2023 Colorado Revised Statutes › Title 13 - COURTS AND COURT PROCEDURE (§§ 13-1-101 — 13-100-104) › COURTS OF RECORD (§§ 13-1-101 — 13-9-124) › Article 3 - JUDICIAL DEPARTMENTS (§§ 13-3-101 — 13-3-120) › Section 13-3-117 - [Effective 7/1/2025] State court administrator - automatic conviction sealing

(1)
(a)
The state court administrator shall compile a list of drug convictions pursuant to article
18
of title
18
:
(I)
That are eligible for sealing pursuant to sections
24-72-703
and
24-72-706
; and
(II)
(A)
If the drug conviction is for a petty offense or misdemeanor, that seven years have passed since the disposition of the case; or
(B)
If the drug conviction is for a felony, that at least ten years have passed since the disposition of the case.
(a.5)
The state court administrator shall compile a list of eligible convictions, excluding crimes pursuant to section
24-4.1-302 (1)
:
(I)
That are eligible for sealing pursuant to sections
24-72-703
and
24-72-706
; and
(II)
(A)
If the judgment is for a civil infraction, that four years have passed since the final disposition of the case;
(B)
If the conviction is for a petty offense or misdemeanor, that at least seven years have passed since the final disposition of the case; and
(C)
If the conviction is for an eligible felony, that at least ten years have passed since the date of the final disposition of all criminal proceedings against the defendant or the release of the defendant from supervision concerning a criminal conviction, whichever is later.
(b)
The state court administrator shall use the state conviction database and the conviction databases of entities that do not report convictions to the state database to compile the list. The state court administrator shall compile the list based on a name-based review with sufficient points of reference for identification validation as determined by the state court administrator. The state court administrator must only include convictions on the list if sufficient points of validation, as determined by the state court administrator, are present. The state court administrator shall not include any case in which there is no final disposition on all charges in the case. The state court administrator shall not include any judgments for which the defendant has an intervening judgment during the four-year waiting period if the judgement is for a civil infraction and shall not include any convictions for which the defendant has an intervening conviction during the seven-year waiting period if the conviction is for a petty offense or misdemeanor or during the ten-year waiting period if the conviction is for a felony. The state court administrator shall sort the list by judicial district of conviction.
(c)
The state court administrator shall compile the initial list pursuant to this subsection (1) by February 1, 2024, and the court shall seal all conviction records eligible for sealing pursuant to the final list compiled pursuant to subsection (3)(a) of this section based on the initial list by July 1, 2024.
(d)
Beginning July 1, 2024, the state court administrator shall compile a list of drug convictions, misdemeanors, and petty offenses that are eligible pursuant to this subsection (1) on a quarterly basis. The state court administrator shall include the eligible felony convictions not found in article
18
of title
18
pursuant to subsection (1)(a.5) of this section beginning on July 1, 2025.
(2)
The state court administrator shall forward the list compiled pursuant to subsection (1) of this section to each district attorney, except for civil infractions. The state court administrator shall send the list of civil infractions to be sealed with the final list pursuant to subsection (3)(b) of this section to the chief judge for each judicial district.
(3)
(a)
(I)
Upon receipt of the list from the state court administrator, each elected district attorney, or his or her designee, may, within forty-five days, object to the inclusion of a conviction on the list for circumstances in which a condition of the plea was that the defendant agreed to not have the conviction record sealed, convictions in which the defendant has a pending criminal charge, an intervening conviction, or convictions that are ineligible for sealing.
(II)
For a felony conviction for an offense not in article
18
of title
18
, in addition to the objections in subsection (3)(a)(I) of this section, each district attorney may, within forty-five days, object when the district attorney has a reasonable belief, grounded in supporting facts, that the public interest and public safety in retaining public access to the current record or case outweighs the privacy interest of, or adverse consequences to, the defendant.
(III)
Each district attorney shall file a notice with the court in the criminal case that is the subject of the record without the need for additional service on any party, noting the basis of the objection.
(IV)
For objections pursuant to subsection (3)(a)(II) of this section, the notice must explain the basis for the objection and include any available supporting documents. In such cases, the court shall serve notice on the defendant at the defendant's last known address and explain in plain language that the defendant may request a hearing on the matter. If the defendant requests a hearing, the court shall proceed pursuant to section
24-72-706
.
