What Is a WARN Act Notice? What Workers Need to Know

Published April 2026 · 8 min read

Contents

What Is the WARN Act? Who Is Covered? What Triggers a WARN Notice? Exceptions and Loopholes State Mini-WARN Laws How to Track WARN Filings FAQ

What Is the WARN Act?

The Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act is a federal law enacted in 1988 that requires employers to provide 60 calendar days of advance written notice before conducting plant closings or mass layoffs. The law was designed to give workers and their families time to prepare for job loss - time to search for new work, arrange retraining, or adjust personal finances.

For data trackers like JobRisk.io, WARN filings are the single most reliable forward-looking indicator of layoffs. When a company files a WARN notice, it means layoffs are not just possible - they are planned and legally documented.

This is why our risk scoring algorithm weighs WARN filings at +40 points, the highest single factor in a company's risk score.

Who Is Covered?

The federal WARN Act applies to employers with:

  • 100 or more full-time employees, or
  • 100 or more employees who work at least a combined 4,000 hours per week (excluding overtime)

This covers most major employers. Companies like Meta, Amazon, and Tesla - with workforces in the tens or hundreds of thousands - are firmly within scope.

Government employers, however, are exempt from WARN requirements.

What Triggers a WARN Notice?

A WARN notice must be filed when either of these events is planned:

  • Plant closing: A facility shuts down and 50+ employees lose their jobs during any 30-day period.
  • Mass layoff: At a single site, either 500+ employees are laid off, or 50-499 employees are laid off and that group makes up at least 33% of the workforce at that location.

The notice must be given to affected employees (or their union representatives), the state's dislocated worker unit, and the chief elected official of the local government.

Exceptions and Loopholes

The WARN Act has three exceptions that allow employers to give less than 60 days' notice:

  • Faltering company: The employer was actively seeking capital or business that would have avoided the layoff, and giving notice would have jeopardized those efforts.
  • Unforeseeable business circumstances: The layoff was caused by circumstances not reasonably foreseeable at the time notice would have been required (e.g., sudden loss of a major contract).
  • Natural disaster: The layoff results directly from a natural disaster like a flood, earthquake, or drought.

These exceptions are frequently tested in court. Employers must still give as much notice as practicable and must explain why full notice could not be given.

State Mini-WARN Laws

Several states have enacted their own WARN Act laws - often called "mini-WARN" laws - that go beyond federal requirements:

  • California: Covers employers with 75+ employees. Applies to relocations of 100+ miles.
  • New York: Covers employers with 50+ employees. Requires 90 days' notice (vs. federal 60).
  • Illinois: Covers employers with 75+ employees. 60 days' notice required.
  • New Jersey: Covers employers with 100+ employees. Requires 90 days' notice and severance pay.

Check our WARN Alerts page for state-by-state filing data.

How to Track WARN Filings

WARN Act notices are public records, but they're not easy to find. Each state maintains its own system - some post PDFs, others use spreadsheets, and many are weeks behind. There's no central federal database.

That's why we built JobRisk.io's WARN Alerts feed. We aggregate filings from all 50 states plus the District of Columbia, normalize the data, and make it searchable and filterable. You can also browse by state:

Frequently Asked Questions

What does WARN Act stand for?

WARN stands for the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act. It's a federal law enacted in 1988 that requires employers with 100+ employees to provide 60-day advance written notice before plant closings or mass layoffs.

Does the WARN Act apply to all employers?

No. The federal WARN Act only applies to employers with 100 or more full-time employees. However, many states have their own "mini-WARN" laws with lower thresholds. California's WARN Act covers employers with 75+ employees, for example.

What happens if an employer violates the WARN Act?

Employers who fail to provide the required 60-day notice may be liable for back pay and benefits for each day of the violation, up to 60 days. Employees can file lawsuits in federal court to recover damages.

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