Clearing a criminal record in Orange County

Orange County petitions are filed at the Central Justice Center in Santa Ana, 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 Orange County

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

What Orange County charges to file

Orange 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 Orange County

• Orange County's name comes from oranges, to illustrate a perception of a region with a semi-tropical atmosphere to those from the eastern parts of the United States.
• Orange is one of only 15 California counties governed under a home-rule charter rather than general law.
• The Public Defender's Recidivism Reduction Unit runs a free 'Clean Slate' post-conviction program for record sealing, felony/misdemeanor reduction, and Prop 47 relief; reach it at 657-251-6090.

Who else is involved

• The petition is served on the Orange County District Attorney, which has a statutory window to respond.
• Orange 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 Orange County

Anaheim, Santa Ana, Irvine, Huntington Beach, Garden Grove, 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.