felony conviction; sentence completion; designation.

Plain English Breakdown

The bill has passed the legislature but an effective date is not listed in the provided metadata; implementation timing remains unknown until signed or enacted by law.

SB1543: Designating Certain Felonies as Misdemeanors

This law allows courts to change specific Class 4, 5, or 6 felony convictions into Class 1 misdemeanors if the person meets strict requirements about their past behavior and time served.

What This Bill Does

• Adds a new rule that lets judges reclassify certain felonies as Class 1 misdemeanors after sentence completion.
• Requires the original crime to be a Class 4, 5, or 6 felony without dangerous elements.
• Mandates that at least five years must pass since the conviction with no subsequent crimes involving victims or new felonies.
• Ensures the person has paid all court-ordered money and finished every part of their sentence.
• Gives judges the power to decide if changing the charge is in the interest of justice.

Who It Names or Affects

• People convicted of Class 4, 5, or 6 felonies who have no prior felony record and whose crimes did not involve a victim.
• Courts that must review cases to decide if reclassifying an offense is in the interest of justice.

Terms To Know

Class 4, 5 or 6 felony

Specific categories of serious crimes covered by this law that are less severe than Class 1 through 3 felonies but more serious than misdemeanors.

Misdemeanor designation

The legal act where a court changes the label of a crime from a felony to a Class 1 misdemeanor after specific conditions are met.

Victim

A person harmed by a crime, defined according to Arizona Revised Statutes section 13-4401.

Limits and Unknowns

• The law does not apply if the felony involved dangerous acts or weapons.
• Judges have full discretion and are not required to change a conviction even if all rules are met.
• This rule only applies to people who have never been convicted of any other felony before.

Official Summary Text

SB1543 - felony conviction; sentence completion; designation.

Current Bill Text

SB1543 - 572R - I Ver

REFERENCE TITLE:
felony conviction; sentence completion; designation.

State of Arizona

Senate

Fifty-seventh Legislature

Second Regular Session

2026

SB 1543

Introduced by

Senator
Payne

AN
ACT

amending Title 13, chapter 6, Arizona
Revised Statutes, by adding section 13-604.01; relating to classifications of
offenses.

(TEXT OF BILL BEGINS ON NEXT PAGE)

Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Arizona:

Section
1. Title
13, chapter 6, Arizona Revised Statutes, is amended by adding section
13-604.01, to read:

START_STATUTE
13-604.01.

Class 4, 5 or 6 felony; misdemeanor designation; definition

A. Notwithstanding any other
provision of this title, if a person is convicted of a class 4, 5 or 6 felony
not involving a dangerous offense, the court may enter judgment of conviction
for a class 1 misdemeanor if the court determines all of the following:

1. The person has not previously been
convicted of any felony offense.

2. The offense did not involve a
victim.

3. The person has completed all of
the terms and conditions imposed by the court for the conviction, including
full payment of all monetary obligations.

4. At least five years have passed
since the person was convicted, and the person has not been convicted of a
subsequent misdemeanor offense involving a victim or a subsequent felony
offense during that time.

5. Entering the judgment of
conviction for a class 1 misdemeanor is in the interest of justice.

B. For the purposes of this section,
"victim" has the same meaning prescribed in section 13-4401.

END_STATUTE