California Clean Slate

Educational guide

Does Your CA Record
Still Show Up?

A plain-English look at California’s Clean Slate laws — what automatic relief covers, what it doesn’t, and how to check whether a record may already be cleared.

Read the guide Do the self-check

General education only. This site does not offer legal services or legal advice.

The basics

What “expungement” means in California

California does not literally erase criminal history the way many people expect. Instead, state law can dismiss a conviction or seal a record so it stays off most public background checks used by employers and landlords.

  • Dismissal — often called the traditional California “expungement,” under Penal Code § 1203.4.
  • Sealing / automatic relief — Clean Slate laws (AB 1076 and SB 731) that can hide qualifying records from public view under Penal Code §§ 851.93 and 1203.425.

Clean Slate

Automatic relief — no petition required

California’s Department of Justice reviews statewide databases every month and can grant relief to qualifying records without a filing, fee, or request from you. Expansions covering many prison-sentenced felonies began October 1, 2024.

There is a catch: the state usually does not notify you when relief is granted. The reliable way to confirm status is to request your personal criminal history record (RAP sheet) from the California DOJ and read the notations.

Eligibility overview

Who generally qualifies

Under Penal Code § 1203.425, automatic conviction relief often depends on all of the following, plus one of the categories below:

  • Not currently serving a sentence
  • No active local, state, or federal supervision
  • No pending criminal charges indicated in the system

Often included

  • Many misdemeanors / infractions after sentence completion and waiting periods
  • Many probation-based felonies after successful completion
  • Some non-serious, non-violent incarcerated felonies after a four-year wait with no new felony

Usually excluded from automatic relief

  • Serious felonies (Penal Code § 1192.7(c))
  • Violent felonies (Penal Code § 667.5(c))
  • Offenses requiring sex-offender registration (§ 290)

Falling outside automatic relief does not always mean no options exist. Petition-based dismissal (§ 1203.4) and petition-based sealing (§ 1203.41) cover many records the monthly review does not.

Interactive

Quick self-check

Answer a few yes/no questions. This is an educational orientation only — not a determination of eligibility.

1. Are you currently serving a sentence, on probation/parole/supervision, or facing pending charges?
2. Was the case a serious felony, violent felony, or a § 290 registration offense?
3. Have you completed all terms of the sentence (including probation or parole waiting periods that apply)?

Next step for everyone

How to verify your record

  1. Request your RAP sheet from the California Department of Justice.
  2. Look for “relief granted” or similar notations next to older entries.
  3. Compare what still appears on public background checks versus what the RAP sheet shows.
  4. If a record that seems to qualify still appears publicly, that gap is worth understanding before you assume nothing can be done.

Primary legal references