PC 273a Wobbler
Clearing a child endangerment conviction
This is the charge where a dismissal helps least with the thing people most want it for, and saying so plainly is more useful than a reassuring page would be.
What makes this charge different
- Relief under PC 1203.41 expressly does not affect the authority to act on criminal history in community care, residential facility, home care and child day care licensing
- The same carve-out applies to automatic relief under PC 1203.425
- It is a wobbler, so a felony conviction may be reducible
- Probation terms are typically long, with a parenting or counselling programme attached
What this charge is
Penal Code 273a covers wilfully causing or permitting a child to suffer, or placing a child in a situation where their health is endangered. It ranges from genuinely serious conduct to a lapse of supervision.
Felony or misdemeanour?
It is a wobbler where the conduct was likely to produce great bodily harm or death, and a misdemeanour otherwise. A felony conviction may be reducible under Penal Code 17(b).
Which relief applies
A dismissal under 1203.4 after probation. These cases carry long probation terms with programmes attached, so the eligibility date is often later than people expect.
The thing to watch out for
The carve-out. California law expressly preserves the authority of community care, residential facility, home care and child day care licensing to receive and act on criminal history information, even where relief has been granted. The same is true of automatic relief. If your goal is to work in childcare, foster a child, or be licensed in a care setting, a dismissal may not get you there, and you should know that before you pay rather than after.
The law that applies
- Expungement (PC 1203.4) — The court lets you withdraw your plea or sets aside the verdict, then dismisses the case, which releases you from most of the penalties of the conviction.
- Felony reduced to misdemeanour (PC 17(b)) — For an offence that could have been charged as either a felony or a misdemeanour — a wobbler — the court can declare it a misdemeanour for all purposes.
Our flat fee for a case like this is $599, all in, with the court filing fee included. What that covers.
Common questions
Will this let me foster or adopt?
Possibly not. Care-facility and childcare licensing authority to consider criminal history is expressly preserved even after relief. It is worth specific advice before spending anything.
Can a felony 273a be reduced?
It is a wobbler where charged as a felony, so a reduction may be available. Whether a court grants it depends on the facts and what has happened since.
Legal information on this page was last checked against primary sources in October 2026. California law changes; if you are reading this long after that date, confirm before you rely on it.