Guide
California Expungement Research Resources
Use the resources below to identify the agencies, courts, records, and related research tools that often matter when you are exploring expungement, sealing, or other record relief options in California.
- California Public Records Hub Start with the broader California public record directory before narrowing to expungement or sealing research.
- California Criminal Records Review related criminal record research resources that often intersect with expungement and sealing questions in California.
- California Court Records Look for court-level case information, docket access, or filing context connected to expungement matters in California.
- California Police Records Browse police-record and law enforcement resources that may help identify originating agencies in California.
- California Background Checks Compare how records may appear in background check workflows related to California.
- California Inmate Search Use inmate search and corrections links when expungement research overlaps with custody or supervision history in California.
This directory is for informational and research use only. Expungement eligibility, waiting periods, filing fees, notice rules, and the effect on background checks can differ significantly depending on the state, offense level, case outcome, and later law changes.
Guide
Sealing a divorce or civil file in California
California keeps the fullest divorce money documents private by not filing them unless the court orders it and keeps the rest of the file off the internet. The Declaration of Disclosure, FL-140, and the Schedule of Assets and Debts, FL-142, are served on the other spouse under Family Code sections 2104 and 2105 with the instruction not to file them or their financial attachments with the court, and only the Declaration Regarding Service, FL-141, is filed. Rule 2.503(c) of the Rules of Court then provides that a court maintaining family law records in electronic form must provide electronic access at the courthouse to the extent feasible but may not provide public remote access to them, so dissolution documents are viewed only at the courthouse even where the same court posts civil documents online.
Sealing a filed record follows rules 2.550 and 2.551. A record must not be filed under seal without a court order; the party files a motion or application with a memorandum and a declaration of facts and lodges the record conditionally under seal; and the court may order it sealed only on express findings that an overriding interest overcomes the right of public access, that the interest supports sealing, that a substantial probability exists that the interest will be prejudiced if the record is not sealed, that the sealing is narrowly tailored and that no less restrictive means exist. Family Code section 2024.6 adds a request to seal a pleading that lists the parties' financial assets and liabilities and gives their location or identifying information. The rules are at courts.ca.gov.
Guide
Research Notes
- Start with the court and the originating agency. Expungement or sealing requests are often handled through the court that heard the case, sometimes with supporting records from police, prosecutors, or corrections agencies.
- Terminology differs by state. Some jurisdictions use terms such as sealing, set-aside, vacatur, dismissal relief, or nondisclosure instead of expungement.
- Verify current law. Eligibility rules can change through legislation or court decisions, so always confirm the current process before relying on older instructions or third-party summaries.
- Understand downstream effects. Even after record relief, treatment of court, police, private-background check, and federal records may differ depending on the system involved.
By state