Clearing a criminal record in Alameda County

Alameda County petitions are filed at the Rene C. Davidson Courthouse in Oakland, our flat fee covers whatever the court charges to file, and if you qualify for the Public Defender's free record-clearing clinic you should use that instead of paying anyone.

Where a petition is filed in Alameda County

Record-clearing petitions are filed in the county where you were convicted, which means Alameda County petitions go to the Superior Court of California, County of Alameda (court website).

What Alameda County charges to file

Alameda County does not publish a filing fee for a record-clearing petition that we were able to verify as of 2026-10-10. A good number of California counties charge nothing at all. Either way our fee is all-in, so if a fee applies we pay it.

Local notes for Alameda County

• Alameda County's name comes from the oak and other trees, once abundant in the region; alameda is Spanish for "avenue shaded by trees" or "cottonwood grove".
• Alameda is one of only 15 California counties governed under a home-rule charter rather than general law.
• The Public Defender's free 'Clean Slate' walk-in clinic is held at 545 4th Street, Oakland (intake cutoff 11:00am); call 510-268-7400 and select the Clean Slate option.

Who else is involved

• The petition is served on the Alameda County District Attorney, which has a statutory window to respond.
• Alameda County Public Defender's Office handles indigent defence in the county.
• The court publishes self-help information if you would rather do this yourself.

Cities we serve in Alameda County

Oakland, Fremont, Hayward, Berkeley, San Leandro, and everywhere else in the county. Where you live does not matter — the petition goes to the court that handled the conviction.

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.