Washington State’s expanded Fair Chance Act will impose stricter limits on employer use of criminal background checks beginning in 2026 and 2027. Employers generally will be prohibited from requesting criminal history information until after making a conditional job offer and must conduct individualized assessments before denying employment based on convictions. The law also bans reliance on arrest records and automatic disqualifiers in most cases, increases notice requirements, and authorizes stronger enforcement and penalties for noncompliance.

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