Clearing a criminal record in Fresno County

Fresno County petitions are filed at the Fresno Superior Courthouse – Downtown Location in Fresno, 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 Fresno County

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

What Fresno County charges to file

Fresno 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 Fresno County

• Fresno County's name comes from the city of Fresno; fresno is Spanish for "ash tree".
• Fresno is one of only 15 California counties governed under a home-rule charter rather than general law.
• The Public Defender's free 'Clean Slate' program (2135 Fresno Street, Suite 100) requires fingerprint results and accepts applications online, by mail, or in person.
• The B.F. Sisk Courthouse handles civil and family matters; criminal cases are heard at the Downtown courthouse at 1100 Van Ness Ave.

Who else is involved

• The petition is served on the Fresno County District Attorney, which has a statutory window to respond.
• Fresno County Public Defender handles indigent defence in the county.

Cities we serve in Fresno County

Fresno, Clovis, Sanger, Reedley, Selma, 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.