The client carried a Class 4 Felony Forgery conviction out of Pinal County Superior Court. Future First filed the Application to Seal Records under ARS § 13-911 and the court granted the application, sealing the felony from public view and from background-check searches that consume the sealed-records database.
At a glance
| Original conviction | Forgery (ARS § 13-2002), Class 4 Felony |
| Application filed | Application to Seal Records, ARS § 13-911, 2024 |
| Court | Pinal County Superior Court |
| Result | Sealing Record Granted. Conviction sealed from public view and from background-check exposure. |
| Rights restored | Sealing follows set aside as the second-stage cleanup. The conviction is no longer publicly accessible and the applicant can lawfully deny the case in most contexts. |
| Time from application to grant | 490 days from application filing to granted |
The challenge
Sealing under ARS § 13-911 is the last stage of Arizona record cleanup. Set aside vacates the conviction. Sealing removes the case from public view. Even after set aside, the conviction record stays in the court file and shows up on background checks that pull from the underlying database. Sealing closes the access.
The Class 4 Felony Forgery conviction had been on the client’s record for years. The set aside cleanup was already in place. The remaining step was the sealing application that would block background-check vendors and members of the public from accessing the case.
What we did
Future First filed the Application to Seal Records under ARS § 13-911 in Pinal County Superior Court. The application documented the statutory wait period from judge-ordered non-financial completion, the absence of new criminal matters during the wait, the full monetary compliance on the underlying case, and the public-interest factors the court weighs under § 13-911.
Pinal County Superior Court works through sealing applications on a longer cycle than Maricopa. The 490-day grant cycle reflects the rural-court timing on a Class 4 Felony sealing application. The application held up through the full review and the court granted the sealing order.
The judge signed the order. Sealing Record Granted on the Class 4 Felony Forgery. The case file is sealed from public view. Background checks that consume the sealed-records database no longer return the case. The applicant can lawfully deny the conviction in most non-law-enforcement contexts.
What our clients say
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If you want your Arizona conviction sealed
ARS § 13-911 lets the court seal an Arizona criminal case once the statutory wait runs from judge-ordered non-financial completion and the applicant meets the criteria. The wait for a Class 4 Felony is five years. The wait for a Class 2 Felony is ten years. Misdemeanor waits are shorter.
Sealing is different from set aside. Set aside under ARS § 13-905 vacates the conviction and lifts the civil disabilities. Sealing under ARS § 13-911 removes the case from public view. Both steps are usually needed for a full record cleanup. Most felony cases run through set aside first and sealing once the wait period has run.
Rural Arizona superior courts work through sealing applications on different timelines than the Phoenix metro courts. Pinal, Yavapai, Mohave, and the other county superior courts each carry their own docket cadence. The substantive standard under § 13-911 is the same statewide.
Related resources
Call us
Want to clear your record in Arizona? Call Future First Criminal Law at 602-900-6240 or request a free consultation. We have handled hundreds of Arizona record removal applications across every statute path. The cleanup is permanent and the process moves faster when handled by a firm that knows the local court.
Anonymized in line with firm policy. Client name not used. Specific dates approximated to year only. Outcome described reflects this client’s actual results. Past outcomes do not guarantee future results. For more detailed information on Arizona record removal law, visit the Arizona State Legislature website.
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