Juvenile FAQs
Frequently Asked Questions
If you received a ticket for an infraction (like running a stop sign or having a correctable violation) your case will be handled by the Stanislaus County Traffic Court Division at 2260 Floyd Avenue, Modesto, CA 95358. You may be able to resolve your case without appearing in Court for a hearing, however, some violations require a “mandatory appearance”. If your Traffic Court Reminder Notice indicates a mandatory appearance, you must contact the Traffic Court to schedule an appointment to appear in Court by the date the officer cited you to appear. Traffic Court citations issued to a juvenile requires a parent or legal guardian to appear with the minor. A minor must have a parent or legal guardian present if they choose to simply pay the ticket or submit proof of correction without appearing in Court. If submitted by mail or drop- box, a parental consent form is required to be submitted along with the payment.
For information on Traffic Court requirements and options, contact the Traffic Court Clerk's Office by calling (209) 530-3100 and selecting option 1 between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. You may also reach them by email at traffic.requests@stanct.org. Please see the Traffic Court page for additional information.
Traffic Court Clerks may only assist you with Traffic Infractions. For all other types of Juvenile Court related questions, please contact the Juvenile Court Clerk’s office at 2215 Blue Gum Avenue, Modesto, CA between 8:15 a.m. and 4:00 a.m. We can be reached by phone at (209) 530-3100, option 8, however, the amount of information provided on the phone is limited due to Juvenile Court Case records confidentiality.
No. If the officer marked the "yes" box on your ticket on the left hand side as "eligible for dismissal" or "correctable violation" you may be able to resolve your case without having to appear in Court. The court date on the bottom of the ticket is a deadline to return proof of correction. You must return your ticket that has been signed off by the officer plus a processing fee of $25 per charge being dismissed by proof of correction on the citation. In some cases there is an additional $10 administrative fee that will be included in the amount due to the Court. However, if the correction cannot be returned prior to the court date, you may obtain one 30 day extension by contacting the Traffic Court Clerk's Office. An appearance with a parent/legal guardian is necessary to request any further continuance. Only the judge may grant an extension if your date to appear has passed.
Extensions may only be obtained if you do so on or before the date to appear on your ticket. If you are under 18 your parent or legal guardian may contact the Traffic Court Clerk's Office or you may appear in Court. You will be granted one 30 day extension from the Clerk's Office. Any further continuance or extension can only be obtained by going to Court. Both the minor and the parent/legal guardian must be present.
If the address written by the officer on your citation (ticket) is incorrect you will probably not receive a courtesy notice. A courtesy notice is mailed out to the address given for every citation that we receive. This notice has the fine amount and advises you of proof of correction fees. The court date and time is assigned by the citing officer. If the date to appear on your citation is not a Thursday, you may contact the Traffic Court Clerk's Office at (209)530-3100 option 1 and we will try to provide the information for you. Please note effective July 1, 2013 there will not be courtesy notices sent out. Please make sure you appear on the date noted on your citation.
The Court requires a parent or legal guardian to appear with the minor. Exceptions are made only when the parents are deceased or the individual cited is 18 years or older when the actual hearing takes place.
No. All juvenile proceedings matters are strictly confidential and information cannot be given out over the phone. If you are a party in a case you may come to our office and inquire and we will determine if you will be able to receive any information about a case. To obtain information if you are eligible you must be prepared to provide ID at the time of inquiry and you must complete a written request on form JV001 (which is located on our website). If we cannot locate a case, the clerk will prepare an ”affidavit of no record”, if requested. The charge for the “affidavit of no record” is $25.00
Juvenile records are confidential and specific record information is not available over the phone. You must appear in person with proof of identity in order to have any access to your own child's juvenile information. If after answering identifying questions by the clerk that would indicate you are the parent, the clerk would be able to provide limited information from the Court's file (such as next hearing, name of attorney). The clerk will not provide detailed information regarding the nature of the proceedings. These types of questions must be directed to the attorney involved in the case.
Emancipation proceedings are processed at the main courthouse. Please contact the Family Law/Probate Division of the Court. The Probate Division is located in the main courthouse at 1100 I Street, Modesto, CA. You may purchase emancipation packets for $3.00.
To seal your juvenile record, you have to contact the Juvenile Probation Department at (209)525-5400. Juvenile Probation does the research to make sure your record is clear (e.g., any and all fines are paid, nothing outstanding). If your record is clear the Probation Department petitions the Court for the record to be sealed. After the hearing the judge in the Juvenile Court signs the order to seal. A copy of the order is sent to all of the agencies that probation found had a record of your case. The agency that may be excluded from sealing is the Department of Motor Vehicles.
The public should contact the Juvenile Probation Department directly at (209)525-5400 if they have any questions regarding programs or services. They will help answer questions that you have concerning their services.
For all requests for reports or documents from the file, it is very important that the petitioner is thorough in stating why they want the information and for what purpose or for whom they are going to use the information. The Court considers this information when granting or denying the petition. If the Court needs further information from you, the Court may set a hearing prior to granting or denying your petition.
Juvenile Court Records: The Petitioner will need to fill out "Petition for Disclosure of Juvenile Court Records" pursuant to Section 827 Welfare and Institutions Code (JV570 packet). The packet of the forms you will need can be obtained at the Juvenile Clerk's Office. The Clerk will check the Court's records, review your documents, and process them according ot hte the law under Welfare and Institutions Code 827-828.
Procedural information is located on the forms for you to follow. The Petitioner must identify exactly which document they anticipate needing copies. Proof of identity must be provided at the time the forms are submitted to the Clerk (drivers license, etc.). The Clerk will submit your Petition to the Court after all parties have been notified. The Court will review and issue an order either to release or not to release the information requested. Copies will be charged at $0.50 per page.
Additional fees may apply of certified records are requested, or if the file is located off-site. Please see the court's fee schedule for additional fee information.
For all requests for reports or documents from the file, it is very important that the petitioner is thorough in stating why they want the information and for what purpose or for whom they are going to use the information. The Court considers this information when granting or denying the petition. If the Court needs further information from you, the Court may set a hearing prior to granting or denying your petition.
You must go to the Law Enforcement Agency (i.e. Modesto Police Department) who made the report and fill out a JV575 Petition for Access to Law Enforcement Agency Record, pursuant to Section 827-828 of the Welfare and Institutions Code (which can be found on our website). Once this form has been completed you must submit to the appropriate agency. The agency will then send the original petition and report to the Court for review and the Court will make its order. The order and report will be sent back to the agency. The agency will then contact the petitioner when the order and records are ready for pick up. The agency will charge a fee for the copies they provide.
Parents, as defined under Welfare and Institutions Code 827, et seq., are entitled to view and receive copies of the Juvenile “case file” that is in the hands of Child Protective Services. In order to receive a copy of a CPS report, you must contact the Stanislaus County Community Services Agency, Child Protective Services Division, at 251 Hackett Rd., Modesto, CA 95358. Identification is required to access their records. For more information, call (209) 558-2500. CSA Children's Services (csa-stanislaus.com)
Persons other than the parent of the minor, must file a request for records, via the JV-570 form packet referred to in the FAQ entitled: “How do I get a copy of a Juvenile Court Record”.