All resourcesState guide · MI
Michigan background check laws
A practitioner-grade reference to Michigan pre-employment background screening: lookback caps, ban-the-box scope, salary-history limits, cannabis testing rules, and the statutes the SafestHires compliance team applies on every order routed to MI.
The four levers at a glance
| Lookback period | 7 years (FCRA default) |
| Ban-the-Box scope | Public sector (Executive Directive 2018-04) |
| Salary history | Public-employer ban (Executive Directive 2019-10) |
| Cannabis testing | Recreational legal; no statewide off-duty protection |
Lookback period
Michigan follows FCRA. Clean Slate Act expungements (eff. 2023) must be suppressed.
Ban-the-Box and Fair Chance rules
Governor Whitmer's directive removed the conviction question from state-agency initial applications.
Salary history
Applies to state-agency hiring only; no statewide private rule.
Cannabis & drug testing
MCL §333.27955 preserves the employer's right to enforce zero-tolerance policies despite Initiated Law 1 of 2018.
Governing statutes & references
- MCL §333.27955
- Clean Slate Act 2020
- Exec. Dir. 2018-04
SafestHires compliance note
Public-employee DPD: 2024 MCOLES guidance allows pre-employment cannabis use for new hires.