Fill Out California Form CR-180 Yourself (Free)

About you

The box at the top left of page 1: “ATTORNEY OR PARTY WITHOUT ATTORNEY”. If you don’t have a lawyer, this is your own name and address. The same box is printed on CR-181, so we put what you type here on both forms.

Help with this step

Court guide: Clean your record (California Courts self-help). The official forms: CR-180 and CR-181.

Name (required)

Street address (required)

City (required)

State (required)

Zip code (required)

Phone

Fax (if you have one)

Email (if you have one)

A lawyer is filling out this form for me

Court and case

The court and the criminal case you are asking about: “PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA v. DEFENDANT” and the case number. They go on every page of CR-180 and on the top of CR-181.

Help with this step

Item 1 of the form calls the petitioner “the defendant in the above-entitled criminal action”. The form’s note says you can request your Record of Arrest and Prosecution (RAP) sheet from the California Department of Justice, but this is not required (DOJ record review). To find a court’s address: Find my court (California Courts). The DATE, TIME and DEPARTMENT box is “FOR COURT USE ONLY”: leave it blank.

Superior Court of California, County of (required)

Type only the county name, for example Los Angeles.

Court street address

Court mailing address (if different)

Court city and zip code

Defendant (required)

The name of the defendant in the criminal case.

Case number (required)

Item 1: the conviction

Item 1 on page 1: the date and the offenses, one per row, as the form asks.

Help with this step

The form says: “If additional space is needed for listing offenses, use Attachment to Judicial Council Form (form MC-025).” About the last two columns, the court guide says: “You can ask to reduce the conviction to a misdemeanor if the offense is a ‘wobbler.’ (Penal Code section 17(b).) A wobbler is an offense that can be either a felony or misdemeanor. To find out whether you were convicted of a wobbler, you will need to look up the code section for your conviction. If the code section mentions county jail as a possible sentence, then the offense is a ‘wobbler.’” (Felony convictions) and “If the offense is listed in Penal Code section 19.8(a), you can also ask the court to reduce the conviction to an infraction (Penal Code section 17(d)).” (Misdemeanors). You type yes or no yourself.

1. On (date): the petitioner was convicted of, or was granted deferred entry of judgment for, the following offenses (required)

Offense 1

Code (Penal, Vehicle, etc.) (required)

Section (required)

Type of offense (felony, misdemeanor, or infraction) (required)

Type it as on the form: felony, misdemeanor, or infraction.

Eligible for reduction to misdemeanor under Penal Code, § 17(b) (yes or no)

Eligible for reduction to infraction under Penal Code, § 17(d)(2) (yes or no)

I have more offenses to list (rows 2 to 5)

Items 2 to 7: the law you are asking under

Read each item on the form and check the one or ones that fit your case. We don’t tell you which one applies. Under each item is what the form says and what the California Courts self-help guide says about it.

Help with this step

The law on cleaning your record is complicated. The court guide says: “If you ever get stuck, consider getting legal help.” Legal help to clean your record. Guides: Misdemeanors · Felony convictions · Relief for human trafficking victims.

2. Felony or misdemeanor with probation granted (Pen. Code, § 1203.4)

The form says: “Probation was granted on the terms and conditions stated in the docket of the above-entitled court; the petitioner is not serving a sentence for any offense, on probation for any offense, or currently charged with committing any crime.” The court guide says: “If you satisfied the terms and conditions of your probation, or if you were granted early termination of probation, the court must grant your petition to dismiss. If you did not satisfy the terms and conditions of your probation, it is up to the court whether or not to grant your petition.” (Misdemeanors, Felony convictions)

3. Misdemeanor or infraction with sentence other than probation (Pen. Code, § 1203.4a)

The form says: “Probation was not granted; more than one year has elapsed since judgment was pronounced. Petitioner has complied with the sentence of the court and is not serving a sentence for any offense or currently charged with committing any crime.” The court guide says: “If you were never given probation in the case, you must wait at least one year from the date of conviction.” (Misdemeanors)

