Name Change Petitions

In January 1997, the California Code of Civil Procedure began requiring all persons seeking (petitioning) for a civil name change (applicants) to be pre-screened.  Applicants on active parole or who are sex offender registrants must be identified, because the law excludes them from legally changing their names.  The Superior Court of Los Angeles County has requested that the Probation Department’s Pretrial Services Bureau conduct this screening process.

The various Civil Superior Courts refer applicants to Pretrial Services employees:

Review and screening of the referred applicant’s information
Check the applicant’s criminal background (if any)
Report the findings to the referring court on all criminal history information found (if any)

Those applicants who fall into either of the above-mentioned exclusionary categories are identified.

Name Change Criminal History Assessment Form (Los Angeles County)
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