Clearing a criminal record in Monterey County

Monterey County petitions are filed at the Salinas Courthouse in Salinas, our flat fee covers whatever the court charges to file, and you do not need to live here, or come to court, to clear a case from here.

Where a petition is filed in Monterey County

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

What Monterey County charges to file

Monterey 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 Monterey County

• Monterey County's name comes from derived from Monterey Bay, which was named for a Viceroy of New Spain, Gaspar de Zúñiga, 5th Count of Monterrey.
• Criminal matters are processed in the Salinas Division per the court's Criminal Division page.

Who else is involved

• The petition is served on the Monterey County District Attorney, which has a statutory window to respond.
• The court publishes self-help information if you would rather do this yourself.

Cities we serve in Monterey County

Salinas, Seaside, Monterey, Soledad, Marina, 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.