How to Fill Out BCIA 8706 and Challenge Your California Criminal Record

To fill out BCIA 8706, use the blank copy the California Department of Justice sent with your Record Review response: enter your contact information and CI/SID number at the top, check every box on the claim-type list that matches an error on your record, write a specific explanation of what the record says and what it should say, sign and date the form, attach copies of court orders or other documents that prove your claim, and mail the packet to the Record Quality Services Program in Sacramento. There is no fee to file the challenge.

You Get the Form From the DOJ, Not Online

BCIA 8706 is the “Claim of Alleged Inaccuracy or Incompleteness” form the DOJ uses for challenges to your own state summary criminal history under Penal Code sections 11120 through 11127.¹ The DOJ includes a blank copy with your Record Review response whenever criminal information appears on your record.² If you haven’t yet requested and received your Record Review, that’s the step that has to come first; a Record Review that comes back clean won’t include an 8706 because there’s nothing to challenge.

Completing the Form

Every field must be completed. Leaving anything blank can delay processing or cause the DOJ to send the form back to you.¹

Your Information at the Top

Enter your email address, phone number, and CI Number. The CI Number, also called your SID or State Identification number, appears on the criminal history printout that came with your Record Review. You’ll also need the date of arrest for the entry you’re challenging. If you’re disputing more than one entry and the arrest dates differ, note each date so the DOJ can match your claim to the right record.

Check Every Claim Type That Applies

The form provides a checklist of common error types. Check all boxes that fit your situation, not just one:

Incorrect Disposition — the case outcome shown is wrong (for example, a conviction listed where you were acquitted).
Missing Disposition — an arrest appears with no court outcome recorded, making it read as an open case.
Offense Dismissed Per 1203.4 PC — you completed probation and had the conviction dismissed, but the record doesn’t show it.
Offense Reduced to Misdemeanor Per 17(B) PC — a wobbler was reduced from a felony, but the record still shows the felony.
Sealed Entry — a record that should be sealed (such as a juvenile adjudication) still appears.
Wrong Conviction Type — the offense level is wrong, such as a felony shown instead of a misdemeanor.
Not Arrested — an arrest attributed to you belongs to someone else.
Remove Entry — an entry shouldn’t be on your record at all.
Wrong Personal Descriptor Information — your name, date of birth, or physical description is incorrect.

Missing dispositions are among the most common problems. When a court resolves a case but never reports the disposition to the DOJ, the arrest sits on the record looking unresolved, which can trigger a background-check denial even though you were never convicted.

Write a Specific Explanation

Below the checklist, describe your claim in plain terms. Identify the arrest date, the charge, what the record currently says, and what it should say. Vague explanations create more back-and-forth. If the space provided isn’t enough, attach an additional sheet.

Sign and Date

Sign and date the form. An unsigned form will be returned.¹

Authorizing Someone to Represent You

If you want an attorney or another person to communicate with the DOJ on your behalf, fill in the authorization section at the bottom with their information. You still need to sign and date the form yourself, even when an attorney submits it for you.

Documents to Attach

The form directs you to attach copies of any official documents or court orders that verify your claim.¹ Sending proof up front matters. Without it, the DOJ has to contact the original reporting agency and wait for a response, which adds weeks to the process.

Match the documentation to what you’re challenging:

Missing or incorrect disposition — a certified copy of the court minute order or abstract of judgment showing the actual outcome.
Dismissal under PC 1203.4 — a copy of the court order granting the dismissal.
Reduction under PC 17(b) — the court order reducing the offense to a misdemeanor.
Sealed record — the sealing order from the court.
Wrong identity — identification documents showing you are not the person arrested, such as a different date of birth or different physical characteristics.

Send copies. The DOJ does not return submitted documents. Certified copies of court orders are available from the clerk of the superior court where your case was heard.

Where to Mail the Packet

Mail the completed BCIA 8706, a copy of your criminal history record, and your supporting documents to:¹

Bureau of Criminal Information and Analysis
Record Quality Services Program
P.O. Box 903417
Sacramento, CA 94203-4170

This is a different address from the one used to request a Record Review. There’s no filing fee for the challenge itself; the $25 fee only applies to the initial Record Review.

After You Send It In

Normal processing runs two to three days, though some challenges take up to two weeks depending on complexity, and the DOJ does not offer expedited processing.³

When your form arrives, the DOJ first checks whether the record matches the source document it has on file. If it doesn’t match, the DOJ corrects the record and sends you an updated copy. If the record does match the source but you’re saying the source document itself is wrong, the DOJ forwards your challenge to the agency that originally reported the information, and that agency has 30 days to review and respond.⁴

If the reporting agency agrees with your claim, it corrects its own records, notifies the DOJ, and the DOJ updates your state record and informs you of the correction within 30 days. Both the DOJ and the reporting agency must also notify anyone who received the incorrect record in the previous 90 days.⁴ You can request that specific additional recipients be notified, which is useful if the bad record cost you a job offer or a professional license and you want that employer or licensing board to receive the corrected version.

If the DOJ Denies Your Challenge

You can request an administrative hearing. Under Penal Code section 11126(c), a denied challenge can be referred for formal adjudication under the state’s Administrative Procedure Act, with the DOJ as the respondent. If the hearing finds a material inaccuracy or incompleteness, both the DOJ and the reporting agency are directed to correct the record, and the same 90-day notification process applies.⁴

To start that process, contact the DOJ after receiving the denial. The DOJ’s own guidance confirms that if a challenge “is denied — or has previously been denied — by the Department of Justice, you may request that the Department of Justice refer the matter for an administrative hearing.”³ The hearing route is worth pursuing when your documentation is strong but the reporting agency simply hasn’t updated its own records.

1
Archive.org. BCIA 8706 Claim of Alleged Inaccuracy or Incompleteness
2
California Department of Justice – Office of the Attorney General. Criminal Records – Request Your Own
3
State of California – Department of Justice – Office of the Attorney General. Frequently Asked Questions – Criminal Records – Request Your Own
4
Justia Law. California Penal Code 11120-11127