Seattle has fair chance rules for both jobs and housing. Its Fair Chance Employment Ordinance, Seattle Municipal Code chapter 14.17, covers employers with one or more employees working in the city. Employers must wait until after an initial screening to ask about criminal history or run a background check. They need a legitimate business reason to reject someone over a record. Washington's statewide Fair Chance Act was amended in 2025. Since July 1, 2026, employers with 15 or more employees generally may not ask about or obtain criminal records until the applicant is otherwise qualified and has a conditional offer. Smaller employers follow on January 1, 2027.
For housing, Seattle's Fair Chance Housing Ordinance, chapter 14.09, generally bars landlords from taking adverse action based on arrest records, conviction records or criminal history. A 2023 federal appeals ruling struck the part that barred landlords from asking, but the ban on acting on the information remains in force.
These rules work alongside the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act, which requires background check and tenant screening companies to report accurately. Cases are filed in the Western District of Washington, in Seattle or Tacoma.
Where Seattle FCRA cases are filed
FCRA claims are federal, so they go to a United States District Court. Cases from Seattle are heard in one federal district:
- Western District of WashingtonKing and Snohomish counties (Seattle courthouse) and Pierce County (Tacoma courthouse). Courthouses: Seattle, Tacoma.Filed with local or cooperating counsel
Our attorneys are licensed in Texas, California, and Georgia. Where they aren't admitted in your local federal court, we work with local or cooperating counsel who are. You may also be able to sue where the company that reported you is based, in a court where our attorneys are admitted:
- Checkr: HQ in N.D. California
- First Advantage and Sterling: HQ in N.D. Georgia
- RealPage: HQ in N.D. Texas
Which court is right depends on your facts. We'll tell you at your free case review.
Local and state rules in Seattle
- Seattle Fair Chance Employment Ordinance (Seattle Municipal Code, Chapter 14.17)
Covers employers with one or more employees working in Seattle. Employers may not run job ads that exclude people with records, and must wait until after an initial screening to ask about criminal history or run a background check. An employer needs a legitimate business reason to take adverse action based on a record and must give the applicant a chance to explain. Read it - Seattle Fair Chance Housing Ordinance (Seattle Municipal Code, Chapter 14.09)
Generally bars Seattle landlords from taking adverse action against a renter based on arrest records, conviction records or criminal history. Landlords may check the sex offender registry for adult applicants but need a legitimate business reason before acting on it. In Yim v. City of Seattle (9th Cir. 2023), the court struck the ban on asking about criminal history but left the adverse action ban in place. Read it - Tacoma city hiring resolution (Tacoma City Council Resolution No. 39228 (June 30, 2015))
Removed the conviction history question from City of Tacoma job applications. The city considers conviction history only after a conditional offer and looks at whether the offense relates to the job, with exceptions for police officers and positions working directly with children. It covers city jobs only; Washington's Fair Chance Act covers other employers. Read it
State law also applies: see Background Check Error Lawsuits in Washington.
Common background check errors
- Someone else's criminal or eviction record matched to you by name
- Dismissed, sealed or expunged cases still reported
- Charges reported as convictions, or misdemeanors as felonies
- The same case listed several times
- Eviction filings reported without the dismissal or outcome
Learn how these cases work on our background check lawsuits page, or read our lawsuit guides for Checkr, Sterling, HireRight, First Advantage, RealPage, SafeRent, RentGrow and TransUnion Rental Screening.
Frequently asked questions
Can a Seattle landlord deny my rental application because of an old conviction?
Seattle's Fair Chance Housing Ordinance generally bars landlords from taking adverse action based on criminal history, with a limited exception for sex offender registry information. Complaints go to the Seattle Office for Civil Rights. If a screening company reported a record that is not yours or is out of date, you may also have an FCRA claim against that company.
When can a Washington employer run a background check on me?
Under Washington's Fair Chance Act as amended in 2025, employers with 15 or more employees generally must wait until you are otherwise qualified and have a conditional offer. Seattle's ordinance adds its own limits for jobs in the city. Under the FCRA, the employer also needs your written permission before ordering a background report.
How do I dispute a wrong record on a background check?
You can ask the background check company for a copy of your file and dispute any item that is wrong or incomplete. The company generally must reinvestigate within 30 days and correct or delete information it cannot verify. Court records showing the true outcome of a case can help.
How long do I have to file an FCRA lawsuit in Seattle?
FCRA deadlines are the same everywhere: generally two years from when you discover the violation, and no more than five years from when it happened (15 U.S.C. § 1681p). Waiting can cost you the claim.
Sources
- U.S. Census Bureau, Metropolitan and Micropolitan Statistical Area Population Totals: 2020–2025
- U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington, About the Court
- Seattle Office of Labor Standards, Fair Chance Employment
- Seattle Office for Civil Rights, Discrimination Protections (Fair Chance Housing)
- Yim v. City of Seattle, No. 24-6214 (9th Cir. Aug. 5, 2025) (memorandum)
- Washington Fair Chance Act, RCW 49.94
- 15 U.S.C. § 1681i (disputes and reinvestigation)
- 15 U.S.C. § 1681m (adverse action notices)
- 15 U.S.C. §§ 1681n and 1681o (damages)
- 15 U.S.C. § 1681b (employment reports)
- National Employment Law Project, Ban the Box: U.S. Cities, Counties, and States Adopt Fair-Chance Policies (Oct. 2021)
Updated November 2026. This page is general information, not legal advice.