Clearing a criminal record in Stanislaus County

Stanislaus County petitions are filed at the Stanislaus County Superior Court Main Courthouse in Modesto, 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 Stanislaus County

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

What Stanislaus County charges to file

Stanislaus 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 Stanislaus County

• Stanislaus County's name comes from stanislaus River, named after Estanislao, a native of the area when California was under Spanish and Mexican rule.
• The free Clean Slate program covers expungement, Prop 47/64 relief, felony-to-misdemeanor reduction, and Certificates of Rehabilitation; apply by email, fax (209-525-4244), or in person at 1021 I St., Suite 201, Modesto.

Who else is involved

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

Modesto, Turlock, Ceres, Riverbank, Patterson, 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.