Las Vegas Justice Court is as follows:
|
Nevada record sealing task |
Estimated costs in Las Vegas Justice Court |
| Obtaining criminal history (“SCOPE”) from Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department | $10 |
| Obtaining criminal history from Nevada Department of Public Safety | $23.50 |
| Fingerprinting service | The going rate is about $25, depending on the company |
| Filing Petition and Order to Seal Records with Las Vegas Justice Court | $74 |
| Obtaining four certified copies of signed Order to Seal (more or less may be needed) | $12 ($3 per copy) |
| Postage for mailing out Order to Seal to various government agencies | $3.57 ($1.19 per envelope) |
If I make a mistake on my record seal paperwork, do I have to pay more?
Probably yes. You may have to get a fresh criminal history record from the police and possibly new fingerprints, which all cost money. That is why you are advised to hire a Las Vegas criminal defense attorney to manage the process for you.
How much more expensive are record seals if I hire an attorney?
An experienced Nevada criminal defense attorney can charge upwards of $1,500 or more to seal your entire criminal record. Though it is well worth the cost. As your attorney, I would:
- determine whether you are eligible for a record seal before you spend any money on the process;
- handle the entire confusing, paperwork-heavy, multi-step record seal procedure so you do not have to do anything other than get fingerprinted; and
- get the filings right the first time so that your seal is completed as soon as possible.
Also, from my decades of experience sealing Nevada criminal records at Las Vegas Defense Group, I find that prosecutors are much more likely to sign off on a petition to seal if they see that a lawyer composed it.
Can every criminal record be sealed?
No. Convictions of the following crimes generally can never be sealed in Nevada:
- felony DUIs (DUI causing injury or death, vehicular homicide, or a third-time DUI in seven years)
- crimes against children (kidnapping, false imprisonment, involuntary servitude, sex trafficking, and prostitution)
- sex crimes
You cannot pay extra to get unsealable cases sealed.
How long do I have to wait before I can get a record seal?
Nevada’s record seal wait times for sealable criminal records are as follows:
| Nevada conviction | Record sealing wait time |
|---|---|
| The majority of misdemeanors | 1 year after the case ends |
| Gross misdemeanors, category E felonies, misdemeanor battery, misdemeanor harassment, misdemeanor stalking, and misdemeanor violation of a protection order | 2 years after the case ends |
| The majority of category D felonies, category C felonies, and category B felonies | 5 years after the case ends |
| Misdemeanor DUI and misdemeanor battery domestic violence | 7 years after the case ends |
| Category A felonies, burglary of a residence, and felony crimes of violence | 10 years after the case ends |
Note that cases that get dismissed (meaning there is no conviction) are sealable right away.
