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State mini-WARN law

Washington WARN Act and Layoff Notice Requirements

Washington 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.

Quick answer

Washington 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 Washington: Employers with 50 or more employees in Washington, excluding part-time employees (RCW 49.45.010). The covered event is a business closing or mass layoff causing an employment loss for 50 or more employees. Covered events generally require 60 days' written notice before a covered mass layoff or business closing.

Washington WARN notices filed in the last 24 months

Collected directly from Washington ESD. Each row is a notice the state published, not an estimate — search it by employer to see whether your own company has filed.

Filings, last 24 months

270

Workers affected

62,739

Employers

197

Most recent filing

7 Oct 2026

Showing all 270 filings

Washington WARN notices from the last 24 months
LocationTypeEffective
7 Oct 2026StarbucksSeattle, Redmond, Vancouver, and Spokane51Closure14 Nov 2026
5 Oct 2026Jack in the BoxKent15Closure2 Dec 2026
2 Oct 2026Greenridge Farming IncPasco193Layoff15 Nov 2026
2 Oct 2026National Frozen Foods CorporationMoses Lake and Chehalis439Layoff15 Nov 2026
2 Oct 2026Quincy FoodsQuincy65Layoff15 Nov 2026
1 Oct 2026Manson Growers LLCManson275Layoff1 Oct 2026
29 Sep 2026Haak Administrative Services LLCYakima County110Layoff30 Nov 2026
28 Sep 2026FirstFruits, LLCPrescott1,200Layoff18 Nov 2026
28 Sep 2026Maverick Washington LLC / All Star CasinoSilverdale159Closure30 Nov 2026
28 Sep 2026Maverick Washington LLC / Casino CaribbeanYakima101Closure30 Nov 2026
28 Sep 2026Maverick Washington LLC / Chips CasinoLakewood131Closure30 Nov 2026
28 Sep 2026Maverick Washington LLC / Coyote Bobs CasinoKennewick68Closure30 Nov 2026
28 Sep 2026Maverick Washington LLC / Crazy Moose CasinoPasco137Closure30 Nov 2026
28 Sep 2026Maverick Washington LLC / Great American CasinoEverett133Closure30 Nov 2026
28 Sep 2026Maverick Washington LLC / Macau CasinoLakewood106Closure30 Nov 2026
28 Sep 2026Maverick Washington LLC / Palace CasinoLakewood15Closure30 Nov 2026
25 Sep 2026Gebbers Farms, EtalBrewster3,445Layoff25 Nov 2026
22 Sep 2026Expedia, Inc.Seattle58Layoff21 Nov 2026
22 Sep 2026MicrosoftRedmond277Layoff21 Nov 2026
21 Sep 20262EZY LLCAirway Heights120Closure30 Sep 2026
21 Sep 2026BM Administrative ServicesYakima County321Layoff30 Nov 2026
21 Sep 2026DNS Farm Services LLCGrant and Chelan Counties238Layoff17 Sep 2026
18 Sep 2026Comprehensive Life ResourcesTacoma92Layoff21 Nov 2026
18 Sep 2026King Fuji Ranch, Inc.Mattawa286Layoff27 Nov 2026
18 Sep 2026Providence Health & ServicesOlympia3Layoff18 Nov 2026

Source: Washington ESD — official Washington WARN listing. Covers the last 24 months and is current to 7 Oct 2026. States revise and re-publish their listings, so treat this as a reliable index of what has been filed rather than a legal record — verify any specific notice against the official listing.

When Washington requires your final paycheck

Where the employer ends the employment, final wages are due end of the pay period in Washington (RCW 49.48.010).

Final paycheck deadlines and what to do if it is late

At a glance

Status
State mini-WARN law
Covered employer
Employers with 50 or more employees in Washington, excluding part-time employees (RCW 49.45.010). The covered event is a business closing or mass layoff causing an employment loss for 50 or more employees.
Notice period
60 days' written notice before a covered mass layoff or business closing.
Who must be notified
Each affected employee, or the employee's bargaining representative where the employee is represented by a union; Washington Employment Security Department (ESD)
Official WARN notices
Published (see below)
Enforcement
Washington Employment Security Department (ESD), or a civil action by ESD, an aggrieved employee or the employee's bargaining representative.
Law last verified
Sep 22, 2026
Filings data
Newest notice Oct 7, 2026

Federal WARN vs Washington

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. Washington's state law can be broader — for example, Washington mass-layoff notice law (“Securing Timely Notification and Benefits for Laid-Off Employees Act”) (Chapter 49.45 RCW). The details below reflect the state rule.

