2023 Colorado Revised Statutes › Title 24 - GOVERNMENT - STATE (§§ 24-1-101 — 24-116-102) › PUBLIC (OPEN) RECORDS (§§ 24-72-100.1 — 24-72.4-106) › Article 72 - PUBLIC RECORDS (§§ 24-72-100.1 — 24-72-711) › Part 7 - CRIMINAL JUSTICE RECORD SEALING (§§ 24-72-701 — 24-72-711) › Section 24-72-702 - [Effective 7/1/2025] Expungement of arrest records in case of mistaken identity - definitions

(1)
(a)
Notwithstanding any other provision of law, a court shall expunge the arrest and criminal records information of a person who was arrested as a result of mistaken identity and who did not have charges filed against him or her.
(b)
No later than ninety days after an investigation by a law enforcement agency finds that a person was arrested as a result of mistaken identity and no charges were filed, the law enforcement agency that made the arrest shall petition the district court in the judicial district where the person was arrested for an expungement order for the arrest and criminal records information made as a result of the mistaken identity, at no cost to the person arrested. If the arresting agency fails to submit a petition within the prescribed timeframe pursuant to this section, a defendant may petition the district court in the judicial district where the person was arrested for an expungement order for the arrest and criminal records created as a result of the mistaken identity. A petition filed pursuant to this subsection (1)(b) is not subject to a filing fee, and an eligible defendant filing for expungement pursuant to this section must not be charged any other fees or costs associated with expunging the record.
(c)
No later than ninety days after receiving the petition, the court shall order the expungement of the arrest and criminal records information and all other administrative records of the law enforcement agency relating to the person's arrest as a result of mistaken identity.
(2)
The courts shall direct any order entered pursuant to subsection (1)(c) of this section to every custodian who may have custody of any part of the arrest and criminal records information that is the subject of the order. When a court enters an order expunging criminal records pursuant to subsection (1)(c) of this section, the petitioner shall provide the Colorado bureau of investigation and every custodian of such records with a copy of the order. The petitioner shall provide a private custodian with a copy of the order and send the private custodian an electronic notification of the order. Each private custodian that receives a copy of the order from the petitioner shall remove the records that are subject to the order from its database. Thereafter, the court may issue an order sealing the civil case in which the records were sealed.
(3)
Upon the entry of an order to expunge the records, the petitioner and all criminal justice agencies may properly reply, upon any inquiry into the matter, that no such records exist with respect to the person.
(4)
Employers, educational institutions, state and local government agencies, officials, and employees shall not, in any application or interview or in any other way, require an applicant to disclose any information contained in expunged records. An applicant need not, in answer to any question concerning arrest and criminal records information that has been expunged, include a reference to or information concerning the expunged information and may state that no such action has ever occurred. Such an application may not be denied solely because of the applicant's refusal to disclose arrest and criminal records information that has been expunged.
(5)
For purposes of this section:
(a)
"Law enforcement agency" means the Colorado state patrol or the agency of a state or local government authorized to enforce the laws of Colorado.
(b)
"Mistaken identity" means the misidentification by a witness or law enforcement, confusion on the part of a witness or law enforcement as to the identity of the person who committed the crime, misinformation provided to law enforcement as to the identity of the person who committed the crime, or some other mistake on the part of a witness or law enforcement as to the identity of the person who committed the crime.
Amended by 2024 Ch. 384,§ 1, eff. 7/1/2025.
Amended by 2019 Ch. 295, § 1, eff. 8/2/2019.
Amended by 2018 Ch. 135, § 3, eff. 8/8/2018.
Amended by 2017 Ch. 335, § 2, eff. 9/1/2017.
Added by 2014 Ch. 317, § 3, eff. 8/1/2014.
L. 2014: Entire part added, (SB 14-206), ch. 317, p. 1378, § 3, effective August 1. L. 2017: IP(1)(a)(II) and (1)(a)(II)(B) amended and (1)(f.5) added, (HB 17-1208), ch. 335, p. 1790, § 2, effective September 1. L. 2018: (1)(b)(II)(C) added, (HB 18-1078), ch. 135, p. 890, § 3, effective August 8.
2024 Ch. 384, was passed without a safety clause. See Colo. Const. art. V, § 1(3).
This section is set out more than once due to postponed, multiple, or conflicting amendments.