The Movement for Fair Chance Hiring

A conviction should not be used to perpetually punish people. NELP is working to expand fair chance hiring laws across the U.S.

A Fair Chance at Employment

People with arrest or conviction records need reliable access to income through safe, good-paying, stable jobs. Unfortunately, because of the stigma of a record, many people with records struggle to find employment. This bias also perpetuates systemic racism because Black, Latinx, and Indigenous people are disproportionately penalized by the criminal legal system. Fair chance policies provide applicants an opportunity at employment by removing conviction and arrest history questions from job applications and delaying background checks until later in the hiring process.

Cities, Counties, and States ‘Ban the Box’

Now 37 states and over 150 cities and counties have taken steps to remove barriers to employment for qualified workers with records. Of those jurisdictions, 15 states, the District of Columbia, and 21 cities and counties extend their fair chance hiring policies to private employment.

NELP’s Ban the Box State and Local Guide documents the policies across cities, counties, and states nationwide.

Cities, Counties, and States that Ban the Box

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AL	No state policy. City of Birmingham (P).
AK	No policy
AZ	State executive order applies to state agencies. Cities: Glendale (P); Phoenix (P); Tempe (P); and Tucson (P). Counties: Maricopa County (P) and Pima County (P).
AR	No state policy. Pulaski County (P).
CA	State law applies to private and public employers, including all cities and counties. Independent of state law: Berkeley (P); Carson (P); Compton (C); East Palo Alto (P); Los Angeles (Pr); Oakland (P); Pasadena (P); Richmond (C); Sacramento (C); and San Francisco (Pr). Counties: Alameda County (P) and Santa Clara County (P).
CO	State laws apply to private employers and state agencies, with limited application to state licensing agencies. Cities: Denver (P).
CT	State law applies to private and public employers, including all cities and counties. Independent of state law: Bridgeport (P); Hartford (C); New Haven (C); Norwich (P).
DC	DC District of Columbia ordinance (Pr).
DE	State law applies to public employers, including all cities and counties. Independent of state law: New Castle County (P); Wilmington (P).
FL	No state policy. Cities: Clearwater (P); Daytona Beach (P); Fort Myers (P); Gainesville (P); Jacksonville (C); Orlando (P); Pompano Beach (P); Sarasota (P); St. Petersburg (P); Tamarac (P); Tampa (P); Tallahassee (P); Counties: Broward County (P); Miami-Dade County (P); and Palm Beach County (P).
GA	State executive order applies to state agencies. Cities: Albany (P); Atlanta (P); Augusta (P); Columbus (P); South Fulton (C); Savannah (P). Counties: Cherokee County (P); Fulton County (P); Macon-Bibb County (P).
HI	State law applies to private and public employers, including all cities and counties.
ID	No policy
IL	State law applies to private employers, and executive order applies to state agencies. City of Chicago (Pr).
IN	State executive order applies to state employment in the executive branch. City of Indianapolis (C).
IA	No state policy. Waterloo (Pr); Johnson County (P); Linn County (P).
KS	State executive order applies to state agencies. Cities: Kansas City (P); Wichita (P); Topeka (P). Counties: Johnson County (P).
KY	State executive order applies to state agencies. City of Louisville (C).
LA	State law and policy apply to state employment. Cities: Baton Rouge (P); New Orleans (C).
ME	State law applies to private and public employers. All cities and counties under state law.
MD	State laws apply to state agencies and private employers. Cities: Baltimore (Pr). Counties: Montgomery County (Pr); Prince George's County (Pr).
MA	State law applies to private and public employers, including all cities and counties, and has limited application to state licensing agencies. Independent of state law: Boston (C); Cambridge (C); Worcester (C).
