Nevada pardon vs. record sealing

Both offer relief from a criminal record, but they work differently, restore different rights, and suit different goals. The biggest difference: only a pardon can restore your right to own a firearm.

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The essential difference

Record sealing

Hides the record. Conviction stays real.

Under NRS 179.285, the proceedings are deemed never to have occurred. Most background checks won't surface the record. You can legally say it didn't happen. But the conviction remains on file with criminal justice agencies, and firearm rights are not restored.

Pardon

Forgives the offense. Record stays visible.

The Board of Pardons Commissioners forgives the offense through executive clemency. The conviction still shows on background checks, with the pardon noted alongside it. An unconditional pardon restores firearm rights. The process takes approximately two years, and approval is discretionary.

If restoring your right to own a firearm is the goal, sealing will not accomplish it. Only an unconditional pardon can restore firearm rights in Nevada.

Record sealing in Nevada

Sealing is the more accessible remedy for most people. Eligibility criteria are objective, the case goes through the courts, and it is typically resolved in four to six months.

What sealing accomplishes

Hidden from most employer and landlord background checks. You can legally deny the sealed arrest or conviction on job applications, rental applications, and most other forms. Voting rights, jury service, and the right to hold public office are restored immediately.

Objective eligibility

Eligibility is determined by offense category and waiting period, not by a board's discretion. NRS 179.2445 creates a presumption in favor of sealing, so if you meet the criteria and the petition is accurate, the court generally grants it.

What sealing does not do

Does not restore firearm rights. Does not bind federal agencies. Does not eliminate immigration consequences. The Gaming Control Board and certain other agencies retain statutory access to sealed records.

Two-year wait after a denial

After a denial, you cannot re-petition for 2 years, though you can appeal the denial (NRS 179.265). The petition has to be accurate the first time.

Nevada pardons and the Board of Pardons Commissioners

The pardon process is harder, slower, and less predictable than sealing. But for certain goals, restoring firearm rights above all, it is the only path.

Timeline

~2 years

From application to Board action

Approval rate

Low

Few granted each year

Standard

Discretionary

No objective passing score

What the Board considers

Nature and severity of the offense. Whether the crime involved violence, vulnerable victims, or conduct of particular public concern weighs heavily against an applicant. The Board looks at what happened, not just what charge you pled to.

Time elapsed since conviction. Greater distance from the offense, and especially from release or discharge from supervision, lends credibility to a claim of rehabilitation. A recent conviction faces much steeper odds.

Evidence of rehabilitation. Stable employment, community involvement, completion of treatment or educational programs, family stability, and an absence of subsequent criminal conduct all factor in.

Victim input. The Board considers whether victims have been heard and what position, if any, they have expressed regarding the application. Victim opposition is a serious obstacle.

Community support. Letters from employers, clergy, community leaders, and others who can speak to the applicant's conduct and character since conviction. A strong support record helps.

Side-by-side comparison

How the two remedies differ on the main factors.

Factor	Record sealing	Pardon
What it does	Hides the record from public view	Forgives the offense; record remains visible
Firearm rights	Does not restore	Restores if pardon is unconditional
Voting, jury service, public office	Restores immediately upon sealing	Restores
Effect on background checks	Hidden from most employer and landlord checks	Conviction remains visible; pardon noted
Conviction on record	Conviction remains; legal fiction applied	Offense formally forgiven by executive act
Gaming / insurance licensing	Agencies may still inspect sealed records	Carries independent weight in suitability review
Governing authority	District court (judicial)	Board of Pardons Commissioners (executive)
Eligibility standard	Objective: offense category + waiting period	Discretionary: rehabilitation, conduct, victim input
Approval rate	High for eligible applicants	Low; very few granted each year
Typical timeline	4 to 6 months	Approximately 2 years

Pardons vs. sealings: frequently asked questions

Common questions about restoring rights after a Nevada conviction.

Frequently asked questions

They move in opposite directions from the same starting point. Record sealing hides the conviction from most background checks. Under NRS 179.285 the offense is deemed never to have occurred, but the conviction remains legally real. A pardon forgives the offense through executive clemency (forgiveness granted by the state's executive branch) but does not conceal the record. An employer running a standard background check won't see a sealed conviction. They will see a pardoned one, with the pardon noted alongside it.

No. NRS 179.285 expressly excludes firearm rights from the civil rights restored by sealing. If your right to possess a firearm was lost due to a felony conviction or a misdemeanor domestic violence conviction, sealing does not restore it. A sealed record may still count as a disqualifying conviction for federal firearm purposes under 18 U.S.C. 922(g).

You need an unconditional pardon from the Nevada Board of Pardons Commissioners. Under federal law, a pardoned conviction no longer counts as a conviction for firearm purposes unless the pardon expressly says you may not possess firearms (18 U.S.C. 921(a)(20)). A pardon that says nothing about firearms restores the right. One that expressly restricts firearms does not. The pardon process takes approximately two years and is discretionary. There is no guarantee of approval.

Approximately two years from submitting the application to Board action. The Board of Pardons Commissioners meets infrequently, the application process is thorough, and the timeline from submission to hearing is long. Few other Nevada legal proceedings move this slowly. If you need a pardon, start as early as possible.

Difficult. Very few pardons are granted each year. The Board exercises broad discretion and considers the nature of the offense, time elapsed since conviction, evidence of rehabilitation, victim input, community support, and the applicant's conduct since release. Applications involving violence, sexual offenses, or crimes with vulnerable victims face the steepest odds. The low approval rate is one reason record sealing, which is objective and has a high success rate for eligible applicants, is pursued far more often.

No. A pardon forgives the offense but does not conceal the conviction. It will still appear on background checks, with the pardon noted alongside it. If concealment from background checks is your primary goal, record sealing is the more effective remedy, assuming the offense is eligible. If restoring firearm rights is the goal, only a pardon can accomplish that.

It depends on what you actually need. If your goal is to pass employment or housing background checks and legally deny the offense on applications, sealing is more effective and more accessible. If your goal is to restore firearm rights, only an unconditional pardon works. Some people pursue both: seal the record first to address background checks, then apply for a pardon later to restore firearm rights. They are not mutually exclusive.

Yes. They serve different purposes and are not mutually exclusive. A common path for someone convicted of a felony is to seal the record first, which handles employment and housing background checks, and later apply for a pardon to restore firearm rights. The pardon process does not require the record to be unsealed, and the Board of Pardons Commissioners has statutory access to sealed records when evaluating pardon applications.

The Board looks at the nature and severity of the offense, time elapsed since conviction and release, evidence of rehabilitation (employment, community involvement, completion of treatment or programs), victim input, letters of support from employers and community members, and the applicant's overall conduct since conviction. There is no objective passing score. The Board exercises real discretion on each application.

Find out which path fits your situation

Whether you need to pass a background check, restore firearm rights, or both, call and Michael Mee will tell you where you stand and what your options are. The call is free and takes about ten minutes.

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More about Nevada record sealing

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Record sealing overview Nevada waiting periods by offense The record sealing process What does record sealing cost?Fingerprinting requirements Expungement vs. sealing How long does sealing take?

Page last updated October 6, 2026. Written by Michael Mee, Nevada Bar No. 13726.

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