Expungements & Small Claims

Expungements

Individuals have the opportunity to seal former criminal charges on their records, only allowing relevant government agencies to access that information. This is accomplished through the expungement process. Following expungement, only those agencies may view the expunged charges, and only through a specific request to do so. 

Certificate of Eligibility

To determine if you meet eligibility requirements, you must first obtain a Certificate of Expungement Eligibility (PDF) from the Utah Bureau of Criminal Identification. This process typically takes 8 to 12 weeks.

Fill out your application for Certificate of Eligibility

If you have any questions, contact:

Bureau of Criminal Identification
3888 West 5400 South
Salt Lake City, Utah 84118
Phone: 801-965-4445
Bureau of Criminal Identification Website

After receiving the Certificate for Expungement Eligibility, you can obtain an expungement packet at the Justice Court or online at utcourts.gov.

Small Claims

Small claims cases refer to any cases between individual parties where damages do not exceed $11,000.00.  Small claims cases cannot be used to: 

• Sue a government entity 
• Sue for possession of property 
• Evict a tenant 
• Recover an assigned claim

To file a claim in the South Salt Lake Justice Court the defendant must reside in South Salt Lake or the incident must have occured in South Salt Lake.

For more information on filing a small claims case or collecting a small claims judgment visit the Utah State Courts website.

Filing Fees

Small claims affidavit filing fees:

• $2,000 or less - $60
• Between $2,000 & $7,500 - $100 
• Between $7,500 & $11,000 - $185

Counter affidavit filing fee:

• $2,000 or less - $50
• Between $2,000 & $7,500 - $70
• Between $7,500 & $11,000 - $120

Individuals filing a civil suit for damages over $11,000.00 will be addressed in the Utah District Courts.