Expungement fees are now four times more expensive
Jul 1, 2023, 5:00 PM | Updated: Jul 2, 2023, 10:53 pm
SALT LAKE CITY — Expungement fees are going up in Utah. Before July 1, if you were eligible to expunge your criminal record, an application fee would cost you $65. Now, that fee is $280.
Just last year, a pilot program designed by Rep. Jim Dunnigan, R-Taylorsville, made expunging your criminal record a lot easier, and a lot cheaper.
However, the program was only set to last one year. Though the program has now expired, Dunnigan told KSL NewsRadio that he is still fighting to help those trying to move forward with their lives.
Why expungement is important
If you are convicted of a crime but have since paid your debt to society, you can request to get those records erased. Certain crimes cannot be erased, but Dunnigan said those whose crimes are eligible must meet additional criteria.
“Under the bill I passed a year ago,” he said. “You had to have gone seven years crime-free after your conviction you have to pay all fines, fees, and restitution.”
Dunnigan said the bill introduced in the 2022 legislative session waved almost all the fees to apply for expungement. Before the program was in place there were many types of fees you had to pay to erase your records such as the Bureau of Criminal Investigation fees and court fees. He said this could cost anywhere from several hundred to $2000.
“After having paid all their fines and stuff, they don’t have that money,” he said.
Dunnigan has worked with people with felonies in the past. He said their criminal record took away job opportunities and made it difficult to apply for housing.
“They’ve only messed up one time in their life,” he said. “And there’s others who have messed up many times in their life. But now they’re on a good path.”