(V)
The state court administrator shall remove the convictions objected to by the district attorneys from the list, if any, and then compile each of the lists into one final list and sort the convictions by judicial district. All convictions from the initial lists shall be included unless objected to within the forty-five-day period as ineligible under subsection (3)(a)(I), (3)(a)(II), or (3)(a)(III) of this section.
(b)
(I)
The state court administrator shall send the final list compiled pursuant to subsection (3)(a)(V) of this section to the chief judge for the judicial district. The courts of that judicial district shall enter sealing orders based on the list received within fourteen days after receipt of the amended list from the state court administrator.
(II)
The district court shall send a copy of the sealing order to the district attorney's office that prosecuted the case to facilitate sealing of the records held by the district attorney's offices. The court shall also send a copy to the state court administrator for purposes of subsections (3)(b)(III) and (3)(c) of this section. To protect defendant confidentiality, a copy shall not be mailed to the defendant, notwithstanding any Colorado criminal rule of procedure to the contrary.
(III)
The state court administrator shall electronically send all orders sealing records pursuant to this subsection (3)(b) to the Colorado bureau of investigation using an information-sharing data transfer to facilitate sealing of the records held by the Colorado bureau of investigation.
(IV)
The defendant may obtain a copy of the sealing order pursuant to section
24-72-703 (2)(c)
and serve the sealing order on any custodian of the records pursuant to section
24-72-703 (8)
, including the law enforcement agency that investigated the case.
(c)
On or before July 1, 2024, the state court administrator shall develop a website that allows a defendant to confidentially determine whether the defendant's conviction has been sealed pursuant to this section and information about how to receive a copy of the sealing order.
(4)
(a)
On or before February 1, 2024, and on or before January 1 each year thereafter, the state court administrator shall report to the judiciary committees of the senate and the house of representatives, or their successor committees, by judicial district and, to the extent possible, with data disaggregated by race and sex and by offense level, the number of conviction records in the prior calendar year that:
(I)
Were considered for automatic record sealing;
(II)
The state court administrator sent to the chief judges for each judicial district; and
(III)
The district attorneys objected to due to:
(A)
Intervening convictions;
(B)
The ineligibility of the offense;
(C)
Pending charges;
(D)
Plea agreements waiving the right to record sealing; and
(E)
Objections pursuant to subsection (3)(a)(II) of this section.
(b)
Notwithstanding section
24-1-136 (11)(a)(I)
, the report required in this subsection (4) continues indefinitely.
(c)
During the 2023 and 2024 legislative sessions, the judicial department shall report on the progress of its implementation of this section, including the creation of the website pursuant to subsection (3)(c) of this section, as part of the department's "State Measurement for Accountable, Responsive, and Transparent (SMART) Government Act" hearing required by section
2-7-203
.
(5)
(a)
On or before July 1, 2025, the state court administrator shall compile a list of all criminal justice records of deferred judgments that have been successfully completed and the charges have been dismissed, acquittals, and diversion cases pursuant to section 24-72-705 (1)(a) with dispositions prior to August 2022. the state court administrator shall sort those criminal justice records by judicial district and send the final list to the chief judge of each judicial district.
(b)
(I)
The state court administrator shall send the final list compiled pursuant to subsection (5)(a) of this section to the chief judge for the judicial district. The courts of that judicial district shall enter sealing orders based on the list received within fourteen days after receipt of the final list from the state court administrator.
(II)
The district court shall send a copy of the sealing order to the district attorney's office that prosecuted the case, and upon receipt of the order the district attorney's office shall seal the records held by it. The court shall also send a copy to the state court administrator for purposes of subsection (5)(b)(III) of this section. To protect defendant confidentiality, a copy shall not be mailed to the defendant, notwithstanding any Colorado criminal rule of procedure to the contrary.
(III)
The state court administrator shall electronically send all orders sealing records pursuant to this subsection (5)(b) to the Colorado bureau of investigation using an information-sharing data transfer. Upon receipt of the orders, the Colorado bureau of investigation shall seal all records held by the orders.
(IV)
The defendant may obtain a copy of the sealing order pursuant to section 24-72-703 (2)(c) and serve the sealing order on any custodian of the records pursuant to section 24-72-703 (8), including the law enforcement agency that investigated the case.
Amended by 2024 Ch. 384,§ 8, eff. 7/1/2025.
Amended by 2022 Ch. 276, §3, eff. 8/10/2022.
Added by 2021 Ch. 455, §11, eff. 9/7/2021.
2024 Ch. 384, was passed without a safety clause. See Colo. Const. art. V, § 1(3).
2022 Ch. 276, 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.