Quick Resource Guide: Clean Slate (Expungement) and Reentry

How to Guides

• • California Courts Self-Help Guide, Clean your record
  • San Diego County Law Library, How to Clean Up Your Criminal Record

Request Criminal Records

• • State of California Department of Justice, Criminal Records – Request Your Own (Live Scan Form)
  • Alameda County Superior Court, Criminal Record Requests

Forms and Instructions

• • Find court forms from the Judicial Branch of California
  • Law Library for San Mateo County, How to expunge (or clean) your record  (PDF, external)
    This guide has sample forms and instructions for filling them out.
    Esta guía también está disponible en español.  (PDF, external)
  • Sacramento County Law Library, Expungement (Cleaning up a Criminal Record)
    This page has sample forms and instructions for filling them out
  • Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles
    How-to Guide to Request for Dismissal (Criminal Record Expungement) (PDF, external)

Videos

LA Law Library

ON DEMAND: MCLE: Volunteer Training: Assisting With Expungements (2021)
Learn to assist community members with the expungement process and get inspired to volunteer at a future clinic.

Law Library for San Mateo County

Expungement [IMPORTANT: Proof of Service and fees subject to change] (2019)
The link to the video is in the Video tutorials section of the page.

Books

• • California Criminal Defense Practice, KFC1162 .C3, Chapter 103 Expungement of Criminal Records. CA Collection 1st Floor, or as an eBook via Lexis Advance and the LexisNexis Digital Library.
  • California Criminal Law Procedure and Practice, KFC1155 .C36, Chapter 41 Trial Counsel’s Duties After Judgment; Cleansing and Sealing of Criminal Records. Reference Desk, or as an eBook via OnLAW.
  • California Criminal Procedure (The Rutter Group, Criminal Practice Series), Chapter 28 Posttrial Motions. As an eBook via Westlaw.

Free Legal Help

Alameda County Public Defenders Clean Slate Program

• • 1401 Lakeside Drive, Ste. 400 Oakland, CA (510) 272-6600.
  • See website for Walk-in Clinic hours and locations to complete intake:
  • If you are unable to attend a walk-in clinic, please call 510-268-7472.

Bay Area Legal Aid – Reentry Legal Services

• • 1735 Telegraph Ave. Oakland, CA 94612
  • (510) 663-4744
  • Legal Advice Line: (510) 250-5270 or 1 (800) 551-5544   See website for Legal Advice Line hours.
  • Intake taken at community events listed on locations for reentry legal services: https://baylegal.org/legal-areas/reentry/

Community Legal Assistance Saturday Program (CLASP)
Free all-topics telephone legal clinic on the first Saturday/month. Volunteer attorneys speak with individuals for 15-20 minutes.

• • To make an appointment, call the intake line at (510) 485-9933 between 10:00 am – noon on the first Saturday/month and an attorney will call you back later that day.
  • CLASP Flyer (PDF)

Dads Evoking Change

• • 746 Grand Ave Portable A Oakland, CA 94610 (833) 873-7329
  • Drop-in legal clinic on the last Tuesday/month www.dadsevokingchange.org
  • Fathers can drop in for free legal consultations with civil law attorneys on a variety of matters including Clean Slate / Criminal Record Remedies (expungement).

Housing & Economic Rights Advocates (HERA)

• • 610 16th Street, Suite 420 Oakland, CA 94612 (510) 271-8443 www.heraca.org
  • California Rural Legal Assistance (CRLA) and HERA are currently engaged in a collaborative homeless prevention effort. If you are interested in clearing your criminal record, please contact CRLA at (805) 902-CRLA or email reentry@crla.org.

Root and Rebound Northern California Programs and Services

• • Reentry Legal hotline, Fridays from 9am-3pm (PST) 510-279-4662.
  • Provides free reentry legal advice. Record cleaning clinics are sometimes available. You can get in touch by reaching out to info@rootandrebound.org

Hire an Attorney

BALI – Bay Area Legal Incubator

• • Address: 125 12^th St. Oakland, CA Mezzanine Level
  • Affordable legal services. Some attorneys offer sliding scale fees
  • In-take form available on website, and you can also read the profiles and get contact information for the BALI attorneys
  • Bay Area Legal Incubator Website for more information:

ACBA Lawyer Referral Service

• • $40.00 for attorney referral and 30-minute consultation. Attorneys charge $200 – 400/hour for services
  • Phone: (510) 302-2222 x4
  • You can also self-book a consultation online

California State Bar

The California State Bar lists basic information about all attorneys registered to practice law in the state of California.  In addition, the site also provides an attorney referral service for the public to find qualified attorneys in their county.

Updated 4.16.2026