The Washington Legislature amended its Fair Chance Act (EHB 1747), effective July 1, 2026, to impose new restrictions on employer criminal background checks on job applicants.

Under the new laws, Washington employers with 15 or more employees must now wait until after a conditional job offer has been made before running a criminal background check or inquiring about criminal history. Smaller employers (less than 15 employees) must comply starting on January 1, 2027.

In addition, employers now cannot reject job applicants based solely on arrest records or juvenile convictions. Employers must now conduct a documented individualized assessment showing a "legitimate business reason" before rejecting job applicants for arrest records or juvenile convictions.

Lastly, Washington employer job advertisements can no longer feature "No Criminal History" disclaimers. And Washington companies cannot use sweeping automatic disqualification policies barring any job applicants with criminal history.

These new Washington employment laws will now make it easier for job applicants with criminal history to get work. Nevertheless, all job applicants with criminal history should still seek court vacation of any old criminal convictions and police expungement of old arrest records. That will make getting good jobs much easier in the future.

Lynnwood Criminal Defense Lawyer

Contact Lynnwood criminal defense lawyer Paul Hanson for help doing this.