San Francisco has amended its Fair Chance Ordinance for restrictions on employee criminal history inquiries. Effective October 1, 2018, the Fair Chance Ordinance will now apply to employers with 5 or more employees, rather than the currently stated 20 or more employees. Additionally, employers will be prohibited from making pre-employment conviction history inquiries until after a conditional offer of employment, to bring the Ordinance in line with current California requirements.

Of particular note, employers will be prohibited from inquiring about or requiring disclosure of convictions of decriminalized behavior, including convictions for the non-commercial use and cultivation of marijuana, regardless of when they occurred. California employers are already prohibited from inquiring about certain non-felony marijuana convictions that are more than two years old. This departure from state requirements will mean that employers need to carefully reexamine background check procedures to ensure compliance with the local Ordinance.