Clearing a criminal record in Santa Clara County
Santa Clara County petitions are filed at the Hall of Justice in San Jose, 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 Santa Clara County
Record-clearing petitions are filed in the county where you were convicted, which means Santa Clara County petitions go to the Superior Court of California, County of Santa Clara (court website).
Hall of Justice
190 W Hedding St, San Jose, CA 95110
What Santa Clara County charges to file
Santa Clara 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 Santa Clara County
- Santa Clara County's name comes from city of Santa Clara, from Mission Santa Clara de Asís, named for Saint Clare of Assisi (Spanish for Saint Clare.
- Santa Clara is one of only 15 California counties governed under a home-rule charter rather than general law.
Who else is involved
- The petition is served on the Santa Clara 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 Santa Clara County
San Jose, Sunnyvale, Santa Clara, Mountain View, Milpitas, 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 Santa Clara 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 Santa Clara 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.