Short answer
Can employers in Baltimore ask about criminal history before a job offer?
Ban the Box Act (Art. 11, Subt. 17, Baltimore City Code) (effective August 13, 2014) applies to: Employers with 10 or more full-time equivalent employees in Baltimore City. No conviction inquiry — application, interview, or background check — until after a conditional offer of employment is extended.
Covered employers
Employers with 10 or more full-time equivalent employees in Baltimore City.
Timing of inquiry
No conviction inquiry — application, interview, or background check — until after a conditional offer of employment is extended.
Individualized assessment
Maryland law requires consideration of the offense's relationship to job duties before adverse action; written analysis is best practice.
Adverse-action workflow
FCRA-aligned pre-adverse and adverse-action notices; the conditional offer may be withdrawn only based on a specific, articulable concern.
Notice & posting
Required workplace posting issued by the Baltimore Community Relations Commission.
Enforcement & penalties
Baltimore Community Relations Commission. Penalties up to $500 per violation, plus reinstatement and damages.
Citations
- Baltimore City Code Art. 11, §17