State rankings
Ban-the-Box States
Ban-the-Box States: compare 51 US states on 3 metrics.
City/County Exceptions
2 values across 51 entries
Covered Employers
10 values across 51 entries
Data
Click a column to sort.
51 states
 Alabama | No | No Law | — |
 Alaska | No | No Law | — |
 Arizona | No | No Law | — |
 Arkansas | No | No Law | — |
 California | Yes | Employers with 5+ employees | No criminal background check until after a job offer (See recent FAQs) |
 Colorado | No | Effective 9/1/19 for employers with 11+ employees; effective on or after 9/1/21 for all employers | — |
 Connecticut | Yes | All employers | No criminal history question on job applications with some exceptions |
 Delaware | No | No Law | — |
 District of Columbia | No | Employers with 11+ employees | No background check until after job offer |
 Florida | No | No Law | — |
 Georgia | No | All employers | No background check until after job offer. Then – the applicant must be provided with the opportunity to dispute the information in their history. Additionally, citizens have the right to expunge misdemeanors and non-violent felonies four years after a sentence is complete. |
 Hawaii | No | All private employers | No criminal background check until after job offer. Then, employers may only inquire about felony convictions within the past seven years and five years misdemeanors, excluding periods of incarceration. |
 Idaho | No | No Law | — |
 Illinois | Yes | Private employers with 15+ employees | No criminal background check before job interview, or until after job offer if no interview. Job applicants can only be disqualified if a conviction has a “substantial relationship” to the position. |
 Indiana | Yes | No Law | — |
 Iowa | Yes | No Law | — |
 Kansas | No | No Law | — |
 Kentucky | Yes | No Law | — |
 Louisiana | Yes | No Law | — |
 Maine | No | All employers | No criminal history inquiries on applications or advertisements that a person with a criminal history may not apply. |
 Maryland | Yes | No Law | — |
 Massachusetts | Yes | All private employers | No criminal history questions on application. Also bans questions about certain types of crimes later in the hiring process. |
 Michigan | Yes | Employers with 15+ employees | — |
 Minnesota | No | All private employers | No criminal history inquiries on job application with limited exceptions |
 Mississippi | No | No Law | — |
 Missouri | Yes | No Law | — |
 Montana | No | No Law | — |
 Nebraska | No | No Law | — |
 Nevada | No | No Law | — |
 New Hampshire | No | No Law | — |
 New Jersey | No | Employers with 15+ employees over 20 calendar weeks | Preempts local laws |
 New Mexico | No | All private employers | Can consider a conviction after reviewing an application and discussing employment with the applicant |
 New York | Yes | No Law | — |
 North Carolina | No | No Law | — |
 North Dakota | No | No Law | — |
 Ohio | No | No Law | — |
 Oklahoma | No | No Law | — |
 Oregon | No | All private employers | Illegal to exclude applicant from an interview solely due to past criminal conviction |
 Pennsylvania | Yes | No Law | — |
 Rhode Island | No | Employers with 4+ employees | No criminal background check on job applications |
 South Carolina | No | No Law | — |
 South Dakota | No | No Law | — |
 Tennessee | No | No Law | — |
 Texas | Yes | No Law | — |
 Utah | No | No Law | — |
 Vermont | No | All private employers | No criminal history questions on job application |
 Virginia | No | No Law | — |
 Washington | Yes | All private employers | No criminal history check before applicant is deemed otherwise qualified |
 West Virginia | No | No Law | — |
 Wisconsin | Yes | No Law | — |
 Wyoming | No | No Law | — |
Quick answers
- Where does this ban-the-box states data come from?
- Rankodex compiles it from World Population Review and the primary sources it cites: Paycor.