Arizona court disposition codes are the shorthand labels a clerk enters on the Register of Actions to record how a charge or case ended. A code tells you whether the outcome was a conviction, an acquittal, a dismissal, a judgment, a settlement, or something still in progress, and that distinction drives everything that follows: what a background check will show, whether the case can come back, and what relief you can ask the court for.
Where to Find the Code on Your Case
The Register of Actions is the court’s docket sheet. It lists every event in the case in chronological order, and the disposition code appears near the bottom with the date it was entered and a short description.
Two online portals cover most Arizona cases. The Public Access Case Lookup at apps.azcourts.gov covers justice and municipal court cases. For Superior Court civil and criminal cases filed on or after July 1, 2010, eaccess.azcourts.gov shows more detailed records. If you need an official paper copy, the Superior Court clerk charges $0.50 per page and $35.00 for a certified copy with the clerk’s seal.1Arizona Judicial Branch. Superior Court Filing Fees Justice and municipal court fees are set by county and generally fall in a similar range. A certified copy is what immigration petitions, professional licensing boards, and out-of-state courts usually require.
Every Arizona court is required to use codes from an approved statewide list when it reports outcomes to the Central Case Repository and to agencies like the Motor Vehicle Division and the Department of Public Safety.2Arizona Judicial Branch. Code Standardization If a code on your case doesn’t appear below, that published list is the definitive reference.
Criminal and Traffic Codes
Guilty or Responsible (11, 21, GTY, CONV)
A code of 11 or 21 means the defendant was found guilty or responsible. You may also see GTY for a guilty plea or CONV for a conviction. Sentencing follows: fines, jail or prison, probation, or community service. On a traffic case, a guilty or responsible finding also generates points on the driving record through the Department of Transportation.
Acquittal (30, AC)
Code 30 or AC means a judge or jury found the defendant not guilty. An acquittal is permanent. The charge cannot be refiled, and it should not be held against you in employment or licensing decisions. You can also petition to seal the arrest and case records under A.R.S. §13-911.
Dismissal (44, D4)
A code of 44 or D4 means the charge was dropped. That can happen because the prosecutor decided the evidence was insufficient, a witness became unavailable, or the court found a procedural defect. A dismissal also opens the door to sealing. The practical difference from an acquittal is that a dismissed charge can sometimes be refiled if the statute of limitations hasn’t expired.
No Contest (NP, NOLO)
A no contest plea means the defendant accepted the penalty without formally admitting guilt. Arizona treats it the same as a guilty plea for sentencing, and it produces a conviction on your record. Its one real advantage is that it generally cannot be used as an admission in a related civil lawsuit.
Deferred Prosecution and Non-Prosecution (NN)
Under A.R.S. §11-361, a county attorney can offer an agreement where the defendant completes conditions such as community service or counseling, and the charge is dismissed on completion. Successful completion typically shows as NN (non-prosecution). That outcome is far better for your record than a conviction because no guilty plea was entered. Read the fine print of any diversion offer, though, because some programs still require a plea up front, and that plea has consequences even if the state court later dismisses the case.
Civil and Family Codes
Judgment on the Merits (C1, JUDG)
C1 or JUDG means the court entered a final judgment after ruling on the evidence. That can be a monetary award, a custody order, or an injunction. It’s enforceable through garnishment, liens, or contempt proceedings if the losing party doesn’t comply.
Default Judgment (58, C2)
A code of 58 or C2 is a default judgment, entered when a defendant fails to respond to a lawsuit in time. The court grants the plaintiff’s requested relief without a trial. People often discover a default only when their wages are garnished. Arizona Rule of Civil Procedure 60(c) provides grounds to ask the court to set aside a default, but you generally need to act quickly and show a valid reason for not responding.
Settlement and Stipulation (C4, AD, STIP)
When the parties resolve the case by agreement, the court records a code like C4, AD, or STIP. The agreement is formalized into an order and becomes enforceable like any other judgment. The parties set the terms rather than a judge.
Withdrawal (WDN, OA)
WDN or OA appears when the plaintiff or petitioner drops the case, or when the parties resolve it privately without court action. In most civil cases, a voluntary dismissal can be refiled. Under the Arizona Rules of Civil Procedure, a second voluntary dismissal of the same claim operates as a judgment on the merits and bars a third filing.
Interim Codes: The Case Isn’t Over
Some codes don’t close a case. They pause it or move it. Reading one of these as a final outcome is a common mistake.
- ABAT (abatement): the case is temporarily suspended, often because a defendant’s mental competency is being evaluated. It resumes once the underlying issue is resolved.
- TRANS (63): the case has been transferred to another court, commonly a felony moving from Justice Court to Superior Court.
- REMAND (R1): an appellate court sent the case back to the lower court for further proceedings, such as a new hearing, resentencing, or new trial.
