The client carried a Class 5 felony attempted drug possession and a Class 1 misdemeanor DUI from 2004 on every background check. Future First filed under ARS § 13-911 and the Maricopa County Superior Court sealed the entire case record.
At a glance
| Original conviction | Attempted Possession of Dangerous Drugs (ARS § 13-3407), Class 5 Felony, and Driving Under the Influence (ARS § 28-1381(A)(1)), Class 1 Misdemeanor, 2004 |
| Application filed | Sealing Records under ARS § 13-911, 2026 |
| Court | Maricopa County Superior Court |
| Result | Sealing Record Granted |
| Rights restored | Civil and firearm rights through paired set aside |
| Time from application to grant | 49 days from application filing to granted |
The challenge
The client had a Class 5 felony attempted possession of dangerous drugs and a paired Class 1 misdemeanor DUI from 2004. He had completed probation, paid every financial obligation, and stayed clean for eighteen years. A 2013 application by the client himself had restored civil rights but the conviction and the arrest still showed on background checks. The set aside finally came through in 2026. The seal was the next layer, and the layer that actually pulls the case out of the public record.
Without the seal, the arrest report from Mesa Police Department in 2003, the felony information filed by the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office in 2004, and every minute entry in the Superior Court file remained accessible to background-check companies, news aggregators, and private databases. Employers and landlords pulling those reports were still seeing the old felony.
What we did
Future First filed an Application to Seal Criminal Case Records under ARS § 13-911 alongside the set aside application. The mitigation brief showed the Court that every statutory requirement was met. Probation had been discharged in 2007. All financial obligations were satisfied. The ARS § 13-911(E) waiting period had run several times over. The Department of Public Safety report required under ARS § 13-911(H) supported the application.
The Court reviewed the petition, the Department of Public Safety report, and the State’s response. The judge found the offenses eligible, the timeframes met, the defendant in compliance with all terms and conditions including payment of monetary obligations and restitution, and granting the petition consistent with the petitioner’s best interests and public safety. The Order Sealing under ARS § 13-911 directed the Clerk of the Court to seal all case records and transmit copies to the Department of Public Safety and the prosecutor. The whole process took 49 days from filing to grant.
What our clients say
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If you have an old drug felony in Arizona
Sealing under ARS § 13-911 is the second half of a complete cleanup. A Set Aside under ARS § 13-905 dismisses the judgment of guilt. A seal under ARS § 13-911 takes the arrest record, the charging documents, and every related court record out of public access. The two statutes work together. Most clients want both.
The ARS § 13-911 waiting period for a Class 5 felony is five years from completion of all sentencing terms, including non-financial conditions ordered by the judge. The waiting period for a Class 1 misdemeanor DUI is three years from completion of court-ordered counseling. Old cases like this one have usually cleared those periods many times over. The barrier is filing the application, building the brief, and walking the Court through the statutory eligibility step by step.
A paired DUI does not block a sealing application on the underlying felony, and a Class 1 DUI from 2004 is itself eligible for sealing under ARS § 13-911 once the waiting period runs. The order in this case sealed every charge in the case, not just the felony count.
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Call us
Want to seal an old Arizona drug conviction? 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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