California WARN Act and Layoff Notice Requirements
California has its own layoff-notice law in addition to federal WARN. Here's who's covered, how much notice is required, the penalties, where to find official notices, and what employees should do.
California has its own layoff-notice law in addition to federal WARN. The state rule may cover smaller employers, smaller layoffs, longer notice, additional recipients, or different penalties. Whether it applies depends on the employer, worksite, number of affected employees, event type, and timing.
For California: A “covered establishment” that employs, or employed in the preceding 12 months, 75 or more full- and part-time employees. Covered events generally require 60 days' written notice before a covered mass layoff, relocation, or termination.
At a glance
Federal WARN vs California
The federal WARN Act is the nationwide baseline: it generally requires 60 days' written notice for a covered plant closing or mass layoff at employers with 100+ employees, with remedies of back pay and benefits enforced through the courts. California's state law can be broader — for example, California WARN Act (Cal-WARN) (California Labor Code §§ 1400–1408). The details below reflect the state rule.
Covered employers, events & thresholds
Covered employer: A “covered establishment” that employs, or employed in the preceding 12 months, 75 or more full- and part-time employees.
mass layoff
A layoff of 50 or more employees at a covered establishment during any 30-day period — with no separate percentage-of-workforce test (stricter than federal WARN).
plant closing
A cessation or substantial cessation of industrial or commercial operations at a covered establishment.
Termination of the establishment's operations.
relocation
Moving all or substantially all of the operations to a different location 100 miles or more away.
Relocation is covered under Cal-WARN.
Notice period: 60 days' written notice before a covered mass layoff, relocation, or termination.
Who must receive notice
Employees
- Affected employees (or their representative, if any)
Government
- California Employment Development Department (EDD)
- The Local Workforce Development Area
- The chief elected official of each city and county where the event occurs
Find official California WARN notices
EDD publishes a “Listing of Filed WARN Notices,” updated twice weekly (typically Tuesday and Thursday), as downloadable reports. Search the current report for your employer and layoff date.
Open the official CA WARN noticesYou can also track recent filings in the LayoffNext WARN Radar — then confirm details against the official CA source above.
Penalties & employee remedies
An employer that fails to give required notice is liable to each affected employee for back pay and the value of benefits, and is subject to a civil penalty. Employees generally recover back pay by filing suit.
Back pay
Back pay for each day of the violation, up to a maximum of 60 days (and not more than one-half the number of days the employee was employed).
Benefits
The value of benefits under an employee benefit plan for the violation period.
Civil penalty
A civil penalty of up to $500 for each day of violation may apply (an employer may avoid it by paying affected employees within three weeks).
How to raise it
Employees generally pursue back pay through a civil lawsuit; the EDD and Labor Commissioner provide information.
Major exceptions & special cases
- Physical calamity or act of war
- Faltering-company situation where seeking capital or business would have been jeopardized by notice
- Sudden, unexpected business circumstances outside the employer's control (as recognized under the law)
- Project completion where employment was understood to be of limited duration
Remote workers
Coverage generally follows the establishment the employee reports to; remote-worker application can be fact-specific — verify with EDD.
Temporary layoffs
Whether a temporary layoff or furlough triggers notice can depend on its expected length and the specific rule — verify with the agency for your situation.
What an employee should do in California
- 1Search EDD's Listing of Filed WARN Notices for your employer and layoff date.
- 2If you got fewer than 60 days' notice, note the exact notice date and effective date — Cal-WARN back pay is measured per day of violation.
- 3Contact your Local Workforce Development Area / EDD Rapid Response for reemployment services.
- 4Because California requires filing suit for back pay, consider an employment attorney if you believe notice was short.
California scenarios
A 55-person layoff at one site
Facts: A California employer with 200 employees lays off 55 at one covered establishment in a month.
Cal-WARN's mass-layoff trigger is 50+ at a covered establishment in 30 days with no percentage test — so this can be covered even though it would fall under the federal 33%/500 tests differently. The 60-day notice and California recipients would generally apply.
A relocation 120 miles away
Facts: A company moves substantially all operations to a site 120 miles away.
Unlike federal WARN, Cal-WARN expressly covers relocations of 100+ miles, so 60-day notice can be required even without a headcount reduction.
California WARN Act FAQ
Does California WARN cover a 50-person layoff?+
Does California require 60 days' notice?+
Does California WARN apply when a company relocates?+
Where can employees find California WARN notices?+
Can California employees receive back pay for a violation?+
Does California WARN apply to remote employees?+
Related
Sources & methodology
This page summarizes California's layoff-notice rules from official government sources and links to each. Coverage and outcomes depend on the employer, worksite, headcount, event, and timing, and rules can change. Where a specific figure wasn't confirmable this pass, the text says “verify.” Confirm the current rule with the agency and, where rights are at stake, an attorney.
- Cal-WARN Act — California Department of Industrial Relations (DLSE)The state statute / legal basis. · Last verified Jul 24, 2026
- Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act FAQs — California EDDAgency FAQ guidance. · Last verified Jul 24, 2026
- WARN — Layoff Services & Listing of Filed WARN Notices — California EDDWhere official WARN notices are published. · Last verified Jul 24, 2026
- Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act (federal) — U.S. Department of LaborOfficial agency guidance. · Last verified Jul 24, 2026
Important disclaimer
This page is educational only and is not legal advice or representation, and LayoffNext is not a law firm. Whether WARN applies, and any remedies, depend on the employer, worksite, headcount, event type, timing, and the current law, which can change. Nothing here is a conclusion that an employer did or did not comply. Verify details with the official sources above and consult a qualified attorney about your situation. See our full disclaimer.
Deepak Middha is the founder of LayoffNext and a Chartered Accountant (ICAI, India). A U.S. immigrant with nearly 20 years of experience — and 17 years in hedge fund and private equity administration, including as Vice President of Fund Accounting at NAV Fund Administration Group and Associate Director of Private Equity and Real Estate at SS&C Technologies — he builds free, plain-language layoff tools and guides for employees, H-1B workers, and immigrant families.