Dain Smoland, Attorney at Law PLLC
Criminal Defense in Utah
Dain Smoland, Attorney at Law PLLC
Navigation
  • HOME
  • ABOUT
  • PRACTICE AREAS
    • MARIJUANA CRIMES
      • DRUG PARAPHERNALIA
      • POSSESSION OF A CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE
      • POSSESSION WITH INTENT TO DISTRIBUTE
    • CIVIL RIGHTS LAWSUITS
    • DRUG CRIMES
    • DUI
      • Alcohol DUI
      • Metabolite DUI
    • JUSTICE COURT
    • OUT-OF-STATE CLIENTS
    • TRAFFIC CRIMES
      • Metabolite DUI
      • Alcohol DUI
      • Reckless Driving
      • Alcohol Restricted Driver Charges
      • DL Hearings
    • THEFT CRIMES
    • ALCOHOL CRIMES
      • Intoxication
      • Minor in Possession
      • Open Container
    • ASSAULT CRIMES
    • TRESPASSING CRIMES
    • EXPUNGEMENTS
    • MISDEMEANORS
    • FORFEITURE
    • 402 REDUCTIONS
  • MARIJUANA
    • POSSESSION
    • PARAPHERNALIA
    • INTENT TO DISTRIBUTE
  • FAQs
  • TESTIMONIALS
  • CONTACT
← THE CONFRONTATIONISTS: The Rise of Police Encounter Videos
Keep Calm and Argue the Facts →

DOING YOUR OWN UTAH EXPUNGEMENT

August 23, 2013 | Filed under: Expungement Law and tagged with: Expungements, Record Sealing, Utah State Law

expungement icon

It’s certainly possible to do your own expungement in Utah.  It just takes some patience, filling out several forms, and jumping through a bunch of legal hoops.  You’ll also have to write why expunging your record is not contrary to the public interest (see my blog post on the subject here).

Some websites are trying to charge money just for downloading a copy of the forms.  Don’t pay these guys.  All the necessary forms should be available free (or very cheap) from the government agencies themselves.

If you’re here in Utah, you can stop by your local courthouse to get the petition packet (they might charge you a couple dollars in copying costs), or you can print it off for free from www.utcourts.gov.  The form to apply for your eligibility certificate is available from the Utah Department of Public Safety website.

The fees you’ll have to pay whether you do it yourself or not are: $135 filing fee, $65 fee to apply for your certificate of eligibility, and (usually) a $56 fee for issuing your certificate.  You’ll also want several certified copies of your order, which usually run about $5.50 each.  If you’re planning on doing your own, you can start with the Expungement Checklist provided by the state court.

Of course, you can also have an attorney do almost everything for you.  It’s not as expensive as you might think, and it can save you many hours of work and frustration (especially is your petition is rejected because of a small mistake).  I usually charge $400-$500 in attorney’s fees to do an expungement, and that includes drafting the petition, preparing the packet for the prosecutor’s office, filing it with the court, preparing a response to the prosecutor or victim (if necessary), and appearing in court to argue your case (if necessary).  In short, I do everything except applying for the certificate of eligibility (which I can’t do for you because you have to get your fingerprints taken).  Click here for more info on my expungement service.

 

Did you like this article? Share it with your friends!

← THE CONFRONTATIONISTS: The Rise of Police Encounter Videos
Keep Calm and Argue the Facts →

About My Firm

Picture not loaded

Marijuana Crimes

Image not uploaded

Expungements

image not loaded

Alcohol Crimes

image not loaded

Traffic Crimes

image not uploaded

Theft Crimes

image not loaded

Assault Crimes

image not loaded

Local Court Info

Image not uploaded

Rates

Image Not Loaded

Quick Contact Form

Note: Submitting this form doesn't make me your lawyer or obligate you to pay me anything. It's just an easy way to get in touch.
Recognition for Dain Smoland's NORML Membership

Some Posts from My Blog

  • Utah Legislature Temporarily Suspends Expungement Filing Fees!
  • Parolees Become Eligible for 402 Reductions in Utah
  • Utah’s “Clean Slate” Law, and Automatic Expungements
  • Utah Legalizes Medical Marijuana! Kinda! Sort Of!
  • Utah Eases Expungement Eligibility, Especially for Prior Drug Convictions!

Courts Where I Take Cases

I am licensed to practice criminal law anywhere in Utah, but my office is in Salt Lake City so I focus my defense practice on Salt Lake County and the surrounding counties: Weber, Davis, Utah, Summit, Wasatch, Tooele.

That includes any of the state, city, or federal courts located in Salt Lake City, West Jordan, South Jordan, West Valley, Heber, Park City, Provo, Ogden, Farmington, Bountiful, Holladay, Cottonwood Heights, Murray, Millcreek, South Salt Lake, Grantsville, Tooele, Orem, American Fork, Sandy, Draper, Centerville, Layton, Kaysville, and anywhere else within an hour's drive of Salt Lake. I'll also go down to Carbon County (Price and Helper), because I like that drive!

For locations in Utah outside that area, just contact me and we'll talk about it.

Categories of my blog posts

  • 402 Reductions
  • Constitutional Law
    • Fifth Amendment
    • Search and Seizure
  • Drug Laws
    • Marijuana Laws
  • Expungement Law
  • Interesting Legal News
  • Theft Laws
    • Shoplifting
  • Traffic Laws
    • Driver's License Laws
    • DUI Laws
  • Uncategorized

© 2022 Dain Smoland, Attorney at Law PLLC, a Salt Lake City Criminal Defense Attorney