State WARN acts: notice rules by state

New York asks for 90 days of notice and reaches private businesses with 50 full-time employees. The federal rule starts at 100 employees and asks for 60. This guide covers 14 states, each read from the state's own agency page or code.

How to use this page

Check the federal rule, then your state. Wisconsin's workforce department says it plainly: employers must comply with both laws if they both apply.
This is general information, not legal advice. The summaries below leave out detail, and these rules turn on exact definitions, so have your employment lawyer confirm what applies to you.

The federal rule

Who it covers: an employer with 100 or more employees, not counting part-time employees, or with 100 or more employees, counting part-time employees, who together work at least 4,000 hours a week.
Plant closing: a shutdown of a site or unit with job losses for 50 or more employees at that site in a 30-day period.
Mass layoff: job losses at one site in a 30-day period for at least 50 employees who are at least 33 percent of the active employees there, not counting part-time employees, or for 500 or more employees.
Notice: at least 60 calendar days before the first separation.
Who must be told: affected employees or their union representative, the state dislocated worker unit, and the chief elected official of the local government.
Shorter notice: the rule allows it in three situations (a faltering company, unforeseeable business circumstances, and a natural disaster), and the employer carries the burden of showing one applies.

Part-time employees are left out of the count but still get notice. Our layoff checklist walks through the test, and the layoff letter template covers what an employee notice must say.

Read from the federal regulation on November 1, 2026. The U.S. Department of Labor's WARN page has its guides for employers and notes that federal courts enforce the Act.

The states

Some states run their own version of the federal rule, often called a mini-WARN act. It can reach smaller employers or ask for more notice.

California
Delaware
Illinois
Iowa
Maine
Maryland
Minnesota
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New York
Ohio
Vermont
Washington
Wisconsin

California

California WARN, Labor Code Section 1400.5 and Section 1401

Who it covers: A covered establishment that employs, or has employed in the preceding 12 months, 75 or more full and part-time employees.
What triggers it: A layoff of 50 or more employees within a 30-day period, whatever the share of the workforce. A plant closure, or a relocation of at least 100 miles, affecting any number of employees.
Notice: 60 days.
Who must be told: Employees or their representative, the Employment Development Department, the Local Workforce Development Board, and the chief elected official of each city and county government involved.
Also worth knowing: California also has its own rule for moving a call center to a foreign country.

Read from the California Employment Development Department on November 1, 2026.

Delaware

Delaware Code, Title 19, Chapter 19

Who it covers: A business with 100 or more employees, excluding part-time employees, or 100 or more employees who work at least 2,000 hours a week in total.
What triggers it: A plant closing with employment loss for 50 or more employees at one site in a 30-day period. A mass layoff at one site in a 30-day period of 50 or more employees who make up 33% of the site's workforce, or of 500 or more employees. A relocation to a place 50 miles or more away.
Notice: 60 days before the order for the layoff, closing, or relocation takes effect.
Who must be told: Affected employees and their representatives, the WARN Act Administrator at the Delaware Department of Labor's Division of Employment and Training, and the Delaware Workforce Development Board for the locality.

Read from the Delaware Code on November 1, 2026.

Illinois

Illinois Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act, 820 ILCS 65

Who it covers: Employers with 75 or more full-time employees, excluding part-time workers.
What triggers it: A plant closing, though the page we read does not give the size that counts, so check the law itself. A mass layoff at one site in any 30-day period, or in some cases any 90-day period, of either 25 or more full-time employees who are one-third or more of the site's full-time employees, or 250 or more full-time employees.
Notice: 60 days.
Who must be told: The state. The Department of Commerce page we read says employers must notify the state and does not give the full list, so check the law itself for who else must be told.
Also worth knowing: A business receiving state or local economic development incentives must also send a copy of its notice to state leaders and to the mayor of each municipality where it has locations in Illinois.

Read from the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity on November 1, 2026.

