Los Angeles Sex Offender Registration Defense Attorney

Being accused of a registrable sex offense is profoundly life-altering. Even after a jail or prison sentence is served, California law demands continuing punishment in the form of public registration. In 2021, the Legislature replaced the old lifetime-registration scheme with a three-tier system under Senate Bill 384, amending Penal Code § 290. While the change offers many people a genuine off-ramp from the registry, navigating the new rules is daunting, especially in Los Angeles, where the Sheriff’s Department, the LAPD, and dozens of independent city police agencies each administer their registration desks. If you are charged with a sex offense, you must discuss your case with an aggressive sex crimes defense attorney as soon as possible.

Kraut Law Group Criminal & DUI Lawyers, Inc. prepared this page to demystify the tiers, explain how to shorten or avoid registration, and show why early, strategic lawyering can spare you years of stigma. Nothing here is legal advice; every case is different, and tight deadlines apply. Reach out as soon as possible so we can craft a plan tailored to you.

When the Department of Justice (DOJ) receives notice of a qualifying conviction, analysts look at three things: the specific statute violated, any aggravating facts (force, multiple victims, penetration, etc.), and a static risk-assessment score. The DOJ then mails an official Tier Notification to the local police agency and, for new convictions, to the sentencing court. Tier placement is not negotiable at sentencing, but errors happen, and the DOJ can be asked to correct a mistaken designation. Juveniles adjudicated in juvenile court are placed in only two tiers—five-year and ten-year categories—and are never listed on the public Megan’s Law site.

Tier I covers misdemeanors and the least-serious felonies: indecent exposure under Penal Code § 314 or possessing a single image of child sexual abuse under § 311.11(a). A Tier I registrant must appear in person within five working days of:

• release from custody,
• every birthday, and
• moving, starting college, or beginning a new job in California.

The obligation lasts ten years for adults; any time spent in jail or prison after the conviction pauses the clock, so the real-world duration is often longer. Violation (even one day late) can be charged as a misdemeanor or felony under § 290.018. After the ten-year minimum, the registrant may petition the superior court in the county of residence for removal; if the court denies the petition, a new request may be filed after one more year.

Tier II sweeps in offenses viewed as moderately dangerous, sexual battery (§ 243.4), non-forcible rape of an intoxicated adult (§ 261(a)(3)), lewd act with a 14- or 15-year-old with a greater-than-three-year age difference (§ 288(c)(1)), and digital penetration or oral copulation with a minor (§ 289(h), § 287(b)(1)). Tier II registrants appear annually on birthdays (transients every thirty days) and must inform law enforcement of all residence, school, and workplace addresses. The minimum registration period is twenty years for adults and ten for juveniles; again, incarceration time does not count. A petition for termination may be filed on or after the registrant’s first birthday following completion of the twenty-year minimum. Courts have discretion to deny the petition after a public-safety hearing, but they must provide written reasons; with skilled advocacy and documented rehabilitation, most first-time Tier II offenders are relieved.

Tier III is lifetime registration by default. It includes any conviction for:

• rape (§ 261 or § 262),
• aggravated sexual assault of a child (§ 269),
• continuous sexual abuse (§ 288.5),
• any second offense that otherwise falls in Tier I or II, and
• anyone adjudicated a Sexually Violent Predator (§ 6600).

Those in Tier III must still appear each birthday, but SVPs must report every ninety days and submit a fresh photograph. A narrow subclass, people placed in Tier III only because of a high static risk score, not because of an enumerated offense, may petition for removal after twenty years. Success turns on convincing the judge that community safety does not require continued registration, a showing that depends on psychological evaluations, polygraph data under Evidence Code § 351.1, and character evidence. Assembling that record is sophisticated litigation best handled by counsel familiar with Los Angeles County judges and prosecutors.

Residents of the City of Los Angeles register at the LAPD’s Sex Registrants Unit on Figueroa Street; residents of unincorporated areas or contract cities report to the nearest L.A. County Sheriff’s Station. Smaller municipalities like Burbank, Santa Monica, and Beverly Hills maintain their registries. Appointments fill weeks in advance, and walk-ins are rarely accommodated. Failure to sign a timely renewal because a slot was unavailable is still a crime. Kraut Law Group Criminal & DUI Lawyers, Inc. keeps a continuously updated chart of each agency’s hours and required documents so our clients never miss deadlines.

