Get your CA DOJ RAP sheet

What is your CA DOJ RAP Sheet?

Your California Department Of Justice (DOJ) RAP sheet is a document that details your record of arrests and prosecutions across all counties in California. If you need help reading your RAP sheet, contact the Public Defender or visit this resource. If you have convictions outside of California, you can get your FBI RAP sheet which will have your record across the country.

How to get a copy of your CA DOJ RAP sheet

If you are working with a Public Defender, they can often get a copy of your California DOJ RAP sheet for you. Contact the public defender to see if they can save you time and money by getting your RAP sheet for you. Sometimes, the Pubilc Defender or legal aid organization that you’re working with might need you to get your RAP sheet on your own to check what services you qualify for. Follow the steps below to get your RAP sheet and send it to your legal representative.

You might qualify to get $25 off your RAP

You might qualify for a fee waiver. This means that the California Department of Justice will cover $25 of your RAP sheet fees. Even though you will get $25 off your RAP sheet fees, you will still have to pay the rest. The fee you will have to pay is usually between $20 and $50.

Visit the DOJ website to apply for a fee waiver

If you live in California, follow these steps to get your RAP sheet:

  1. You have to get your fingerprints taken. This is called a “Live Scan”. Find a Live Scan location near you at this website: https://oag.ca.gov/fingerprints/locations
  2. Call the Live Scan location you have selected and make an appointment for a “personal record request”. Ask them how much it will cost and what payment methods they accept.
  3. Print and fill out this Request for Live Scan Service form with your information. (If you obtained a fee waiver in the section above, use the form you got from the fee waiver website insead.)
  4. Go to the Live Scan location and give them your filled Request for Live Scan Service form. They will collect your payment, roll your fingerprints, and send them to the Department of Justice.
  5. Wait for a letter in the mail from the Department of Justice with your RAP sheet.
  6. When you get your RAP sheet in the mail, you must schedule a meeting with an attorney to talk about what services you qualify for. To set up your appointment contact legal aid or your county’s Public Defender.

If you do not live in California, follow these steps to get your RAP sheet:

  1. You have to get your fingerprints taken. Call the police or sheriff’s department near you and ask them for fingerprinting services. Tell them you need to send your fingerprints to the California Department of Justice. Ask them how much this will cost.
  2. Print and fill out this Application for California RAP sheet form with your information.
  3. Go to the police or sheriff’s department to get fingerprinted on a 10-print fingerprint card. Your fingerprint card must have:
    • Your full name
    • Your date of birth
    • Your sex
    • Your mailing address
    • Your fingerprints
  4. It costs $25 to process your fingerprints. Here are the ways you can pay:
    • Write a personal check (must be from a bank in the U.S)
    • Get a money order from the post office
    • Get a certified check from your bank
  5. Write the check or money order to the “California Department of Justice”.
  6. Mail your completed fingerprint card, application form, and $25 check or money order to this address:
    • California Department of Justice
      Record Review Unit
      P.O Box 903417
      Sacramento, CA 94203-4170
  7. Wait for a letter in the mail from the Department of Justice with your RAP sheet.
  8. Send your RAP sheet to the county that requested it from you. You can find their mailing address by visiting the county contact page.