Iowa

Iowa Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act, Iowa Code Chapter 84C

Who it covers: An employer with 25 or more employees, excluding part-time employees.
What triggers it: A business closing that causes employment loss for 25 or more employees at one site, or a mass layoff at one site in any 30-day period of 25 or more employees, in each case not counting part-time employees.
Notice: 30 days. If a collective bargaining agreement sets a different notice period, that period governs.
Who must be told: Affected employees or their representatives, and the state department of workforce development.

Read from the Iowa Code on November 1, 2026.

Maine

Maine Revised Statutes, Title 26, Section 625-B

Who it covers: A covered establishment: a facility, or part of one, that employs or has employed 100 or more persons at any time in the preceding 12 months.
What triggers it: Closing or relocating a covered establishment. A mass layoff with job losses lasting at least 6 months, of either 500 employees, or at least 50 employees who are at least 33 percent of the employees there.
Notice: Not less than 90 days for a closing or relocation. For a mass layoff, as far in advance as practicable, and, in the law's words, "no later than within 7 days of the layoff."
Who must be told: The Director of the Bureau of Labor Standards. For a closing, also employees and the municipal officers.
Also worth knowing: Maine's law also requires severance of one week's pay for each year, for employees with at least 3 years at the establishment, with exceptions set out in the law.

Read from the Maine Revised Statutes on November 1, 2026.

Maryland

Maryland Economic Stabilization Act

Who it covers: A business or organization employing 50 or more people.
What triggers it: Expected layoffs of at least 25% of the workforce or 15 or more employees, whichever is greater, over a 3-month period.
Notice: 60 days before the termination date.
Who must be told: Employees at the affected workplace, any employee representatives, the Maryland Department of Labor's Dislocation Services Unit, and the chief local elected official of the impacted area.
Also worth knowing: Revised regulations took effect on October 13, 2025.

Read from the Maryland Department of Labor on November 1, 2026.

Minnesota

Early warning system, Minnesota Statutes Section 116L.976

Who it covers: Business establishments considering a plant closing, substantial layoff, or relocation in Minnesota.
What triggers it: The statute counts a plant closing as a shutdown causing employment loss at one site in any 30-day period for 50 or more employees, excluding employees who work less than 20 hours a week.
Notice: No set number of days. The law has the commissioner encourage notice as early as possible.
Who must be told: The commissioner, employees of the affected establishment, any employee organization representing them, and the local government unit.
Also worth knowing: An employer giving notice under federal WARN or this section must report the names, addresses, and occupations of the affected employees to the commissioner.

Read from the Minnesota Statutes on November 1, 2026.

New Hampshire

New Hampshire RSA Chapter 275-F

Who it covers: A business with 100 or more employees in New Hampshire, excluding part-time employees, or 100 or more employees who work at least 3,000 hours a week in total, excluding overtime.
What triggers it: A plant closing with employment loss at one site in a 30-day period for 50 or more employees. A mass layoff at one site in a 30-day period of at least 250 employees, or at least 25 employees if they are 33 percent of the employer's full-time employees. Part-time employees are not counted.
Notice: 60 days before the order for the layoff or closing takes effect.
Who must be told: Affected employees and their representatives, the commissioner of labor, the New Hampshire attorney general, and the chief elected official of each municipality involved.

Read from the New Hampshire General Court on November 1, 2026.

New Jersey

Millville Dallas Airmotive Plant Job Loss Notification Act, N.J. Stat. 34:21-1 and following

Who it covers: An employer with 100 or more employees, at a place of employment it has operated for longer than three years.
What triggers it: A transfer or termination of operations ending the employment of 50 or more employees within 30 days, or a mass layoff of 50 or more employees at or reporting to the establishment in any 30-day period.
Notice: Not less than 90 days, or the federal period if that is longer, before the first termination.
Who must be told: The Commissioner of Labor and Workforce Development, the chief elected official of the municipality, each employee whose employment is to end, and any collective bargaining units.
Also worth knowing: Each employee whose employment is terminated is due severance of one week of pay for each full year of employment, plus four more weeks of pay if notice falls short.

