If your Nevada felony charge gets dismissed, you can petition for a criminal record seal immediately. Though if you get convicted of a felony, then there is a two-to-ten-year wait time before you can pursue a seal. Some serious felony convictions can never be sealed at all.
Scroll down to learn everything you need to know about how long felonies stay on your record, how to seal them, and much more. Also listen to our podcast discussion on this topic below.
Wait Time to Seal Felony Convictions
Nevada felony convictions must remain on your criminal record for a certain amount of time before you can ask the court to seal it. The wait time depends on the category of felony, as the following table shows.1
| Nevada Felony Conviction | Record Sealing Waiting Period |
| 2 years after the case closes | |
| 5 years after the case closes |
| 10 years after the case closes |
Unsealable Felony Convictions
There are four categories of Nevada convictions that are unsealable, as the following graphic shows:
These convictions remain on your criminal record forever. It does not matter how long ago they occurred.2
Are record seals worth doing?
Yes. If you are eligible to get your past convictions sealed, I strongly encourage you to pursue it immediately.
Having any criminal record is a huge barrier to your future. It can keep you from getting:
- jobs,
- scholarships,
- professional licenses,
- loans, and
- housing.
Plus it carries a social stigma and can impact your relationships.
Once a record seal goes through, your past convictions will be hidden on your future background checks (with some exceptions). You can also lawfully say under oath that you do not have a criminal record.3
What is the record seal process?
Getting a Nevada record seal is a multi-step process, as the following flowchart shows.
If the judge finally grants your order to seal, it is your responsibility to mail a copy of the order to all the relevant agencies that have your criminal record (such as Nevada’s Criminal History Repository in Carson City).
The record seal process takes up to a year from beginning to end. Most of the time is just you waiting to hear back from the prosecutor, judge, and state agencies.
The paperwork is also very technical, and you can be rejected based on a simple error. This is why I encourage you to rely on an attorney to take care of the process so it goes through the first time.4
What if I get a pardon?
Pardons are an official “forgiveness” of a conviction, but they are not seals. Even if you get a Governor’s Pardon in Nevada, the conviction remains on your record. Only a seal can hide the conviction on future background checks.
Furthermore, pardons are very difficult to get since the Nevada governor grants very few of them. Meanwhile, you are all but guaranteed a record seal as long as you are eligible and follow the proper procedures.
The main reason to pursue a pardon is to get your firearms rights restored. Record seals cannot restore your firearm rights following a felony conviction.5
Additional Reading
For more information, refer to our related articles:
- What Nevada convictions can never be sealed? – Discussion of the crimes that remain on your record forever unless you can get the charges reduced or dismissed.
- 10 ways sealed records differ from Governor’s pardons in Nevada – A comparison and contrast of record seals and pardons.
- How to seal domestic violence criminal records in Nevada – A how-to guide geared towards sealing DV convictions.
- How to seal DUI criminal records in Nevada – A how-to guide geared towards sealing DUI convictions.
- How much does it cost to seal my criminal record in Nevada? – Overview of record seal costs.
Legal References
- NRS 179.245. NRS 179.255.
- Same. See also Tiffee v. Eighth Judicial Dist. Ct., (2021) 137 Nev. Adv. Op. 20; see also Aragon v. State (In re Aragon), (2020) 476 P.3d 465, 136 Nev. Adv. Op. 75.
- Same.
- Same.
- See NRS 213.005 – NRS 213.100.
