Jobs for Felons in Arizona

Arizona's ban-the-box rule for state agencies comes from a governor's executive order issued in November 2017 (EO 2017-07), not a law passed by the legislature. The order says state agency applications “shall not ask whether an applicant has a criminal record,” that a record shall not keep you from an interview, and that agencies may ask after the first interview. Jobs where a law bars certain convictions are an exception. We could not confirm that the order is still in effect, so ask the agency when you apply.

The order says it does not cover private employers; it only encourages them. We found no statewide ban-the-box law for private employers. Some cities and counties may have rules for their own hiring, so check yours.

Arizona law says an employer “is not liable for hiring an employee” who has a past conviction, and in most negligent-hiring suits the past conviction cannot even be brought up as evidence. It does not cover violent or sexual offenses, and it has limits for jobs handling money, security guards and police. Many employers do not know this. Tell them.

Under federal law, a background check company can report a conviction no matter how old it is. Arrests that did not lead to a conviction generally drop off after seven years (the limit does not apply to jobs paying $75,000 a year or more). We found no Arizona law that shortens that for convictions, which is why sealing matters.

You can ask the court to seal an Arizona conviction once you finish your sentence and pay all fines, fees and restitution. The wait after you finish the other terms and are discharged: 10 years for a class 2 or 3 felony, 5 years for a class 4, 5 or 6 felony, 3 years for a class 1 misdemeanor, 2 years for a class 2 or 3 misdemeanor.

Once sealed, you can generally answer job applications as if the arrest and conviction never happened. Exceptions include jobs that need a fingerprint clearance card; jobs with police, prosecutors, courts, probation, child welfare or corrections; and some jobs tied to the type of offense.

Some offenses cannot be sealed, including dangerous offenses, dangerous crimes against children, serious, violent or aggravated felonies, offenses involving a deadly weapon or knowingly causing serious physical injury, sex trafficking, and class 2 to 5 sex offenses. If the court says no, you wait 3 years to file again.

A set-aside is different from sealing. After you finish probation or your sentence, you can ask the court to set aside the conviction. It stays on your record, marked “set aside.” There is no court filing fee.

With a set-aside you can also ask for a certificate of second chance: right away for a misdemeanor, 2 years after you finish for a class 4, 5 or 6 felony, 5 years for a class 2 or 3 felony. It releases you from many barriers to state occupational licenses and gives the employer who hires you the same legal protection described above. You can get only one for a felony.

Starting September 12, 2026, a judge can change some first-time class 4, 5 or 6 felonies into a class 1 misdemeanor. The offense must be non-dangerous with no victim, you must have finished everything and paid in full, and 5 years must have passed since your sentence with no new felony or victim misdemeanor. The law is set to be repealed in 2028, so ask legal aid soon.

Before you pay for school or a test, you can ask a state licensing agency whether your record disqualifies you. It must answer within 90 days. It cannot hold against you arrests without a conviction, sealed, dismissed, expunged or pardoned convictions, juvenile cases, or nonviolent misdemeanors.

For most licenses, a felony can count against you only if the conviction is from the last 3 years (not counting time in prison) and has not been set aside or sealed, and the agency proves by clear and convincing evidence that it is a real risk tied to the job. Serious and dangerous offenses can still count at any time. Police and teaching certificates follow other rules.

Federal EEOC guidance from 2012 warns employers that blanket “no felons” policies can violate Title VII, but since April 2025 a federal executive order has told agencies to deprioritize this kind of case. We found no Arizona law that stops a private employer from using a record, so your real leverage is sealing, the certificate of second chance, and the employer protection in A.R.S. 12-558.03.