Terms Used In Utah Code > Title 77 > Chapter 40a - Expungement of Criminal Records

• Acquittal:
  1. Judgement that a criminal defendant has not been proved guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
  2. A verdict of "not guilty."
   
• Agency: means a state, county, or local government entity that generates or maintains records relating to an investigation, arrest, detention, or conviction for an offense for which expungement may be ordered. See Utah Code 77-40a-101
• Appeal: A request made after a trial, asking another court (usually the court of appeals) to decide whether the trial was conducted properly. To make such a request is "to appeal" or "to take an appeal." One who appeals is called the appellant.
• Arrest: Taking physical custody of a person by lawful authority.
• Automatic expungement: means the expungement of records of an investigation, arrest, detention, or conviction of an offense without the filing of a petition. See Utah Code 77-40a-101
• Bureau: means the Bureau of Criminal Identification of the Department of Public Safety established in Section 53-10-201. See Utah Code 77-40a-101
• Certificate of eligibility: means a document issued by the bureau stating that the criminal record and all records of arrest, investigation, and detention associated with a case that is the subject of a petition for expungement is eligible for expungement. See Utah Code 77-40a-101
• Certificate of title: means a document issued by a jurisdiction to establish a record of ownership between an identified owner and the described vehicle, vessel, or outboard motor. See Utah Code 41-1a-102
• City: includes , depending on population, a metro township as defined in Section 10-3c-102. See Utah Code 68-3-12.5
• Civil accounts receivable: means the same as that term is defined in Section 77-32b-102. See Utah Code 77-40a-101
• Clean slate eligible case: includes a case:
            (7)(b)(i) that is dismissed as a result of a successful completion of a plea in abeyance agreement governed by Subsection 77-2a-3(2)(b) if:

                 (7)(b)(i)(A) except as provided in Subsection (7)(c), each charge within the case is a misdemeanor for possession of a controlled substance in violation of Subsection 58-37-8(2)(a)(i), a class B or class C misdemeanor, or an infraction;

                 (7)(b)(i)(B) the individual involved meets the requirements of Subsection (7)(a)(ii); and

                 (7)(b)(i)(C) the time periods described in Subsections (7)(a)(iii)(A) through (C) have elapsed from the day on which the case is dismissed; or
            (7)(b)(ii) where charges are dismissed without prejudice if each conviction, or charge that was dismissed, in the case would otherwise meet the requirements under Subsection (7)(a) or (b)(i). See Utah Code 77-40a-101
• Conviction: A judgement of guilt against a criminal defendant.
• Conviction: means judgment by a criminal court on a verdict or finding of guilty after trial, a plea of guilty, or a plea of nolo contendere. See Utah Code 77-40a-101
• Court: means a district court or a justice court. See Utah Code 77-40a-101
• Criminal accounts receivable: means the same as that term is defined in Section 77-32b-102. See Utah Code 77-40a-101
• Criminal protective order: means the same as that term is defined in Section 78B-7-102. See Utah Code 77-40a-101
• Damages: Money paid by defendants to successful plaintiffs in civil cases to compensate the plaintiffs for their injuries.
• Dealer: means a person engaged or licensed to engage in the business of buying, selling, or exchanging new or used vehicles, vessels, or outboard motors either outright or on conditional sale, bailment, lease, chattel mortgage, or otherwise or who has an established place of business for the sale, lease, trade, or display of vehicles, vessels, or outboard motors. See Utah Code 41-1a-102
• Department: means the Department of Public Safety established in Section 53-1-103. See Utah Code 77-40a-101
• Dismissal: The dropping of a case by the judge without further consideration or hearing. ^Source:
• Division: means the Motor Vehicle Division of the commission, created in Section 41-1a-106. See Utah Code 41-1a-102
• Drug possession offense: means an offense under:
       (14)(a) Subsection 58-37-8(2), except:

