DOING YOUR OWN UTAH EXPUNGEMENT

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.