Clearing a criminal record in Los Angeles County

Los Angeles County petitions are filed at the Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Justice Center in Los Angeles, 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 Los Angeles County

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

What Los Angeles County charges to file

Los Angeles 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 Los Angeles County

• Los Angeles County takes its name from the city of Los Angeles, itself derived from the original Spanish name El Pueblo de Nuestra Senora la Reina de los Angeles ("The Village of Our Lady, the Queen of the Angels").
• The Los Angeles County Superior Court is the largest unified trial court in the United States, with roughly 510 judges and 75 commissioners handling everything from traffic to mental health cases.
• The Public Defender's Record Clearing Unit can be reached directly at (213) 204-9904 for free record-clearing help.

Who else is involved

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

Cities we serve in Los Angeles County

Los Angeles, Long Beach, Santa Clarita, Glendale, Lancaster, 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.