- STAY: proceedings are on hold, usually because of an appeal or a separate legal challenge that has to be decided first.
If any of these appears on your case, deadlines and obligations may still be running. Failing to appear when the case resumes can result in a warrant or a default ruling.
Multiple Counts, Multiple Dispositions
A criminal case with more than one charge can carry a separate disposition for each count. A defendant can be convicted on one count and acquitted on another in the same case. Check each charge individually rather than assuming a single code covers the whole file.
If Your Code Is a Conviction: What Relief Exists
Arizona offers three forms of post-conviction relief, and they are frequently confused. The differences matter.
Set-Aside Under A.R.S. §13-905 (Code 76)
A set-aside means the court vacates the judgment of guilt, dismisses the underlying charge, and releases you from most penalties tied to the conviction. You can apply after completing all conditions of your sentence, including probation. The court weighs the nature of the offense, your compliance with the sentence, how long ago the conviction occurred, and any victim input.3Arizona Legislature. Arizona Revised Statutes Title 13-905 – Setting Aside Judgment of Convicted Person on Discharge There is no filing fee.
A set-aside does not erase your record. The conviction stays visible with an annotation that it was set aside, it can still count as a prior for sentencing in a future case, and it can still be used in certain proceedings.3Arizona Legislature. Arizona Revised Statutes Title 13-905 – Setting Aside Judgment of Convicted Person on Discharge The Department of Transportation can still enforce license suspensions, and the Game and Fish Commission can still enforce hunting-related penalties.
Sealing Under A.R.S. §13-911
Sealing, available since 2023, goes further. If a petition is granted, the court hides the case record from public view, and you can legally state on job, housing, and financial aid applications that you were never arrested for or convicted of the sealed offense.4Arizona Legislature. Arizona Revised Statutes Title 13-911 – Sealing of Arrest, Conviction and Sentencing Records Law enforcement can still access sealed records, and employers that require a fingerprint clearance card may still see them.
Eligibility runs from the completion of your sentence:
- Class 2 or 3 felony: 10 years
- Class 4, 5, or 6 felony: 5 years
- Class 1 misdemeanor: 3 years
- Class 2 or 3 misdemeanor: 2 years
If the charge was dismissed, resulted in an acquittal, or never led to charges after arrest, you can petition immediately with no waiting period.4Arizona Legislature. Arizona Revised Statutes Title 13-911 – Sealing of Arrest, Conviction and Sentencing Records Certain serious offenses are never eligible, including dangerous crimes against children, offenses involving deadly weapons, and most sex offenses.
Expungement
True expungement in Arizona is limited to marijuana offenses that are no longer criminal after the passage of Proposition 207 in 2020. Expungement requires law enforcement and court personnel to remove the record entirely. For any other offense, sealing under §13-911 is the closest option available.
What a Code Means on a Background Check
The Arizona Department of Public Safety runs the Central State Repository for criminal records, and under A.R.S. §41-1750 every criminal justice agency has to report arrests and dispositions to it.5Arizona Department of Public Safety. Records Request A conviction code (11, 21, CONV) stays on your criminal history and is visible to authorized agencies. A set-aside adds an annotation but does not remove the conviction. A sealed record is hidden from most background searches, though it remains accessible to law enforcement and some licensing authorities.
Private employers in Arizona cannot pull directly from the DPS repository. State law does not authorize DPS to release criminal history to private companies for employment purposes, with narrow exceptions for nonprofits.5Arizona Department of Public Safety. Records Request Most commercial background checks pull from court records instead, which is why the code that appears on your Register of Actions is what a private employer’s screening service is likely to see.
Federal Jobs
Federal agencies evaluate criminal history case by case under a “whole person” analysis, and a record does not automatically disqualify you. Adjudicators weigh how long ago the conduct occurred, how serious it was, and whether it relates to the job.6U.S. Office of Personnel Management. I Have Been Arrested and Have a Criminal Record. Will That Automatically Keep Me from Getting a Federal Job? Some offenses do create automatic bars, including treason convictions and domestic violence misdemeanors for positions that involve firearms.
Immigration
This is where Arizona codes mislead people most often. Federal immigration law has its own definition of “conviction” under 8 U.S.C. §1101(a)(48)(A), and it is broader than the state definition. A guilty plea or no contest plea combined with any court-imposed punishment counts as a conviction for immigration purposes, even if the state court later granted a set-aside or dismissed the charge after a rehabilitative program.7Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 8 U.S. Code 1101 – Definitions
USCIS treats deferred adjudication as a conviction when both a guilty plea and some form of punishment were imposed, no matter what the state later did.8U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Policy Manual Volume 12, Part F, Chapter 2 – Adjudicative Factors Pre-trial diversion where no guilty plea was ever entered generally does not count as a conviction. If you are not a U.S. citizen, an Arizona dismissal code on your state record does not necessarily protect you at the federal level, and the plea itself is often what matters.