RECORD SEALING ATTORNEY — LAS VEGAS, NV
RECORD SEALING &EXPUNGEMENT IN NEVADA
If you're searching for expungement in Nevada, here's what you need to know: Nevada law doesn't offer expungement — it offers record sealing under NRS 179.245 and NRS 179.255. A sealed record disappears from background checks, and under NRS 179.285 you can legally deny the conviction ever happened. Thomas Boley has helped Las Vegas clients close that chapter for 18+ years. Your past doesn't have to define your future.
Sealed Means You Can Legally Say "No"
Under NRS 179.285, once your record is sealed, the proceedings are deemed never to have occurred. You may legally deny the arrest and conviction on employment, housing, and most licensing applications. Courts and law enforcement can unseal the record only in limited circumstances.
WHAT SEALING UNLOCKS
A CLEAN RECORDOPENS DOORS
One mistake shouldn't follow you for the rest of your life. Here's what changes when your record is sealed in Las Vegas, Henderson, North Las Vegas, and throughout Clark County.
Employment Background Checks
Once sealed, your record no longer appears on standard pre-employment background checks. Under NRS 179.285, you can legally answer "no" when a job application asks whether you've been convicted of a crime. For many clients, this is the difference between staying stuck and moving up in their career.
Housing Applications
Las Vegas landlords and apartment managers almost always run criminal background checks. A sealed record opens doors that used to be closed — better neighborhoods, better complexes, better lease terms — without having to explain a past mistake to every leasing office.
Professional Licensing
Nursing, real estate, contracting, cosmetology — Nevada licensing boards review criminal histories. Sealing removes the conviction from most license applications. Certain agencies, like the Gaming Control Board, retain limited access, and we explain exactly what to expect in your industry.
Civil & Firearm Rights Restoration
Sealing under NRS 179.285 restores your civil rights: voting, serving on a jury, and holding public office. Be clear-eyed about firearms: for felony convictions, sealing alone does NOT restore your federal firearm rights — that requires a pardon from the Nevada Board of Pardons. We evaluate both paths with you.
Education & Financial Aid
College admissions, graduate programs, internships, and certain financial aid and scholarship programs ask about criminal history. A sealed record means those questions no longer disqualify you before you ever get the chance to show who you are today.
Peace of Mind — The Right to Deny
NRS 179.285 gives you something few laws offer: the legal right to treat the arrest and conviction as if they never occurred. On applications, in interviews, and in daily life, you may deny the record. After years of carrying that weight, our clients tell us that freedom changes everything.
WHEN ARE YOU ELIGIBLE?
NEVADA RECORD SEALINGWAITING PERIODS
The waiting period depends on the offense category — and the clock runs from your release from custody or discharge from probation or parole, whichever is later.
After a Conviction
NRS 179.245
- Category A felony; burglary / home invasion — 10 years
- Category B, C, or D felonies — 5 years
- Category E felony — 2 years
- Gross misdemeanor — 2 years
- Misdemeanor battery domestic violence — 7 years
- Misdemeanor DUI — 7 years
- Most other misdemeanors — 1 year
After Dismissal or Acquittal
NRS 179.255
IMMEDIATELY
If your charges were dismissed, you were acquitted, or the prosecutor never filed charges, there is no waiting period. You can petition to seal today — and you should, because the arrest still shows up on background checks until it's sealed.
Drug cases: if you completed a diversion program under NRS 453.3365 or NRS 176A.265, the case can be sealed upon program completion.
Records That Can Never Be Sealed
- Felony DUI (causing death or substantial bodily harm)
- Sex offenses
- Crimes against children
- Invasion of the home with a deadly weapon
Not sure when you become eligible? . Thomas Boley will review your complete history and calculate the exact date for every charge — at no cost.
WHY PETITIONS GET REJECTED
COMMON DIY MISTAKESTHAT COST YOU MONTHS
Nevada record sealing looks simple on paper — until a defective petition gets rejected and you have to start the entire process over, losing months. Clark County courts demand precision: every arrest documented, every statutory citation correct, every agency served.
