Washington

What is the notice triggered by for Washington?

For Washington, notice triggered by is 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; notice period is 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; statute is Chapter 49.45 RCW, verified against its source on 2026-08-18.

"Business closing" means 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. (5) "Commissioner" means the commissioner of the employment security department. (6) "Department" means the employment security department. (7) "Employee" means a person employed in this state by an employer. "Employee" includes part-time employees. (8) "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, as defined in section 3306(u) of the federal unemployment tax act. (9)(a) "Employment loss" means: (i) An employment termination, other than a discharge for cause, voluntary separation, or retirement; (ii) A layoff exceeding six months; or (iii) A reduction in hours of more than 50 percent of work of individual employees during each month of a six-month period. (b) "Employment loss" does not include instances when a business closing or mass layoff is the result of the relocation or consolidation of part or all of the employer's business and, before the business closing or mass layoff, the employer offers to transfer the employee to a different site of employment within a reasonable commuting distance, as defined by the department, with no more than a six-month break in employment. (10) "Mass layoff" means a reduction in employment force that is not the result of a business closing and results in an employment loss during any 30-day period of 50 or more employees, excluding part-time employees. (11) "Part-time employee" means an employee who is employed for an average of fewer than 20 hours per week, or an employee who has been employed for fewer than six of the twelve months preceding the date on which notice is required. However, if an applicable collective bargaining agreement defines a part-time employee, such definition shall supersede the definition in this subsection. (12) "Single site of employment" means a single location or a group of contiguous locations, such as a group of structures that form a campus or business park or separate facilities across the street from each other.

— app.leg.wa.gov, retrieved 2026-08-18