Does a Colorado DUI give you a criminal record?

A Colorado DUI is a serious crime and it carries heavy and expensive penalties.  The conviction will stay on your driving record and your criminal record forever.  It may not affect your ability to get employment as often employers are not looking for that type of conviction, especially if it happened some years before.  However, don’t lie about the conviction because that could cause you to lose the job.

Once you have been convicted, served your time or probation, and paid your fines, many states will allow you to petition to have the conviction expunged. This will not happen in Colorado; although you may have your record reviewed for correction by the Colorado Bureau of Investigation.  In Colorado, there are no expungements of convictions.  If you plead guilty or are found guilty, you will not be able to get that conviction expunged.

If you are looking for expungement of an arrest that did not lead to a DUI conviction, your chances are better here.  However, the court will consider your record or subsequent arrests or convictions since the initial arrest.  Expungement in Colorado does not completely erase your criminal record of the arrest; it will still remain visible to law enforcement and the courts.  It will not show up for employers however. 

If you have been arrested for a DUI in Colorado, you will want to seek the assistance of an experienced DUI lawyer to help you avoid conviction, and avoid that criminal record.