MI	State executive order applies to state agencies. Cities: Ann Arbor (P); Detroit (C); East Lansing (P); and Kalamazoo (C). Counties: Genesee County (P); Muskegon County (P).
MN	State law applies to private and public employers, including all cities and counties, and has limited application to state licensing agencies. Independent of state law: Minneapolis (P); St. Paul (P).
MS	No policy
MO	State executive order applies to state agencies. Cities: Columbia (Pr); Kansas City (Pr); St. Louis (P). Jackson County (P).
MT	No policy
NE	State law applies to public employers, including all cities and counties.
NV	State law applies to public employers, including all cities and counties. Independent of state law: North Las Vegas (P).
NH	Hampshire State law applies to state agencies.
NJ	Jersey State law applies to private and public employers, including all cities and counties. All city and county laws are preempted by state law, but, prior to state law, Atlantic City (C) and Newark (Pr) adopted local laws.
NM	Mexico State law applies to private and public employers, including all cities and counties.
NY	York State policy applies to state agencies. Cities: Buffalo (Pr); Ithaca (P); Kingston (P); Newburgh (P); New York City (Pr); Rochester (Pr); Syracuse (C); Woodstock (P); and Yonkers (P). Counties: Albany County (P); Dutchess County (P); Suffolk County (Pr); Tompkins County (P); Ulster County (P); and Westchester County (Pr).
NC	Carolina State executive order applies to state agencies. Cities: Asheville (P); Carrboro (P); Charlotte (P); Durham City (P); Spring Lake (P); Wilmington (P); and Winston-Salem (P). Counties: Buncombe County (P); Cumberland County (P); Durham County (P); Forsyth County (P); Mecklenburg County (P); New Hanover County (P); and Wake County (P).
ND	Dakota State law applies to public employers, including all cities and counties.
OH	State law applies to public employers, including all cities and counties. Independent of state law: Cities: Alliance (P); Akron (P); Canton (P); Cincinnati (P); Cleveland (P); Dayton (P); Massillon (P); Newark (P); Warren (P); Youngstown (P). Counties: Cuyahoga County (P); Franklin County (P); Hamilton County (P); Lucas County (P); Stark County (P); Summit County (P).
OK	State executive order applies to state agencies.
OR	State law applies to private and public employers, including all cities and counties. Independent of state law: Portland (Pr) and Multnomah County (P).
PA	State policy applies to state agencies. Cities: Allentown (P); Bethlehem (P); Lancaster (P); Philadelphia (Pr); Pittsburgh (C); Reading (P); York (P). Counties: Allegheny County (P); Beaver County (P); Northampton County (P).
RI	Island State law applies to private and public employers, including all cities and counties. Independent of state law: Providence (P).
SC	Carolina No state policy. Cities: Aiken (P); Columbia (P). Counties: Richland County (P); York County (P).
SD	No policy
TN	State law applies to state agencies. Cities: Chattanooga (P); Memphis (P); Nashville (P). Counties: Hamilton County (P).
TX	No state policy. Cities: Austin (Pr); DeSoto (Pr); and San Antonio (P). Counties: Dallas County (P) and Travis County (P).
UT	State law applies to public employers, including all cities and counties.
VT	State law applies to private and public employers, including all cities and counties.
VA	State law applies to public employers, including all cities and counties. Independent of state law: Cities: Alexandria (P); Blacksburg (P); Charlottesville (P); Danville (P); Fredricksburg (P); Harrisonburg (P); Newport News (P); Norfolk (P); Petersburg (P); Portsmouth (P); Richmond (P); Roanoke (P); Staunton (P); Virginia Beach (P). Counties: Arlington County (P); Fairfax County (P); Henry County (P); Montgomery County (P); Prince William County (P).
WA	State law applies to private and public employers, including all cities and counties. Independent of state law: Cities: Seattle (Pr); Spokane (Pr); Tacoma (P). Counties: Pierce County (P); Spokane County (P).
WV	No policy
WI	State law applies to state agencies. Cities: Madison (C); Milwaukee (P). Counties: Dane County (P); Milwaukee County (P).
WY	No policy