            (14)(a)(i) any offense under Subsection 58-37-8(2)(b)(i), possession of 100 pounds or more of marijuana;

            (14)(a)(ii) any offense enhanced under Subsection 58-37-8(2)(e), violation in a correctional facility; or

            (14)(a)(iii) driving with a controlled substance illegally in the person's body and negligently causing serious bodily injury or death of another, as codified before May 4, 2022, Laws of Utah 2021, Chapter 236, Section 1, Subsection 58-37-8(2)(g);
       (14)(b) Subsection 58-37a-5(1), use or possession of drug paraphernalia;
       (14)(c) Section 58-37b-6, possession or use of an imitation controlled substance; or
       (14)(d) any local ordinance which is substantially similar to any of the offenses described in this Subsection (14). See Utah Code 77-40a-101
• Evidence: Information presented in testimony or in documents that is used to persuade the fact finder (judge or jury) to decide the case for one side or the other.
• Expunge: means to seal or otherwise restrict access to the individual's record held by an agency when the record includes a criminal investigation, detention, arrest, or conviction. See Utah Code 77-40a-101
• Fiscal year: The fiscal year is the accounting period for the government. For the federal government, this begins on October 1 and ends on September 30. The fiscal year is designated by the calendar year in which it ends; for example, fiscal year 2006 begins on October 1, 2005 and ends on September 30, 2006.
• Identification number: includes a vehicle identification number, state assigned identification number, hull identification number, and motor serial number. See Utah Code 41-1a-102
• Indigent: means a financial status that results from a court finding that a petitioner is financially unable to pay the fee to file a petition for expungement under Section 78A-2-302. See Utah Code 77-40a-101 v2
• Injunction: An order of the court prohibiting (or compelling) the performance of a specific act to prevent irreparable damage or injury.
• Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
• Jurisdiction: means a state, district, province, political subdivision, territory, or possession of the United States or any foreign country. See Utah Code 77-40a-101
• Lien: A claim against real or personal property in satisfaction of a debt.
• Minor regulatory offense: includes an offense under Section 76-9-701 or 76-10-105. See Utah Code 77-40a-101
• Nolo contendere: No contest-has the same effect as a plea of guilty, as far as the criminal sentence is concerned, but may not be considered as an admission of guilt for any other purpose.
• Odometer: means a device for measuring and recording the actual distance a vehicle travels while in operation, but does not include any auxiliary odometer designed to be periodically reset. See Utah Code 41-1a-102
• Off-highway vehicle: means the same as that term is defined in Section 41-22-2. See Utah Code 41-1a-102
• Outboard motor: means a detachable self-contained propulsion unit, excluding fuel supply, used to propel a vessel. See Utah Code 41-1a-102
• Owner: means a person, other than a lienholder, holding title to a vehicle, vessel, or outboard motor whether or not the vehicle, vessel, or outboard motor is subject to a security interest. See Utah Code 41-1a-102
• Person: means :
       (24)(a) an individual;
       (24)(b) an association;
       (24)(c) an institution;
       (24)(d) a corporation;
       (24)(e) a company;
       (24)(f) a trust;
       (24)(g) a limited liability company;
       (24)(h) a partnership;
       (24)(i) a political subdivision;
       (24)(j) a government office, department, division, bureau, or other body of government; and
       (24)(k) any other organization or entity. See Utah Code 68-3-12.5
• Petitioner: means an individual applying for expungement under this chapter. See Utah Code 77-40a-101
• Plea: In a criminal case, the defendant's statement pleading "guilty" or "not guilty" in answer to the charges, a declaration made in open court.
• Plea in abeyance: means the same as that term is defined in Section 77-2a-1. See Utah Code 77-40a-101
• Probation: A sentencing alternative to imprisonment in which the court releases convicted defendants under supervision as long as certain conditions are observed.
