Clearing a criminal record in Riverside County
Riverside County petitions are filed at the Riverside Hall of Justice in Riverside, 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 Riverside County
Record-clearing petitions are filed in the county where you were convicted, which means Riverside County petitions go to the Superior Court of California, County of Riverside (court website).
Riverside Hall of Justice
4100 Main St, Riverside, CA 92501
(951) 777-3147
What Riverside County charges to file
Riverside 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 Riverside County
- Riverside County's name comes from the city of Riverside, named for its location on the Santa Ana River.
- Riverside County was the site of the first California courthouse transferred from county to state ownership, in October 2004, under the Trial Court Facilities Act of 2002.
- The Public Defender's free 'Fresh Start Program' handles record clearing; which PD office handles the petition (Riverside, Southwest, or Coachella Valley) depends on the case-number prefix.
Who else is involved
- The petition is served on the Riverside County District Attorney, which has a statutory window to respond.
- Law Offices of the Public Defender, County of Riverside handles indigent defence in the county.
- The court publishes self-help information if you would rather do this yourself.
Cities we serve in Riverside County
Riverside, Moreno Valley, Corona, Murrieta, Temecula, and everywhere else in the county. Where you live does not matter — the petition goes to the court that handled the conviction.
Common questions
Do I have to come to court in Riverside County?
Usually not. The firm appears for you where the court sets a hearing, and many of these are decided on the papers without anyone appearing at all.
I live somewhere else now. Can I still clear a Riverside County case?
Yes. The petition is filed where the conviction happened, not where you live. You do not need to travel, and plenty of our clients no longer live in California at all.
How long does it take here?
Two to four months is typical across California, and it varies by court and by how busy the criminal division is. We tell you what we are actually seeing in your county rather than quoting a brochure number.
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.