Criminal Convictions

Board Licensees and Registrants

Pursuant to Title 16 California Code of Regulations (CCR) sections 1399.130 and 1399.156, licensees must report to the Board within 30 days any of the following actions related to arrests, convictions, and/or discipline by another licensing entity or state:

1. The bringing of an indictment or information charging a felony against the licensee.
2. The arrest of the licensee.
3. The conviction of the licensee, including any verdict of guilty, or pleas of guilty or no contest, of any felony or misdemeanor.
4. Any disciplinary action taken by another licensing entity or authority of this state or of another state or an agency of the federal government or the United States military.

To report any of the above to the Board, please submit the Licensee Conviction and Discipline Reporting Form.

In accordance with Business and Profession Code section 480, an application may be denied if the Board finds that the applicant has committed a crime within the preceding seven years from the date of application that is substantially related to the qualifications, functions, or duties of the business or profession for which the application is made, or for which the applicant was released from incarceration within the preceding seven years from the date of application. The 7-year limitation described above does not apply to crimes that are classified as serious felonies as defined in Penal Code section 1192.7.

The Board does not pre-evaluate criminal convictions; the evaluation is a part of the application process. Since the Board has the responsibility to protect the public, a primary objective of the Board is to ensure registrations or licenses are not issued to applicants who have serious criminal convictions substantially related to the practice of the professional license. For this reason, the Board evaluates all misdemeanor and felony convictions in the same manner for each type of professional license.

The Board will not inquire as to an applicant’s criminal history on an application; however, an applicant may be required to provide the Board with a certified copy of the court documents and may voluntarily provide mitigating evidence related to a crime reported to the Board by the Attorney General’s Office. The Board evaluates each application with any reported convictions on a case-by-case basis to make a determination concerning the applicant's ability to safely practice. The Board's evaluates any rehabilitation evidence provided by the applicant in accordance with Title 16 CCR sections 1399.133 and 1399.156.2.

If the applicant has a conviction history, the processing time may be longer than the normal processing time. Additional processing time is normally required to obtain additional documentation showing sufficient evidence of rehabilitation.

If the applicant has had any disciplinary action taken by another licensing entity or authority of this state or of another state or an agency of the federal government or the United States military, the applicant must report that information to the Board on the Applicant Discipline Reporting Form.