4. Misdemeanor conviction under Penal Code section 647(b) (Pen. Code, § 1203.49)

The form says: “Petitioner has completed a term of probation for a conviction under Penal Code section 647(b) and should be granted relief because the conviction was the result of petitioner’s status as a victim of human trafficking.” The court guide says: “Before continuing, you may want to contact a lawyer who works with trafficking survivors. A lawyer can help prepare your petition and has information about available resources.” (Relief for human trafficking victims)

5. Felony county jail sentence under Penal Code section 1170(h)(5) or felony state prison sentence (Pen. Code, § 1203.41)

The form says: “Petitioner is not on parole or under supervision under Penal Code section 1170(h)(5)(B); is not serving a sentence for, on probation for, or currently charged with committing any crime; and should be granted relief in the interests of justice.” The court guide says: “If your sentence included mandatory supervision, the case can be dismissed one year after you complete your sentence.” “If your sentence did not include mandatory supervision, the case can be dismissed two years after you complete your sentence.” “Starting January 1, 2023, if you were convicted of a felony offense and served time in state prison, and the conviction did not result in a requirement to register as a sex offender, the case can be dismissed two years after you complete the prison sentence. It is up to the court whether or not to grant your petition.” (Felony convictions)

6. Felony prison sentence that would have been eligible for a felony county jail sentence after 2011 under Penal Code section 1170(h)(5) (Pen. Code, § 1203.42)

The form says: “Petitioner is not under supervision and is not serving a sentence for, on probation for, or currently charged with committing any crime; more than two years have elapsed since petitioner completed the felony prison sentence; and petitioner should be granted relief in the interests of justice.” The court guide says: “Before January 1, 2023, if you were convicted of a felony offense and served time in state prison, you could only ask to have your case dismissed if a change in the law made that same offense punishable by a county jail sentence instead of a prison sentence, or if you participated in a fire camp or institutional firehouse.” (Felony convictions) Fire camp participants use a different form (CR-430), the guide says.

7. Deferred entry of judgment (Pen. Code, § 1203.43)

The form says: “Petitioner performed satisfactorily during the period in which deferred entry of judgment was granted. The criminal charge(s) were dismissed under former Penal Code section 1000.3 on (date).” The California Courts self-help pages we checked do not explain this item. If you are not sure, see legal help to clean your record.

Items 8 and 9 have no boxes: the form itself asks the court to reduce the eligible offenses listed in item 1 (item 8) and to dismiss the case under the sections noted above (item 9).

Name and date

The signature area at the bottom of page 3. You sign by hand after you print.

Help with this step

The line is “SIGNATURE OF PETITIONER OR ATTORNEY”. The signature line itself has no penalty-of-perjury statement, but if you checked item 7b you declare that item under penalty of perjury, and form MC-031 (if you attach it) is signed under penalty of perjury. Check that everything is true before you sign.

Your name, as it goes under your signature (required)

Date (optional: or write it by hand when you sign)

Check and download

Check every line. This is exactly what will be printed on the form. To change something, go back to that step.

Do this by hand after you print:

Sign page 3 of CR-180 by hand.
Attach a copy of your state summary criminal history information (you checked item 7b(1) “has … attached”).
Attach any letter, document, form MC-025 or form MC-031 that you mention or want the court to read.
Give CR-181 (the order) with your petition. Leave everything below its top part blank: that is for the judge.

CR-181 Order for Dismissal is the form the judge uses to grant or deny your petition. We fill only its top part (the name and address box, the court, the defendant and the case number) with what you typed above. Everything else on it is for the court.

The PDF is made in your browser. Nothing is sent to the court.

Fill out form CR‑180 yourself

About you

Court and case

Item 1: the conviction

Offense 1

Offense 2

Offense 3

Offense 4

Offense 5

Items 2 to 7: the law you are asking under

Name and date

Check and download

Do this by hand after you print:

Your CR-180 is ready. What to do next

Do this by hand after you print:

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