Who is eligible to get a California expungement?
As a basic rule, you’re entitled to expunge your criminal records in California if you were convicted of a misdemeanor or felony offense, and you • successfully completed probation, and • are not currently charged with a criminal offense, on probation for a criminal offense or serving a sentence for a criminal offense.4 You must have successfully completed your probation in its entirety (or obtained an early termination of probation, discussed below). If you got sent to California state prison–either at the time of judgment, or because of a probation violation–you do not qualify for an expungement.5 “Successfully completing your probation” means that you • completed all the terms of your probation (that is, paid all fines and restitution, completed any counseling programs, community service, etc.), • attended all required court appearances (either personally or through your attorney), and • did not commit any new crimes while on probation.
