Every way to clear a California record
There is no single expungement law in California. There are a dozen statutes, each with its own requirements, and the one that applies to you decides what is possible and what it costs.
PC 1203.425
Automatic relief (PC 1203.425)The Department of Justice reviews state records monthly and adds a relief notation to qualifying convictions, which stops them being disseminated to employers.PC 1203.4
Expungement (PC 1203.4)The court lets you withdraw your plea or sets aside the verdict, then dismisses the case, which releases you from most of the penalties of the conviction.PC 1203.4a
Dismissal without probation (PC 1203.4a)It gives the same dismissal as section 1203.4, for misdemeanour and infraction convictions where the court never granted probation.PC 17(b)
Felony reduced to misdemeanour (PC 17(b))For an offence that could have been charged as either a felony or a misdemeanour — a wobbler — the court can declare it a misdemeanour for all purposes.PC 851.91
Sealing an arrest (PC 851.91)The court orders the arrest record sealed and, for most purposes, treats the arrest as not having occurred.PC 1203.41
Felony relief after county jail (PC 1203.41)It allows the court, in its discretion and in the interests of justice, to withdraw the plea or set aside the verdict and dismiss a felony that was sentenced to county jail under Penal Code 1170(h).PC 1203.42
Felony relief after prison (PC 1203.42)It extends the same discretionary dismissal to people sentenced before realignment, for offences that would now be served in county jail under Penal Code 1170(h).Prop 47
Proposition 47 reclassificationIt lets a person who has completed a sentence for a qualifying felony apply to have the conviction designated a misdemeanour.Prop 64
Proposition 64 cannabis reliefIt allows a prior cannabis conviction to be dismissed and sealed, or redesignated as a lesser offence, based on what the conduct would be under current law.WIC 781
Juvenile record sealing (WIC 781)The court orders the juvenile records sealed across every agency that holds them, and the proceedings are deemed never to have occurred.PC 1203.3
Early termination of probation (PC 1203.3)The court terminates probation before its natural end date, which makes you immediately eligible to petition for a dismissal.PC 4852.01
Certificate of RehabilitationA court declares that you are rehabilitated, and the certificate is forwarded to the Governor as an application for a pardon.Find out where you actually stand
The check is free, takes about two minutes, and needs no account and no card. If your record cannot be cleared yet, it tells you that and why.