Arizona Public Records

How the Arizona Public Records Law Actually Works

Arizona's public records law is codified at Ariz. Rev. Stat. § 39-121 (Arizona Public Records Law). It gives any person — resident or not, citizen or not, journalist or not — the right to inspect and copy public records held by state and local agencies. In most cases, you do not have to explain why you want the record.

Response time: 'promptly' (no fixed number of days). The agency's response is not necessarily a deadline to deliver records — it tells you whether the records exist and when they'll be produced.

Fee rules: fees may not exceed actual costs; commercial requests can be charged more. Agencies cannot inflate charges to discourage requests.

If your request is denied or unreasonably delayed, the law typically provides a mechanism to appeal — either administratively or by filing a petition in state court. Many states award attorney's fees to requesters who prevail on a wrongfully denied request.

What You Cannot Get in Arizona (the honest answer)

Many directory sites promise things Arizona law specifically restricts. Here's what's actually true:

• Rap sheet access: Subject only or via fingerprint-based authorized employer. Third-party "instant background check" sites that promise a full Arizona criminal history are typically aggregating older court data — not the official state record.
• Sealed and expunged records: records cleared under Arizona's expungement law (A.R.S. § 13-905 (set-aside) and § 13-911 (sealing, eff. 2023)) are removed from public criminal history reports.
• Juvenile records are generally confidential under Arizona law and not available without court order.
• Active investigation records, attorney-client privileged documents, draft notes, and personnel files are exempt under standard exceptions to the Arizona Public Records Law.
• Booking photos (mugshots) have increasingly restricted commercial use across Arizona and most states — paid "mugshot removal" sites are exposed to civil liability in many jurisdictions.

Expungement and Record Clearing in Arizona

Arizona's record-clearing law is found at A.R.S. § 13-905 (set-aside) and § 13-911 (sealing, eff. 2023).

Eligibility: set-aside available after completing sentence; sealing under § 13-911 effective 2023 for many offenses after 2-10 year waiting period.

The petition or application is typically filed in the court of conviction. Filing fees, waiting periods, and exclusions vary by offense type — serious violent crimes and most sexual offenses are commonly excluded. Many states are moving toward automatic ("Clean Slate") sealing for qualifying records.

If you believe your Arizona record contains an error or includes an offense that should have been cleared, you have the right to challenge it through the state criminal history repository — typically by submitting a written claim with documentation.

How to Get Your Own Arizona Criminal Record

If you need your own Arizona criminal history — for an employer, a licensing board, an immigration application, or just to know what's there — the state record is maintained by the Arizona Department of Public Safety (AZDPS).

Walkthrough:

1. Choose your method: AZDPS Applicant Clearance Card or Public Records Check + $22 fee (subject of record only).
2. Complete the required form (most states use a standard request form available from the Arizona Department of Public Safety website).
3. Submit your request along with the fee. Fingerprint-based methods provide the most complete and accurate record but take longer.
4. Turnaround: 15 business days.
5. Review the response. If you find errors, the law at A.R.S. § 41-1750 provides procedures for correcting or challenging inaccurate criminal history information.

Fingerprint-based criminal history checks are considered the official record. Name-based checks are faster and cheaper but can miss records or include records belonging to people with similar names — verify identity carefully.

Notable Arizona Record Laws You Should Know

• Prop 207 / A.R.S. § 36-2862: Marijuana conviction expungement, eff. July 2021.
• A.R.S. § 41-1750: the statute governing the maintenance, dissemination, and inspection of state criminal history records in Arizona.
• Federal interaction: the FBI maintains a separate national criminal history database (the Identification, Information & Investigation Services / NGI). Some Arizona background checks include a fingerprint forward to the FBI for $13–$32 additional fee, depending on purpose.