San Francisco has joined the growing numbers of cities and states around the country implementing “ban the box” legislation which restricts inquiries regarding an applicant’s criminal records on applications for employment and during job interviews. The EEOC recommends “banning the box” in line with its guidance regarding convictions and consideration in use of information based on job-relatedness. Currently, 10 states have “ban the box” laws in some form impacting public or both public and private employers. These states include Hawaii, California, Colorado, New Mexico, Minnesota, Illinois, Rhode Island, Connecticut, Massachusetts and Maryland. Other states that have “ban the box” legislation pending include Delaware, New Jersey, Michigan, North Carolina and Ohio, among others. San Francisco’s Fair Chance Ordinance becomes operative on August 13, 2014 and applies to private sector employers in the city of San Francisco. For specifics regarding the San Francisco ordinance click here for information.