Utah courts say automatic expungement no longer requires filing a form
A Jan. 1 law change moved identifying eligible cases to the court. Petitions for other cases still start with a state eligibility certificate.
Based on reporting by Utah Courts. Read the original story →
On Jan. 1, 2026, Utah law changed how courts identify cases for automatic expungement, and the courts now say people no longer need to file a form to get one. The court finds and clears eligible cases on its own. The courts' page says a form was required from Oct. 1, 2024, through Dec. 31, 2025. [1]
People whose cases are not cleared automatically can petition. The page describes three steps for traffic and cannabis cases, with no Bureau of Criminal Identification certificate needed, and four steps for other cases, starting with a Certificate of Eligibility from the bureau. Appealed cases need a separate petition to the Utah Supreme Court. [1]
The page retains some older request and timing language, so the Ledger has not summarized the steps, deadlines or eligibility rules. Eligibility depends on the offense and the person's record, and the courts' page is the place to check. [1]
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This story was written by AI from the report by Utah Courts, which has the full story. How we write stories.