PC 4852.01
Certificate of Rehabilitation
This is the route for convictions a dismissal cannot reach. It takes years of waiting, a real showing, and it is the only path that leads to a pardon.
What it does
A court declares that you are rehabilitated, and the certificate is forwarded to the Governor as an application for a pardon.
What it does not do
It does not dismiss the conviction, and since July 2021 it does not relieve a duty to register as a sex offender unless separate relief is granted under Penal Code 290.5.
A Certificate of Rehabilitation is a court order declaring that a person convicted of a serious offence has been rehabilitated. It is not a dismissal and it does not make the conviction go away. What it does is put a judicial finding on the record and start the pardon process.
The rehabilitation period
The clock is five years of continuous California residence after release, plus an additional period that depends on the offence — commonly two, four or five more years. Leaving California during that period restarts it. Working out the correct date is genuinely the first job, and people frequently petition years before they are eligible.
It is also a pardon application
If the certificate is granted, it is forwarded to the Governor and treated as an application for a full pardon. A pardon is the only route in California that can restore firearm rights to someone with a felony conviction, and even then not where the felony involved the use of a dangerous weapon.
Why the fee is higher
This is the most work of anything we do. It requires establishing the correct eligibility date, assembling a real evidentiary showing about the years since the conviction, service on the district attorney in more than one county in some cases, and an actual contested hearing. We price it below the firms we found publishing a price, but it is not a form-filling exercise and we will not pretend otherwise.
Who qualifies
- You were convicted of a felony, or of certain misdemeanours requiring registration
- You have completed the rehabilitation period, which is five years of California residence plus an additional period depending on the offence
- You are not on probation or parole for any offence
- You have not been incarcerated since release
Who does not
- A statutory list of offences for which no Certificate of Rehabilitation is available
- People serving a sentence or on supervision
- People who have left California during the residency period
The forms and how long it takes
Filed on local.
- local — No statewide Judicial Council form located — counties publish their own packets
The longest process here by a wide margin. The rehabilitation period alone is years, and the petition itself commonly takes six months or more.
Our flat fee for this is $1,499, all in, with the court filing fee included. See what that covers.
Common questions
Is a certificate the same as a pardon?
No. The certificate is a court finding; the pardon is the Governor's act. The certificate is forwarded as an application for one, but the Governor decides, and most applications are not granted.
Can I get one if I moved out of California?
The statute requires continuous California residence through the rehabilitation period. Leaving generally restarts the clock.
Should I try an expungement first?
If a dismissal is available to you, almost always yes — it is faster, cheaper and the practical benefits overlap substantially. A Certificate of Rehabilitation is for the cases where a dismissal is not available or is not enough.
Related relief
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.