People come to me asking to expunge a conviction, and the first thing I have to explain is that Arizona does not do that. What Arizona offers is a set-aside. The court vacates the judgment of guilt, dismisses the case, and releases you from the penalties and disabilities tied to the conviction. The record still exists, and it now carries a notation saying the judgment was set aside.
That distinction disappoints people until they see what it does in practice. An employer running a background check sees a court telling them the person completed everything asked of them. Landlords read it the same way. If the case qualifies, the court can also issue a Certificate of Second Chance alongside the order, which matters for occupational licensing.
There is no filing fee for the application, which surprises almost everyone. Restoration of civil rights and restoration of firearm rights are separate requests, and they can be filed at the same time.
Not every conviction qualifies. Whether yours does is a question for an attorney, not for me. What I can do is prepare the application accurately once you know where you stand.
SJ
Nothing here is legal advice. It is general information about how the process works, from an Arizona Certified Legal Document Preparer.