Early intervention is critical. Many wobblers, offenses that can be charged as misdemeanors or felonies, default to Tier II or III when charged as felonies but drop to Tier I when reduced. Examples include:

• felony possession of child sexual abuse material under § 311.11(c),
• assault with intent to commit a sex offense under § 220, and
• false imprisonment for sexual purposes under § 236/237.

Because Michael Kraut spent fourteen years as a Deputy District Attorney, he knows the charging manual lines prosecutors cannot cross. We have persuaded the DA to amend complaints, plead to alternate counts, or substitute non-registrable offenses like misdemeanor simple battery. That kind of damage control must happen before a plea is taken; once the judgment is entered, tier assignment is almost impossible to change.

A petition must use Judicial Council Form CR-415 and include:

• a copy of the Tier Notification letter,
• proof of current registration (e.g., an LAPD registration printout),
• any risk-assessment instruments (STATIC-99R, SARATSO), and
• declarations re rehabilitation, employment, therapy, and sobriety.

The petition is filed in the county of residence, served on the local DA and the original prosecuting agency, and set for hearing at least sixty days out. The People may file a written opposition; if they do, the court must hold an evidentiary hearing where each side can call witnesses. If the petition is denied, the registrant may refile after one year (Tier I) or five years (Tier II). Appeals go to the Court of Appeal and usually turn on abuse of discretion, an uphill standard highlighting the value of meticulous preparation.

Beyond the public shaming of Megan’s Law, registrants face:

• Exclusion from most apartment complexes because owners run criminal-background checks,
• A lifetime ban from Tier III registrants coaching youth sports under Penal Code § 1423,
• Travel restrictions, many countries refuse visas to registered offenders, and federal probation often imposes itinerary pre-approval.
• Immigration consequences for non-citizens under INA § 212(a)(2)(A)(i), and
• Professional license denials for teachers, medical workers, and security guards.

These barriers illustrate why securing the lowest possible tier or persuading a court to end registration altogether is more than symbolic.

Time spent in any jail or prison, including for an unrelated offense, pauses the registration clock. New felony arrests can suspend eligibility to petition; a fresh misdemeanor sex offense restarts the entire period. Failure-to-register convictions add a consecutive three-year extension, turning a ten-year Tier I into thirteen, or a twenty-year Tier II into twenty-three. Many people learn of these tolling provisions only when their first petition is rejected; Kraut Law Group Criminal DUI Lawyers, Inc., audits every client’s criminal and custody history to calculate the earliest filing date.

• “If my offense was non-violent, I’m automatically Tier I.”
  Wrong. Possessing more than ten child-porn images, even without contact, is Tier II.
• “I can live anywhere once I’m off parole.”
  Not if you are still Tier III or an SVP; the 2,000-foot school buffer in Jessica’s Law may apply if you are on parole, and many cities have ordinances.
• “Expungement ends registration.”
  It does not. A Penal Code § 1203.4 dismissal cleans up your record for employment but leaves the § 290 duty intact unless the tier-petition process succeeds.

Our firm combines prosecutorial insight with a laser focus on sex-crime defense. We:

• Negotiate pleas that avoid or shorten registration.
• Challenge DOJ tier misclassifications,
• Prepare persuasive removal petitions with expert psychological support, and
• Litigate risk-level hearings and writs through the Court of Appeal.

Because we practice exclusively in L.A. and the surrounding counties, we know which judges favor treatment over incarceration and which deputy DAs will concede relief when confronted with a bulletproof rehabilitation record. A mistake in this area can bind you to lifetime registration; experienced counsel is not optional.

If you or a loved one faces a sex-crime investigation, pending charges, or the burden of ongoing registration, do not wait. The earlier we intervene, the more options remain open, whether a plea to a Tier I offense, a correction to your tier assignment, or a complete petition for removal. Contact Kraut Law Group Criminal & DUI Lawyers, Inc., so our team can guide you through the legal system.