Section 788.
Cal. Welfare and Institutions Code - WIC § 788.
in effect(a)
Notwithstanding Section 781, of this code or Section 1203.47 of the Penal Code, if a petition has been filed with a juvenile court to commence proceedings to adjudge a person a ward of the court, the county probation officer shall do either of the following once the person has reached 18 years of age:
(1)
If the person will not remain under the juvenile court’s delinquency jurisdiction, the county probation officer shall petition the court to seal the records relating to the person’s case that are in the custody of the juvenile court, probation officer, law enforcement agency, or any other private or public agency. The probation officer shall provide a copy of the petition to the minor and
their counsel at least 30 days prior to filing the petition.
(2)
If the person will remain under the juvenile court’s delinquency jurisdiction, the county probation officer shall petition the court as specified in paragraph (1) no later than one year after the termination of the juvenile court’s delinquency jurisdiction.
(b)
All of the following shall not be sealed pursuant to this section:
(1)
A person’s juvenile court records relating to a case that was transferred from juvenile court to a court of criminal jurisdiction under Section 707.1 if the person was convicted in the court of criminal jurisdiction.
(2)
A person’s juvenile court records relating to an offense
listed in subdivision (b) of Section 707 that was committed when the person was 14 years of age or older, unless that offense was dismissed or reduced to a misdemeanor or a lesser offense that is not listed in subdivision (b) of Section 707.
(3)
A person’s juvenile court records relating to an offense for which the person is required to register pursuant to Section 290.008 of the Penal Code.
(c)
If the court finds that the person has not been convicted of a felony or a misdemeanor involving moral turpitude after the juvenile court’s jurisdiction was terminated, it shall order sealed all records, papers, and exhibits in the person’s case that are in the custody of the juvenile court, law enforcement agency, probation department, Department of Justice, or any other private or
public agency, including the juvenile court record, minute book entries, docket entries, and arrest records. The person’s defense counsel shall not be ordered to seal their records. The court shall send a copy of the order to each agency named in the order. Each agency shall seal the records in its custody as directed by the order, send a notice to the court that it has complied with the order, and seal the copy of the court’s order the agency received.
(d)
If the court has ordered the person’s records sealed, the proceedings of the sealed case shall be deemed never to have occurred and the person may properly reply accordingly to any inquiry about the events.
(e)
When the probation officer does not file a petition pursuant to this section, the probation officer shall notify, in
writing, the person and their counsel of the reason for not filing the petition.
(f)
(1)
A record that has been ordered sealed by the court under this section may be accessed, inspected, or utilized only under any of the following circumstances:
(A)
If the person who is the subject of the sealed records petitions the court to permit inspection of the records and the court grants inspection.
(B)
By the court for the limited purpose of verifying the prior jurisdictional status of a ward who is petitioning the court to resume its jurisdiction pursuant to subdivision (e) of Section 388.
(C)
(i)
By the prosecuting attorney in
order to meet a statutory or constitutional obligation to disclose favorable or exculpatory evidence to a defendant in a criminal case in which the prosecuting attorney has reason to believe that access to the record is necessary to meet the disclosure obligation. The prosecuting attorney shall submit a request to the juvenile court to access information in the sealed record for this purpose. The request shall include the
prosecutor’s rationale for believing that access to the information in the record may be necessary to meet the disclosure obligation and the date by which the records are needed. The juvenile court shall notify the subject of the sealed records and their attorney of the prosecutor’s request and provide them with the opportunity to respond, in writing or by appearance, to the request. The court shall approve the prosecutor’s request if, upon review of the relevant records, it determines that access to a specific sealed record or portion of a sealed record is necessary to enable the prosecuting attorney to comply with the disclosure obligation. If the juvenile court approves the prosecuting attorney’s request, the court shall state on the record appropriate limits on the access, inspection, and utilization of the sealed records in order to protect the confidentiality of the subject
of the sealed records. A court ruling allowing disclosure of information pursuant to this subdivision does not affect whether the information is admissible in a criminal or juvenile proceeding.