Recent change: Washington's state WARN requirements took effect July 27, 2025 (SB 5525, ch. 277, Laws of 2025). SB 6106 (ch. 86, Laws of 2026), signed March 17, 2026, then excluded tribes from the definition of employer, exempted the names and addresses of workers in a notice from the Public Records Act, and removed the requirement that each affected employee receive the names and addresses of all other affected employees. The 50-employee threshold, 60-day notice and remedies were not changed.

Covered employers, events & thresholds

Covered employer: Employers with 50 or more employees in Washington, excluding part-time employees (RCW 49.45.010). The covered event is a business closing or mass layoff causing an employment loss for 50 or more employees.

mass layoff

A reduction in force, not the result of a business closing, that causes an employment loss for 50 or more employees (excluding part-time employees) during any 30-day period.

plant closing

A permanent or temporary shutdown of a single site of employment, or of one or more facilities or operating units at it, causing an employment loss for 50 or more employees (excluding part-time employees).

Notice period: 60 days' written notice before a covered mass layoff or business closing.

Who must receive notice

Employees

  • Each affected employee, or the employee's bargaining representative where the employee is represented by a union

Government

  • Washington Employment Security Department (ESD)

Find official Washington WARN notices

ESD publishes the WARN layoff-and-closure database on its website, listing employer name, business location, number of affected workers, type of action (layoff or closure), and the effective date. Search it for your employer.

Open the official WA WARN notices

You can also track recent filings in the LayoffNext WARN Radar — then confirm details against the official WA source above.

Search the WA database directly

Washington runs a searchable WARN database, so this is the quickest of the routes — you can check a specific employer in a minute.

  1. 1Open the official database and search your employer's legal name, not its brand name — filings use the entity that employs you, which is often different.
  2. 2Try a partial name too. Subsidiaries and staffing entities file under names most employees never see on a payslip.
  3. 3Note the notice date and the effective date separately. The gap between them is what tells you whether the required notice period was honoured.
  4. 4Screenshot or save the record. Databases are refreshed in place, and an entry can change without a version history.
Open the official WA noticesHow federal WARN worksWhat a WARN notice means for you

Penalties & employee remedies

An employer that orders a covered closing or mass layoff without required notice is liable to each aggrieved employee for back pay and benefits, and an employer that fails to notify ESD is subject to a civil penalty of up to $500 per day, paid into the state general fund (avoidable by paying employees within three weeks). ESD, an aggrieved employee or the employee's bargaining representative can sue within three years of the violation.

Back pay

Back pay for each day of violation, up to 60 days, at the employee's final rate of pay or their last three-year average rate, whichever is higher.

Benefits

The value of benefits the employee would have received, including medical expenses incurred because of the loss of the benefit plan.

Civil penalty

Up to $500 for each day of violation for failing to notify ESD, paid into the state general fund — not owed if the employer pays affected employees the amounts due within three weeks of ordering the action (RCW 49.45.050).

How to raise it

Contact ESD about a suspected violation, or bring a civil action yourself (or through your bargaining representative) within three years of the violation (RCW 49.45.040).

Major exceptions & special cases

  • Faltering company — where notice would have precluded obtaining needed capital or business
  • Unforeseeable business circumstances — sudden, dramatic, and unexpected action or condition outside the employer's control
  • Natural disaster

Remote workers

Coverage follows the single site of employment; remote-worker treatment can be fact-specific — verify with ESD.

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 Washington

  1. 1Search ESD's WARN layoff-and-closure database for your employer and date.
  2. 2Note whether the layoff occurred on or after July 27, 2025, when the state law took effect.
  3. 3Contact ESD if you believe required notice was not given — or consider a civil action, which must be brought within three years of the violation.

