What criminal history information can a licensing board consider about me?

When you apply for a professional license, the licensing board can see your entire record—including convictions that have been “expunged.” (Note: Regular employers generally CANNOT see expunged convictions—but licensing boards are different.) However, the board cannot deny your licenses based ONLY on the fact that you have a conviction.[2022]

Beyond criminal history information, licensing boards MUST also consider mitigating and rehabilitative evidence. Mitigating evidence is information that would make the board judge a conviction less harshly, and could be information like youth, drug addiction, duress, or other factors that were going on at the time of the offense. Rehabiliative evidence is proof of your efforts to change and improve yourself, demonstrating that you are no longer at risk of the conduct or circumstances that led to your past system involvement. You can submit this evidence at the time of your application, and on appeal.

  1. 2022

    Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code § 480(a)(1).