Are applicants required to disclose convictions dismissed under CA Penal Code section 1203.4 or 120.4a?

In California, individuals seeking to become notary public applicants are not required to disclose convictions that have been dismissed under Penal Code section 1203.4 or 120.4a. These particular sections pertain to the legal expungement of certain criminal convictions, meaning the court has set aside the conviction and dismissed the case. As a result, individuals are typically allowed to state that they have not been convicted of a crime when applying for positions where such disclosures might be requested.

This framework is designed to provide individuals who have made mistakes in the past a chance to rehabilitate and reintegrate into society without being penalized by a criminal record that has been legally dismissed. Therefore, because these convictions are not considered for the purposes of applicant disclosures, the correct understanding is that applicants are not obligated to report them when applying.