Washington scenarios

A 60-person layoff after the 2025 law

Facts: A Washington employer with 200 employees lays off 60 workers in September 2025.

Because Washington's state WARN requirements took effect July 27, 2025, a mass layoff causing an employment loss for 50 or more employees in a 30-day period can require 60 days' notice to ESD and to each affected employee (or their bargaining representative) — with back pay and benefits for up to 60 days, and a potential $500/day civil penalty for failing to notify ESD, if notice wasn't given.

What the 2026 amendment changed

Facts: Your layoff is in 2026 and you have heard the law was amended.

SB 6106, signed March 17, 2026, did not change the 50-employee threshold, the 60-day notice period or the remedies. It excluded tribes from the definition of employer, kept workers' names and addresses in a notice out of public-records requests, and dropped the requirement to give each affected employee the names and addresses of the others.

Washington WARN Act FAQ

Does Washington now have a mini-WARN law?+
Yes. Washington adopted state mass-layoff notice requirements (the “Securing Timely Notification and Benefits for Laid-Off Employees Act,” Ch. 49.45 RCW) that took effect July 27, 2025 — so it is no longer accurate to say Washington relies only on federal WARN. It was amended by SB 6106 in 2026, which left the thresholds, notice period and remedies unchanged.
When did Washington's state WARN requirements take effect?+
Washington's state WARN requirements took effect on July 27, 2025 under SB 5525. SB 6106, signed March 17, 2026, made narrower changes: it excluded tribes from the definition of employer, exempted workers' names and addresses in a notice from the Public Records Act, and removed the requirement that each affected employee receive the names and addresses of all the others.
Does Washington require 60 days' notice?+
Yes. Washington's law requires 60 days' written notice before a covered mass layoff or business closing causing an employment loss for 50 or more employees, given to the Employment Security Department and to each affected employee (or the employee's bargaining representative). Narrow exceptions (faltering company, unforeseeable business circumstances, natural disaster) can allow shorter notice.
Where can employees search Washington WARN notices?+
The Employment Security Department publishes a WARN layoff-and-closure database on its website. It lists the employer name, business location, number of affected workers, the type of action (layoff or closure), and the effective date. Search it for your employer to confirm whether a notice was filed.
What penalties can apply in Washington?+
An employer that fails to give required notice can owe each aggrieved employee back pay for each day of violation (up to 60 days, at the higher of final pay or a three-year average) plus the value of benefits, including medical costs. An employer that fails to notify ESD also faces a civil penalty of up to $500 per day, paid into the state general fund, unless it pays employees the amounts due within three weeks. ESD, an aggrieved employee or a bargaining representative can sue within three years.
How do the 2026 changes affect employees?+
Very little for most people. SB 6106 (2026) kept the 50-employee threshold, the 60-day notice period and the back-pay remedy. What changed: tribes are excluded from the definition of employer, your name and address in a notice are exempt from public-records requests, and the employer no longer has to give each affected employee the names and addresses of everyone else affected.

Nearby states

Washington unemployment

Related

All states: WARN Act by stateWhat a WARN notice means for employeesWARN Radar: recent layoff filingsLayoff letter examplesUnemployment benefits in WashingtonLaid off today? First stepsT-Mobile layoffs: 4 WA WARN filingsGoogle layoffs: 1 WA WARN filing

Sources & methodology

This page summarizes Washington'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.

  1. Chapter 49.45 RCW — Mass Layoffs and Business Closings — Washington State LegislatureThe state statute / legal basis. · Last verified Sep 22, 2026
  2. SB 6106 (ch. 86, Laws of 2026) — session law — Washington State LegislatureThe state statute / legal basis. · Last verified Sep 22, 2026
  3. Gov. Ferguson signs updated mass layoff notice requirements into law — Washington Employment Security DepartmentOfficial agency guidance. · Last verified Sep 22, 2026
  4. WARN requirements — Washington Employment Security DepartmentOfficial agency guidance. · Last verified Jul 24, 2026
  5. WARN layoff and closure database — Washington Employment Security DepartmentWhere official WARN notices are published. · Last verified Jul 24, 2026
  6. 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, Founder of LayoffNext
Founder of LayoffNext

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.

Published July 24, 2026Updated September 22, 2026
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