(ii)
This subparagraph does not impose any additional discovery obligations on a prosecuting attorney.
(iii)
This subparagraph does not apply to juvenile case files pertaining to matters within the jurisdiction of the juvenile court pursuant to Section 300.
(2)
Access to, or inspection of, a sealed record authorized by this subdivision is not considered an unsealing of the record and does not require notice to any other agency.
(g)
(1)
This section does
not apply to records in the custody of the Department of Motor Vehicles relating to a conviction for an offense under the Vehicle Code or any local ordinance relating to the operation, stopping and standing, or parking of a vehicle if the record of the conviction would be a public record under Section 1808 of the Vehicle Code. However, if a court orders the record containing this conviction to be sealed under this section, and the department maintains a public record of the conviction, the court shall notify the department of the sealing.
(2)
Notwithstanding any other law, if the department is notified by the court of a sealing pursuant to this subdivision, the department shall allow access to its record of conviction only to the subject of the record and to insurers that have been granted requestor code numbers by the department. An insurer
that has been given access to a record of conviction shall be given notice of the sealing when the record is disclosed. The insurer may use the information contained in the record for purposes of determining eligibility for insurance and insurance rates for the subject of the record. The insurer shall not use the information for any other purpose and shall not disclose it to any other person or agency.
(h)
A petition for sealing shall not be denied due to an unfulfilled order of restitution or restitution fine.
(i)
(1)
This section does not prohibit a court from enforcing a civil judgment for an unfulfilled order of restitution obtained pursuant to Section 730.6. A person is not relieved from the obligation to pay victim restitution, a restitution fine, or a
court-ordered fine because their records are sealed.
(2)
The juvenile court shall have access to any records sealed pursuant to this section for the limited purpose of enforcing a civil judgment or restitution order.
(j)
A court shall not grant relief under this section unless the prosecuting attorney has been given 15 days’ notice of the petition for sealing. The probation officer shall notify the prosecuting attorney when a petition is filed. If the prosecuting attorney fails to appear or object to the petition after receiving notice, the prosecuting attorney shall not move to set aside or otherwise appeal the grant of that petition.
(k)
Unless the court determines there is good cause to retain the juvenile court
record, the court shall order the destruction of a person’s juvenile court records that are sealed pursuant to this section.
(1)
If the subject of the record was alleged or adjudged to be a person described by Section 601, the court shall order the destruction five years after the record was ordered sealed.
(2)
If the subject of the record was alleged or adjudged to be a person described by Section 602, the court shall order the destruction when the subject reaches 38 years of age. If the subject was found to be a person described in Section 602 because of the commission of an offense listed in subdivision (b) of Section 707 and was 14 years of age or older at the time of the offense, the records shall not be destroyed.
(3)
The court shall order any other agency in possession of sealed records to destroy its records five years after the records were ordered sealed.
(l)
The relief provided in this section does not preclude any other relief provided by law.
References
referencesCal. Penal Code - PEN § 1203.47.
referencesCal. Penal Code - PEN § 290.008.
referencesCal. Vehicle Code - VEH § 1808.
referencesCal. Welfare and Institutions Code - WIC § 781.
referencesCal. Welfare and Institutions Code - WIC § 707.1.
referencesCal. Welfare and Institutions Code - WIC § 707.
referencesCal. Welfare and Institutions Code - WIC § 388.
referencesCal. Welfare and Institutions Code - WIC § 300.
referencesCal. Welfare and Institutions Code - WIC § 730.6.
referencesCal. Welfare and Institutions Code - WIC § 601.
referencesCal. Welfare and Institutions Code - WIC § 602.
Source: CA Legislative Counsel Bulk DataURL: https://downloads.leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/pubinfo_2025.zipFetched: 6/27/2026