Guide
Arizona Expungement Research Resources
Arizona courts can seal case records under A.R.S. 13-911, set aside a conviction under A.R.S. 13-905 and expunge some marijuana offenses under A.R.S. 36-2862. The official Arizona sources are listed below.
- Arizona Judicial Branch, Sealing Criminal Case RecordsPetition each court where you were convicted
- A.R.S. 13-911Sealing of arrest, conviction and sentencing records
- A.R.S. 13-905Setting aside a judgment of guilt
- A.R.S. 36-2862Expungement of some past marijuana offenses
This directory is for informational and research use only. Expungement eligibility, waiting periods, filing fees, notice rules, and the effect on background checks can differ significantly depending on the state, offense level, case outcome, and later law changes.
Guide
Sealing a divorce or civil file in Arizona
Arizona has no statute that closes divorce files, but Rule 43.1(g) of the Arizona Rules of Family Law Procedure lets the clerk treat any Affidavit of Financial Information in them as confidential. Rule 123 of the Rules of the Supreme Court of Arizona, on public access to the judicial records of the state, opens case records to the public except for the categories the rule closes, and the Clerk of the Superior Court in Maricopa County states the result: all case records are open to the public except as may be closed by law or as set forth in Rule 123, and records deemed closed, sealed or confidential may not be reviewed or reproduced. The fuller money document is kept private by never filing it: the Rule 49 Disclosure Statement, with its property, debt and income exhibits, is served on the other party and does not go into the court file.
Sealing a filed document or a family court file is by motion under the Arizona Rules of Family Law Procedure and Rule 123, with the court entering an order that the Clerk then honors by withholding the record from inspection and from the online indexes, which already exclude sealed cases. The Clerk's statement is at clerkofcourt.maricopa.gov.
Guide
Research Notes
- Start with the court and the originating agency. Expungement or sealing requests are often handled through the court that heard the case, sometimes with supporting records from police, prosecutors, or corrections agencies.
- Terminology differs by state. Some jurisdictions use terms such as sealing, set-aside, vacatur, dismissal relief, or nondisclosure instead of expungement.
- Verify current law. Eligibility rules can change through legislation or court decisions, so always confirm the current process before relying on older instructions or third-party summaries.
- Understand downstream effects. Even after record relief, treatment of court, police, private-background check, and federal records may differ depending on the system involved.
By state