Read from the New Jersey Department of Labor's copy of the law and the New Jersey Department of Labor on November 1, 2026.

New York

New York State WARN Act

Who it covers: Private businesses with 50 or more full-time employees in New York State.
What triggers it: Closings affecting 25 or more employees. Mass layoffs of 25 or more full-time employees who are at least 33% of the employees at the site, or of 250 or more full-time employees. Certain relocations and reductions in work hours.
Notice: 90 days.
Who must be told: Affected employees, any employee representatives, the state Department of Labor, the Local Workforce Development Board, the chief elected official of the local government, the school district, and each locality that provides emergency services to the site.

Read from the New York State Department of Labor on November 1, 2026.

Ohio

Ohio Revised Code Section 4113.31, effective September 30, 2025

Who it covers: An employer with 100 or more employees who together work at least 4,000 hours a week. Ohio uses the federal definitions and says it sets no different standard.
What triggers it: The employer lays off 50 or more employees at a single site during any 30-day period.
Notice: 60 days before the closing or layoff begins.
Who must be told: Employees' authorized representatives or, if there are none, each affected employee. Also the director of job and family services and the chief elected official of the municipal corporation and the county.
Also worth knowing: Ohio spells out what the notice must say, including a detailed statement of the reason, how to reach unemployment benefits, and what services are available. Compare your letter against the law.

Read from the Ohio Revised Code on November 1, 2026.

Vermont

Notice of Potential Layoffs Act, Vermont Statutes Title 21, Chapter 5, Subchapter 3A

Who it covers: An employer with 50 or more full-time employees, 50 or more part-time employees who work at least 1,040 hours a year each, or a combination of the two reaching 50.
What triggers it: A permanent shutdown of a facility. A permanent end of operations at Vermont worksites that lays off 50 or more employees over 90 days. A stop in work, not scheduled to resume within 90 days, that affects 50 or more employees. A permanent employment loss of at least 50 employees at Vermont worksites in any 90-day period.
Notice: 45 days to the state. 30 days to the local official, affected employees, and any bargaining agent.
Who must be told: The Secretary of Commerce and Community Development, the Commissioner of Labor, the municipality's chief elected official or administrative officer, affected employees, and any bargaining agent.

Read from the Vermont Statutes on November 1, 2026.

Washington

Mass Layoffs and Business Closings, Chapter 277, Laws of 2025, effective July 27, 2025

Who it covers: A person employing 50 or more employees in Washington, excluding part-time employees. State and local governments are not included.
What triggers it: A business closing with employment loss for 50 or more employees, or a mass layoff of 50 or more employees in any 30-day period, not counting part-time employees.
Notice: 60 days.
Who must be told: The Employment Security Department and affected employees or their union representative. The department's page also names the chief elected official of the community.
Also worth knowing: With limited exceptions in the law, an employer may not include an employee who is on paid family or medical leave in a mass layoff.

Read from the Washington Employment Security Department and Laws of 2025, Chapter 277 on November 1, 2026.

Wisconsin

Business Closing and Mass Layoff law, Wisconsin Statutes Section 109.07

Who it covers: A business employing 50 or more people in Wisconsin.
What triggers it: A business closing affecting 25 or more employees. A mass layoff of at least 25 percent of the workforce or 25 employees, whichever is greater, or of at least 500 employees. New or low-hour employees are not counted.
Notice: No later than 60 days before the closing or layoff.
Who must be told: The state department's dislocated worker unit, any affected employee, any collective bargaining representative, and the highest official of the municipality.
Also worth knowing: The notice to an employee must also give contact details for the local workforce development board.

Read from the Wisconsin Statutes and the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development on November 1, 2026.

States not on this page

A state missing from this page may still have its own rule. We list a state only after reading its own agency page or code, and we have not finished reading every state. We could not read the pages for Connecticut, Hawaii, and Tennessee, so do not take their absence to mean they have no rule. If yours is missing, check the federal rule above, then ask your state's Rapid Response team and your lawyer.