Clearing a criminal record in Sonoma County

Sonoma County petitions are filed at the Hall of Justice in Santa Rosa, 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 Sonoma County

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

What Sonoma County charges to file

Sonoma 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 Sonoma County

• Sonoma County's name comes from exact etymology disputed; probably a Pomo term meaning "valley of the moon", which references a native legend about spiritual activity in the area.
• The Post-Conviction Relief service covers expungement, felony-to-misdemeanor reduction, and PC 1473.7 immigration relief (600 Administration Drive, Santa Rosa; (707) 565-2791).
• The office also publishes do-it-yourself instructions for the CR-180/CR-181 forms for petitioners who do not use PD assistance.

Who else is involved

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

Santa Rosa, Petaluma, Rohnert Park, Windsor, Healdsburg, 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.