On February 14, 2014, San Francisco Mayor Edwin M. Lee signed San Francisco’s Fair Chance Ordinance, which “bans the box” on employment applications and restricts private employers’ ability to use criminal history information. Ordinance number 131192 will become effective on August 13, 2014. The ordinance also affects certain affordable housing providers.

With the passage of the ordinance, San Francisco joins several other cities and states that have already “banned the box” on employment applications for private employers, including the cities of Buffalo, Newark, Philadelphia, and Seattle, as well as the states of Hawaii, Massachusetts, Minnesota, and Rhode Island.

For a detailed look at the requirements of the San Francisco “ban the box” ordinance and tips for employers that may be covered by the ordinance, see our blog post, “San Francisco Passes Fair Chance Ordinance Restricting Employers’ Ability to Use Criminal History Information.”

Note: This article was published in the February 2014 issue of the California eAuthority.