Criminal History Guidelines

DOPL offers about 60 categories of licensure and many do NOT automatically deny an applicant based on their criminal history.  However, some crimes may result in DOPL denying a license.   DOPL must carefully review crimes that may "substantially" relate to an individual's ability to safely or competently practice their occupation or profession.  For example, convictions for crimes such as theft and fraud have relevance for licensees that have access to money, such as CPAs.  This is in keeping with one of DOPL’s main goals when issuing licenses: protecting the citizens of Utah.

A few license statutes require automatic denial of the license for certain crimes.  For example, you cannot hold a nursing license if you have been convicted of a violent felony, and you cannot hold an armed private security officer license if you have a conviction that restricts you from possessing a firearm.

To assist applicants, DOPL has created Criminal History Guidelines for each occupation and profession it licenses.  The Criminal History Guidelines can help applicants identify particular crimes that may "substantially" affect their ability to safely or competently practice a certain occupation or profession.

To view DOPL’s Criminal History Guidelines, refer to the Criminal History menu item on the specific occupation/profession page on DOPL’s website.

Keep in mind, these are only guidelines and individualized consideration of an applicant’s or licensee’s current circumstances and existing laws and rules will influence licensing decisions.  For more information, read the FAQs, especially FAQ 18: "What factors regarding criminal history will DOPL consider relevant to a licensing decision?"