The client carried a Class 6 Undesignated Felony Possession of Drug Paraphernalia conviction out of Maricopa County Superior Court from a 2013 case. Future First filed the application to designate the conviction to a misdemeanor under ARS § 13-604, and the court granted the application in 52 days, converting the open felony to a misdemeanor on the official record.
At a glance
| Original conviction | Possession Of Drug Paraphernalia (ARS § 13-3415), Class 6 Undesignated Felony |
| Application filed | Application to Designate to Misdemeanor, ARS § 13-604, 2026 |
| Court | Maricopa County Superior Court |
| Result | Designated To Misdemeanor. The conviction is now a misdemeanor on the record. |
| Rights restored | Felony designation removed. Federal firearm prohibition tied to the felony status lifts. Faster downstream eligibility for sealing. |
| Time from application to grant | 52 days from application filing to granted |
The challenge
A Class 6 Undesignated Felony sits in a unique posture under Arizona law. Until the court designates the offense, the conviction reads as a felony on every background check. The federal firearm prohibition under 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(1) attaches to the felony status. Employers, landlords, and licensing boards see a felony drug offense, even though the sentencing court left the door open to a future misdemeanor designation.
For this client, the 2013 conviction had been dragging on the record for over a decade. The original sentencing order placed the count on probation with the felony left undesignated, meaning designation was available only after probation completion and a separate application to the court. Without that step, the felony classification stayed in place.
What we did
Future First filed the Application to Designate to Misdemeanor under ARS § 13-604 in Maricopa County Superior Court. The application documented full probation discharge from the 2014 termination order, satisfaction of the restitution order, and the rehabilitation record the client built in the years since the original sentencing.
The court reviewed the statutory factors and the sentence-completion record. The judge signed the order granting the application and designating the drug paraphernalia count a misdemeanor.
The Class 6 Undesignated Felony Possession of Drug Paraphernalia conviction is now a misdemeanor on the official record. The federal firearm prohibition tied to the felony status lifts. The downstream sealing wait under ARS § 13-911 runs on misdemeanor terms going forward, which shortens the sealing eligibility timeline.
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If you have an Arizona Class 6 Undesignated Felony on your record
ARS § 13-604 is the designation statute. When a sentencing court leaves a Class 6 Felony undesignated, the court retains discretion to designate the offense to a misdemeanor after probation completion. The application has to address the statutory factors. The sentence-completion record, the rehabilitation evidence, and the public interest in granting the relief all factor into the outcome.
The downstream effect of designation is structural. The federal firearm prohibition tied to the felony classification lifts on designation. The civil disabilities tied to the felony status lift. The sealing wait under ARS § 13-911 runs on the misdemeanor wait period after designation rather than the longer felony wait.
Designation works in combination with set aside and sealing. The case can run through designation, then set aside, then sealing. Each step adds another layer of cleanup. The applicant ends up with the case off the felony record, the judgment vacated, and the case file closed to public view.
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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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