Know when to run the background check.
ScreenSure gives employers one practical answer before they order a report or act on one. Pick the work state, hiring stage, and screening scope, then get the timing call, the federal baseline, and the next step in plain English.
Start with the checker if you need a timing answer now. Use the state library if you are pressure-testing a policy before the next hiring round.
State timingSee whether the state usually pushes criminal-history review later in hiring.
Federal workflowKeep disclosure, authorization, and adverse-action steps visible in every answer.
Trust postureEvery summary stays dated, source linked, and clear about local-law cautions.
Pick the work state
Start with where the person will work, not where the company is based.
Set the hiring moment
Tell ScreenSure whether you are before application, mid-process, post-offer, or acting on a report.
Get the next step
See the status call, federal workflow, source links, and the safest move for the team right now.
Start with the states that create the most workflow risk.
Use the state guide library to understand where fair-chance timing rules are restrictive, where local laws may be stricter, and what your hiring team should document before acting on a report.
California
California has broad fair-chance limits for many employers. Default to waiting until after a conditional offer before asking for or acting on criminal-history information.
Illinois
Illinois generally pushes employers away from early criminal-history screening and toward a later-stage workflow with notice discipline.
New York
New York employers should treat criminal-history checks as a post-offer workflow and expect Article 23-A style relevance analysis before adverse action.
Washington
Washington limits early criminal-history questions and expects job-related reasoning if results may change a decision.
Ban-the-box laws by state
Use this page to understand where employers should delay criminal-history questions and why later-stage review is often safer.
Pre-adverse action checklist
A plain-English walkthrough of the notice, waiting period, and documentation flow employers should follow before adverse action.
Background check disclosure form rules
The disclosure and authorization form should stand alone and stay separate from application clutter or broad release language.
Fair chance hiring policy template
Draft your internal process around timing, who reviews reports, and how individualized assessment notes are stored.
Background check laws for remote hiring
Remote hiring can trigger a different state or city rule depending on where the candidate works, not just where the company is based.