Ban the Box Legislation to Take Effect in the City of St. Louis in 2021

ABSTRACT: The City of St. Louis joins numerous regional and local governments enacting "ban the box" legislation, prohibiting employers from asking about an applicant's criminal convictions on job applications.

Beginning January 1, 2021, employers with ten or more employees, located within the City of St. Louis will be prohibited from inquiring about an applicant’s criminal history on the employment application. Once the law takes effect, employers may not base a hiring or promotional decision on the criminal history, or sentence, of an applicant unless(1) the history is found to be reasonably related to, or bearing upon, the duties and responsibilities of the position; and (2) the employer can demonstrate that the decision is based on all available information.

Employers will be prohibited from inquiring about an applicant’s criminal history until such time as the applicant is otherwise determined to be qualified and has been interviewed for the position. The prohibition extends to employers seeking publicly available information about criminal history during the initial job application stage. Employers remain able to inquire about an applicant’s criminal history if all applicants in the final stage of selection will be similarly asked.

The prohibition further extends to employment advertisements containing exclusionary language based on criminal history. These prohibitions do not include employers hiring for positions where federal or state laws would otherwise exclude individuals with certain criminal histories. In such circumstances, employers can still publish these requirements and restrictions in advertisements and seek to determine an applicant’s compliance with these regulations during the initial application process.

The City of St. Louis joins 35 states, and over 150 cities and counties nationwide that have adopted “ban the box” legislation. This provides a marked change for local employers going forward once the ordinance takes effect. This will provide opportunity for employers in the City of St. Louis to evaluate their hiring procedures in order to determine compliance with the new requirements. Employers will also need to address policies concerning when criminal history inquiries are made of applicants, revise standard applicant paperwork required, and note that the requirements apply to decisions regarding promotions as well as new hires.