A DUI conviction can create long-term consequences for many people. It makes it challenging for you to work in some fields and may cause difficulty getting affordable car insurance. Over time, it may be possible to have your DUI record expunged. Working with a Garfield County DUI attorney from Troxell Law is critical to ensuring you protect your rights throughout this process.
What Does Expunging Your Colorado DUI Record Mean?
Expungement is a legal process of having your DUI record or conviction removed from your record. That means the information is not present on your criminal or traffic record any longer. It virtually wipes the slate clean.
Expungement would mean that anyone who checks your criminal record, such as an employer or landlord, would not see the DUI charge present. However, having a DUI expunged is not a simplistic process and often is not the route to count on.
When Can You Expunge Your DUI Record in Colorado?
Expungement is not granted to everyone with a Colorado DUI. These laws fall under Colorado Revised Statutes § 42-4-1301, make it illegal to drive and drink, and put rules in place related to alcohol testing, charges, and what may be done to expunge such records.
If you plead guilty to the DUI charge at the time, there is no way to have the guilty verdict expunged from your record. That means that you will not be able to request this change. If the case is dismissed, it will still appear on your criminal record, and the filing of the DUI charge and charges will also appear there.
For those who were a juvenile when they received the DUI conviction may be able to request expungement. In doing so, they must have reached at least 21 years of age at this point and completed all of the requirements set in their original sentence. They also cannot have any other indications or charges of underage drinking on their record. Also, note that you cannot have a commercial driver’s license or have been driving a commercial vehicle at the time of the DUI to request for it to be expunged.
Working with a Criminal Defense Attorney for DUI Charges
There are very few other reasons or defense strategies that may lead to the expungement of a DUI record. Because of this, it is critically important for anyone charged with DUI to take their charges seriously. Seek out the help of a criminal defense attorney to help you avoid conviction of a DUI charge.
Because of the complexity of having a Colorado DUI record expunged, the better option tends to be to do whatever is possible to avoid the conviction. There are various DUI defense strategies that may apply in some situations, and your attorney can help you determine if those may help you. A criminal defense attorney may be able to help show that the charges are not justified, and that could help to minimize your risk of facing the long-term consequences of a DUI on your criminal and driving record.