Los Angeles fair-chance & background check ordinance (2026)

Q: What is the background check lookback period in California?

7 years (Cal. Civ. Code §1786.18). ICRAA caps reporting of arrests not leading to conviction and most adverse non-conviction items at seven years. Convictions may be reported beyond seven years for positions paying $125,000+ when explicitly disclosed.

Q: Does California have a ban-the-box law?

Statewide Fair Chance Act + 5+ local ordinances. Cal. Gov. Code §12952 requires a conditional offer before the criminal inquiry, an individualized assessment, and a five-business-day pre-adverse and post-adverse notice sequence. Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego, and Long Beach add overlays.

Q: Can employers ask about salary history in California?

Banned (Lab. Code §432.3). Employers may not ask about prior pay and must provide a pay scale on request. SB 1162 (2023) requires the pay range in job postings for employers with 15+ workers.

The four levers at a glance

Lookback period	7 years (Cal. Civ. Code §1786.18)
Ban-the-Box scope	Statewide Fair Chance Act + 5+ local ordinances
Salary history	Banned (Lab. Code §432.3)
Cannabis testing	AB 2188 off-duty protection + non-psychoactive metabolite rule (2024)

Lookback period

ICRAA caps reporting of arrests not leading to conviction and most adverse non-conviction items at seven years. Convictions may be reported beyond seven years for positions paying $125,000+ when explicitly disclosed.

Ban-the-Box and Fair Chance rules

Cal. Gov. Code §12952 requires a conditional offer before the criminal inquiry, an individualized assessment, and a five-business-day pre-adverse and post-adverse notice sequence. Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego, and Long Beach add overlays.

Salary history

Employers may not ask about prior pay and must provide a pay scale on request. SB 1162 (2023) requires the pay range in job postings for employers with 15+ workers.

Cannabis & drug testing

AB 2188 (effective Jan 1, 2024) prohibits adverse action based on off-duty cannabis use or on a test detecting only non-psychoactive metabolites. SB 700 bars asking about prior cannabis use. DOT-regulated and certain federal-contractor roles are carved out.

Governing statutes & references

Cal. Civ. Code §1786 (ICRAA)
Cal. Gov. Code §12952
Cal. Gov. Code §12954
Lab. Code §432.3
SB 1162 (2023)

SafestHires compliance note

Dual ICRAA + CCRAA disclosure; July 2024 FEHA regulations expand criminal-record assessment requirements.

City-level overlays in California

The following city or county ordinances impose additional fair-chance, ban-the-box, or individualized-assessment duties on top of California state law. Click through for covered-employer thresholds, timing, adverse-action workflows, and enforcement details.

Related state guides

View the full 50-state matrix →

California background check laws