Thomas Boley has prepared sealing petitions for 18+ years. We do the work correctly the first time — so you can put the past behind you as quickly as possible.
Mistake: Wrong waiting-period calculation
Our counter: The clock runs from release from custody or discharge from probation or parole — whichever is later. We calculate the correct date for every charge.
Mistake: Missing arrest events on the petition
Our counter: We pull your complete SCOPE and DPS history so every arrest and charge is included — a single omission can get the petition rejected.
Mistake: Filing in the wrong court
Our counter: Petitions must be filed in the correct court for each case — municipal, justice, or district. We file each one where it belongs.
Mistake: Not serving all agencies
Our counter: A sealing order only works if every agency receives it. We make sure the DA, LVMPD, DPS, and the courts seal every copy of your record.
Mistake: Assuming sealed = gone for immigration purposes
Our counter: Federal immigration authorities may still see sealed records, and you must disclose them on immigration applications. We advise you honestly about these limits.
HOW IT WORKS
THE RECORD SEALING PROCESSSTEP BY STEP
We handle every stage for you — from the first SCOPE printout to the judge's signed order. Realistic Clark County timeline: 3 to 6+ months.
Get Your Criminal History
We start with the complete picture: your SCOPE printout from the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (LVMPD) and your Nevada Department of Public Safety (DPS) records. Every arrest, charge, and disposition must be documented before the petition is drafted — incomplete records are the number one cause of rejected petitions.
Petition Drafted
We draft your petition with the exact statutory citations for each charge — the correct subsection of NRS 179.245 or 179.255, the correct waiting-period calculation, and the proposed order. Nevada courts demand precision: one defective petition can mean starting the entire process over from the beginning.
DA Review & Stipulation
The petition goes to the Clark County District Attorney's Office for review. If everything is in order, the DA stipulates — agreeing to the sealing without a hearing. If there are objections, we appear in court and argue your petition. We handle every exchange with the prosecutor's office for you.
Judge Signs the Sealing Order
Once the judge signs the sealing order, copies are distributed to every agency holding your record — LVMPD, DPS, the courts, and the FBI. Realistic Clark County timeline: 3 to 6+ months start to finish. When it's done, it's truly done — and you get to move forward.
NEVADA LAW
KEY STATUTES GOVERNINGRECORD SEALING IN NEVADA
Sealing After a Conviction
Nevada's primary sealing statute. It sets the waiting periods by offense category — from 1 year for most misdemeanors to 10 years for Category A felonies. The clock starts when you are released from custody or discharged from probation or parole, whichever happens later. It also lists the convictions that can never be sealed.
View full statute →Sealing After Dismissal or Acquittal
If your charges were dismissed, you were acquitted at trial, or the prosecutor declined to file charges, you can petition to seal immediately — no waiting period. Many people don't realize an arrest without a conviction still shows up on background checks until it is sealed. You don't have to wait a single day.
View full statute →Effect of Sealing — The Right to Deny
Once sealed, the proceedings are "deemed never to have occurred." You may legally deny the arrest and conviction on employment, housing, and most licensing applications. Sealing also restores your civil rights: voting, jury service, and holding public office. This is the provision that puts your future back in your hands.
View full statute →Drug-Case Sealing After Diversion
Nevada treats certain drug offenses more favorably. If you successfully completed a court-ordered diversion or treatment program, these statutes allow the case to be sealed far sooner than the regular NRS 179.245 schedule would allow — in many cases, immediately after the dismissal that follows program completion.
View full statute →FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
RECORD SEALING QUESTIONS ANSWERED
YOUR PAST DOESN'T HAVE TODEFINE YOUR FUTURE
Every year your record stays open is another year of lost jobs, rejected housing applications, and questions you shouldn't have to answer. Nevada law gives you a way out.
Thomas Boley offers free, confidential consultations. If you're eligible, we'll tell you exactly when and how — and if you're not eligible yet, we'll tell you the exact date you will be.
CONTACT US
FREE CONSULTATION
Tell us about your record. Thomas Boley will personally review the details, calculate your eligibility, and respond as quickly as possible.