• Process: means a writ or summons issued in the course of a judicial proceeding. See Utah Code 68-3-12.5
• Receipt of surrender of ownership documents: means the receipt of surrender of ownership documents described in Section 41-1a-503. See Utah Code 41-1a-102
• Record: means a book, letter, document, paper, map, plan, photograph, film, card, tape, recording, electronic data, or other documentary material, regardless of physical form or characteristics, that:
       (21)(a) is contained in the agency's file regarding the arrest, detention, investigation, conviction, sentence, incarceration, probation, or parole of an individual; and
       (21)(b) is prepared, owned, received, or retained by an agency, including a court. See Utah Code 77-40a-101 v2
• Replica vehicle: means :
       (67)(a) a street rod that meets the requirements under Subsection 41-21-1(3)(a)(i)(B); or
       (67)(b) a custom vehicle that meets the requirements under Subsection 41-6a-1507(1)(a)(i)(B). See Utah Code 41-1a-102
• Restitution: The court-ordered payment of money by the defendant to the victim for damages caused by the criminal action.
• Sex: means , in relation to an individual, the individual's biological sex, either male or female, at birth, according to distinct reproductive roles as manifested by:
       (34)(a) sex and reproductive organ anatomy;
       (34)(b) chromosomal makeup; and
       (34)(c) endogenous hormone profiles. See Utah Code 68-3-12.5
• Special certificate: means a document issued as described in Subsection 77-40a-304(1)(c) by the bureau stating that the criminal record and all records of arrest, investigation, and detention associated with a case that is the subject of a petition for expungement is eligible for expungement. See Utah Code 77-40a-101
• State: when applied to the different parts of the United States, includes a state, district, or territory of the United States. See Utah Code 68-3-12.5
• Statute of limitations: A law that sets the time within which parties must take action to enforce their rights.
• Title: means the right to or ownership of a vehicle, vessel, or outboard motor. See Utah Code 41-1a-102
• Traffic offense: means , except as provided in Subsection (21)(b):
            (21)(a)(i) an infraction, a class B misdemeanor offense, or a class C misdemeanor offense under Title 41, Chapter 6a, Traffic Code;
            (21)(a)(ii) an infraction, a class B misdemeanor offense, or a class C misdemeanor offense under Title 53, Chapter 3, Part 2, Driver Licensing Act;
            (21)(a)(iii) an infraction, a class B misdemeanor offense, or a class C misdemeanor offense under Title 73, Chapter 18, State Boating Act; and
            (21)(a)(iv) all local ordinances that are substantially similar to an offense listed in Subsections (21)(a)(i) through (iii). See Utah Code 77-40a-101
• Traffic offense case: means that each offense in the case is a traffic offense. See Utah Code 77-40a-101
• Trial: A hearing that takes place when the defendant pleads "not guilty" and witnesses are required to come to court to give evidence.
• United States: includes each state, district, and territory of the United States of America. See Utah Code 68-3-12.5
• Utah Code: means the 1953 recodification of the Utah Code, as amended, unless the text expressly references a portion of the 1953 recodification of the Utah Code as it existed:
       (42)(a) on the day on which the 1953 recodification of the Utah Code was enacted; or
       (42)(b)

            (42)(b)(i) after the day described in Subsection (42)(a); and

            (42)(b)(ii) before the most recent amendment to the referenced portion of the 1953 recodification of the Utah Code. See Utah Code 68-3-12.5
• Vehicle: includes a motor vehicle, trailer, semitrailer, off-highway vehicle, camper, park model recreational vehicle, manufactured home, and mobile home. See Utah Code 41-1a-102
• Verdict: The decision of a petit jury or a judge.
• Vessel: means the same as that term is defined in Section 73-18-2. See Utah Code 41-1a-102
• Writing: includes :
       (48)(a) printing;
       (48)(b) handwriting; and
       (48)(c) information stored in an electronic or other medium if the information is retrievable in a perceivable format. See Utah Code 68-3-12.5