Sealing takes your criminal record out of public view. After a court seals it, standard background checks come back clean, and in most situations you may lawfully deny the arrest or conviction ever happened — even under oath.
It’s not erasure. The record still exists under restricted access, and a few agencies can still see it. But for the everyday things an old case blocks — a job, an apartment, a license — a sealed record is effectively gone. At Discount Lawyers, that’s the outcome we get people every day.
“Sealing” gets talked about a lot, but rarely explained. People know they want it without knowing what it actually changes. So here’s the plain version: what a sealed record does, and just as importantly, what it doesn’t.
What changes the day it’s sealed?
The moment a judge signs the order, your record is pulled from public access. The court file, the arrest, the case — all of it drops out of the places an ordinary background check looks. Run a standard employment or rental screen afterward and it comes back clean. That single change is what reopens the doors an old case kept shutting.
Can I really say it never happened?
In most situations, yes — and this is the part people find hard to believe. Nevada law lets you lawfully deny a sealed arrest or conviction on ordinary job and housing applications, even under oath. You are not lying; the law specifically allows it. For everyday life, that’s the whole point of Nevada record sealing.
What sealing doesn’t do
Sealing isn’t expungement — the record isn’t destroyed, just restricted. And a narrow set of agencies keeps the ability to see it: the Gaming Control Board and Gaming Commission, the Division of Insurance, prosecutors and courts in certain cases, and the Board of Pardons. Federal immigration authorities can also still see a sealed record, because a Nevada seal doesn’t bind the federal government. A handful of offenses — felony DUI, sex crimes, certain crimes against children — can’t be sealed at all.
What it means in real life
Strip away the legal language and sealing buys you back specific, concrete things: a job offer that doesn’t evaporate at the background check, an apartment application that gets approved, a professional or work-card license that goes through, and the quiet relief of not bracing every time someone runs your name. For most people, that’s worth far more than the cost of the petition.
Being straight with you: sealing is powerful, but it isn’t a magic wand. For the vast majority of jobs and apartments, a sealed record is effectively gone — but if you work in gaming, hold a professional license, or have any immigration concern, the seal behaves differently in those specific rooms. Get advice for your situation before you rely on it.
How we help
At Discount Lawyers, an affordable record sealing lawyer will tell you what’s eligible, what sealing will and won’t do in your specific case, and then handle the whole petition. We help clients with Las Vegas record sealing and across Nevada, in English and Spanish.
Stop letting one chapter of your past write your whole future.
Common questions
Does sealing erase my record in Nevada?
No. Nevada seals records rather than destroying them — sealing isn’t expungement. Your record is removed from public view and restricted, but it still exists and a few agencies can access it.
Can I deny a sealed arrest or conviction on a job application?
In most situations, yes. Once a Nevada court seals your record, the law lets you answer as though the arrest or conviction never happened on ordinary job and housing applications.
Who can still see my sealed record?
A limited set of agencies keeps access — the Gaming Control Board and Gaming Commission, the Division of Insurance, prosecutors and courts in certain cases, and the Board of Pardons. Federal immigration authorities can also still see sealed records.