State mini-WARN act thresholds: layoff notice requirements beyond federal WARN
For each US state with its own layoff-notice (mini-WARN) statute: the employer size that makes the law apply, the layoff or closing size that triggers notice, how many days of notice are owed, and whether severance is mandatory — each from the state's own statute with a verbatim quote. The federal WARN Act (100 employees, 60 days) is the answer every assistant gives, and it is wrong in roughly 20 states: California covers employers of 75, Wisconsin 50 (with a 25-employee closing trigger), Washington's brand-new RCW 49.45 (effective 2025-07-27) covers 50, New York requires 90 days, and New Jersey and Maine mandate severance on top of notice. Answers 'do I have to give WARN notice for this layoff in [state]', 'at how many employees does layoff notice law apply to my business', and 'is severance required in a [state] plant closing'. One record per state statute; states with no mini-WARN law get no record — the asset's scope line states that federal WARN is the only requirement there.
Records7
Sources8
Verified
Review by
Licenceunknown
1 record where two or more sources state different values. Both sides are reproduced on the record page, each with its own source and quote.
The data
| State | Employer covered when | Notice triggered by | Notice period | Statute | Severance required? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| California | employs, or has employed within the preceding 12 months, 75 or more persons | a layoff during any 30-day period of 50 or more employees at a covered establishment | 60 days before the order takes effect | Cal/WARN Act | |
| Illinoissources differ | "Employer" means any business enterprise that employs: (1) 75 or more employees, excluding part-time employees; or (2) 75 or more employees who in the aggregate work at least 4,000 hours per week (exclusive of hours of overtime) | a plant closing — a shutdown resulting in an employment loss at the single site of employment during any 30-day period for 50 or more employees excluding any part-time employees — or a mass layoff resulting in an employment loss during any 30-day period for at least 33% of the employees and at least 25 employees (excluding part-time), or at least 250 employees | 820 ILCS 65/5 | ||
| Maine | "Covered establishment" means any facility or part thereof that employs or has employed at any time in the preceding 12-month period 100 or more persons | a closing (the permanent shutdown of operations at a covered establishment) or a mass layoff — a reduction in workforce, not the result of a closing, that results in an employment loss at a covered establishment for at least 6 months of at least: (1) Thirty-three percent of the employees and at least 50 employees; or (2) Five hundred employees | notify the director in writing not less than 90 days prior to the relocation or closing | §625-B | severance pay at the rate of one week's pay for each year, and partial pay for any partial year, from the last full month of employment by the employee in that establishment |
| New Jersey | an employer who employs 100 or more employees | a transfer of operations or a termination of operations which results, during any continuous period of not more than 30 days, in the termination of employment of 50 or more employees, or if an employer conducts a mass layoff | not less than 90 days, or the period of time required pursuant to the federal "Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act," 29 U.S.C. s.2101 et seq., or any amendments thereto, whichever is longer | 34:21-2 | severance pay equal to one week of pay for each full year of employment. If the employer provides any employee with less than the number of days of notification required pursuant to subsection a. of this section, the employer shall provide that employee with an additional four weeks of pay |
| New York | The WARN Act applies to private businesses with 50 or more full-time employees in New York State. | Closings affecting 25 or more employees; mass layoffs involving 25 or more full-time employees (if the 25 or more employees make up at least 33% of all the employees at the site); mass layoffs involving 250 or more full-time employees; certain other relocations and covered reductions in work hours | covered businesses must provide all employees with notice 90 days prior to a plant closing, mass layoff, relocation, or other covered reduction in work hours | New York State WARN Act | |
| Washington | "Employer" means a person who employs 50 or more employees in this state, excluding part-time employees. "Employer" does not include the state or any political subdivision thereof, including any unit of local government, or any Indian tribe | a business closing — the permanent or temporary shutdown of a single site of employment of one or more facilities or operating units that will result in an employment loss for 50 or more employees, excluding part-time employees — or a mass layoff that results in an employment loss during any 30-day period of 50 or more employees, excluding part-time employees | an employer may not order a business closing or a mass layoff until the end of a 60-day period that begins after the employer, pursuant to this section, serves written notice | Chapter 49.45 RCW | |
| Wisconsin | “Employer” means any business enterprise that employs 50 or more persons in this state. | a business closing that affects 25 or more employees, not including new or low-hour employees; a mass layoff that affects at least 25 percent of the employer’s work force or 25 employees, whichever is greater, or at least 500 employees | no later than 60 days prior to the date on which the business closing or mass layoff takes place | 109.07 |
Where this came from
Every record above links the page it was taken from and quotes the sentence that states it. These are the 8 sources this dataset was assembled from.
- leginfo.legislature.ca.govhttps://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displayText.xhtml?lawCode=LAB&division=2.&title=&part=4.&chapter=4.&article=
- ilga.govhttps://www.ilga.gov/legislation/ilcs/documents/082000650K10.htm
- ilga.govhttps://www.ilga.gov/legislation/ilcs/documents/082000650K5.htm
- legislature.maine.govhttps://legislature.maine.gov/statutes/26/title26sec625-B.html
- law.justia.comhttps://law.justia.com/codes/new-jersey/title-34/section-34-21-2/
- dol.ny.govhttps://dol.ny.gov/warn
- app.leg.wa.govhttps://app.leg.wa.gov/rcw/default.aspx?cite=49.45&full=true
- docs.legis.wisconsin.govhttps://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/statutes/statutes/109/07
Machine-readable
- data.jsonThe whole dataset — every record with its source URL and source quote.
- Open Knowledge Format bundleOne JSON object per line — every record's frontmatter and quoted span exactly as it is held here, in one fetch.
- How this is made and checkedWhat "verified against source" does and does not mean.