Automatic sealing · Rules v2026.2, current through July 1, 2026
Was my record already sealed automatically?
There is no letter. Colorado seals eligible cases on its own now, and the court does not mail the defendant the order when it does. So the only way to know is to look.
This takes about ten minutes and costs nothing.
How to check, in order
- 01Search your own name on the Colorado Judicial Branch's public case search. If the case is sealed, it will not be there. If it is still listed, it is not sealed.
- 02Use the Colorado Sealed Case Search, at coloradojudicial.gov, to confirm. It asks for a case number and a driver's licence or social security number, which is exactly what someone from an old case does not have at hand.
- 03Order your own criminal history from the Colorado Bureau of Investigation for $6. This is what an employer's check draws on, and it is the record that actually matters.
- 04If the case is gone from the court search and off your CBI report, it is sealed. Keep a copy of that report.
It shows on a background check but the court says sealed
This happens, and it is the step almost everyone misses. A sealing order tells the agencies to seal; it does not guarantee that every database did. Private background check companies also keep old copies of public data.
- Get your CBI report and see whether the state's own record is clean.
- If the state is clean but a private report is not, dispute it with that company under the Fair Credit Reporting Act, with a copy of the sealing order.
- If the state is not clean, send the sealing order to the Colorado Bureau of Investigation and ask them to apply it.
It has not been sealed, and you are past the automatic date
Colorado started this work in 2024, month 07 and is moving through a backlog. Your case may simply not have come up yet, or it may not be eligible for the automatic route at all. A motion is the route you control.
The Check below reads these rules against your own dates. It is free, it takes about four minutes, and it does not ask for your name or your email.
Common questions
Will Colorado notify me when my record is sealed?
No. The court does not mail the defendant the order. If a district attorney objects, the notice goes to your last known address in the case file, which is often years out of date.
How do I get my Colorado criminal history?
Order a name-based check from the Colorado Bureau of Investigation for $6. Do this before you file anything: it tells you the offense class and the dates the court has, which is what the statute is measured against.
Unburdened is not a law firm. This is legal information, not legal advice.