Can You Seal or Expunge a Criminal Record in California in 2025?

In 2025, California has taken a harsher approach to many drug and theft offenses. Before the prevailing attitudes change completely, make the most of existing tools to expunge or seal your record. There are multiple mechanisms for navigating felony expungement in California, so chat with a top-rated Orange County criminal defense attorney to get a professional consultation about your best course of action.

Under SB 731 (the Clean Slate Law), certain non-serious, non-violent, and non-sexual felony convictions are automatically sealed after you finish your sentence and avoid getting convicted of any other crimes. For non-sexual offenses that aren’t automatically excluded, you can get the record sealed after two years of not getting in trouble again.

SB 731 went into effect around the middle of 2023. This new law meant that most types of felony convictions could be cleared if the individual asked the court to clear it. In order to be eligible for this change, the individual must have completed their sentence, finished their probation, and spent two years without getting arrested again.

The goal of the new California expungement law was to avoid burdening Californians with the long-lasting repercussions of a criminal conviction. After a conviction, you may be limited in the housing opportunities you can get and where you can work. By having some of the broadest expungement laws in the County, California hoped to help offenders have a second shot at life.

Additionally, the state Department of Justice is also supposed to automatically seal any records from public view of any felony convictions that are non-serious, nonviolent, and non-sexual. To qualify, the individual cannot be convicted of another crime for four years and must finish their sentence. While this rule was supposed to go into effect much earlier, it was rescheduled to go into effect in July 2024.

Thanks to SB 731, you can now file an expungement request with the state. In the first year after this law was approved, there were only 26 felony expungements granted in Sacramento County, 48 in Riverside County, and 72 in Kern County.

Besides SB 731, there are other mechanisms for felony expungement in California. For example, wobbler offenses that resulted in a felony can often be reduced to a misdemeanor during the expungement process.

Under Proposition 47, you can ask for your felony conviction to be dismissed if you have no new convictions and aren’t on probation or parole. Proposition 47 specifically targets people who are convicted of drug sentences or theft that is worth of items valued at less than $950. There are four specific paths to reducing your felony conviction to a misdemeanor under Proposition 47.

If you are in California, it’s a good idea to talk to your lawyer about the best method for getting your record sealed or expunged. You can use a California expungement form, like Form CR-180, to petition for a dismissal. If your request is granted, the judge will sign Form CR-181 to grant the petition.

It’s important to be proactive about getting your record sealed or expunged. Thanks to new changes under Proposition 36 and a changing attitude, California is taking a harsher approach on crime. For example, Proposition 47 allowed thefts worth $950 or less to be changed to misdemeanors. Under Proposition 36, judges can aggregate multiple thefts together so that the offender can be charged with a felony, making the resulting sentence harsher.

If you are dealing with a felony expungement in California, a skilled attorney can help. There are different paths available for sealing or expunging your records, so your lawyer will discuss the best options for your case. By getting your records sealed or expunged, you can have an easier time applying for jobs and housing.

Learn more about how we can help by contacting us today.