Clearing a criminal record in San Joaquin County

San Joaquin County petitions are filed at the San Joaquin County Courthouse in Stockton, 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 San Joaquin County

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

What San Joaquin County charges to file

San Joaquin 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 San Joaquin County

• San Joaquin County's name comes from spanish for Saint Joachim, father of the Virgin Mary.
• The Public Defender's free 'Clean Slate' program pulls a DOJ criminal history report at no cost as part of its review, with about a two-week turnaround.

Who else is involved

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

Cities we serve in San Joaquin County

Stockton, Tracy, Manteca, Lodi, Lathrop, 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.