What is a WARN notice?
A WARN notice is an employer's written notice, given 60 days ahead, of a plant closing or mass layoff. The federal WARN Act requires it from employers with 100 or more employees, not counting part-time employees. The notice goes to the workers or their representative, to the state and to the local government.
Checked 6 sources
WARN notices, last 30 days
As of
- notices
- 284
- workers affected
- 73,162
- employers
- 200
Newest notice:
From the WARN lists of the states.
On NewsIntel
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The federal WARN Act
WARN stands for Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification. The federal WARN Act is in the U.S. Code at 29 U.S.C. 2101 to 2109.
The U.S. Department of Labor says the Act helps ensure advance notice of qualified plant closings and mass layoffs. It publishes a guide for workers and a guide for employers.
Sources: law.cornell.edudol.gov, checked Nov 15, 2026
Who must give a WARN notice
The federal WARN Act covers employers with 100 or more employees, not counting part-time employees, or with 100 or more employees who together work at least 4,000 hours a week, not counting overtime.
A part-time employee, under the Act, is one who works fewer than 20 hours a week on average, or who has worked fewer than 6 of the last 12 months.
Source: law.cornell.edu, checked Nov 15, 2026
What counts as a plant closing or mass layoff
A plant closing is the shutdown of a single site that causes an employment loss for 50 or more employees, not counting part-time employees, within 30 days.
A mass layoff is a cut at a single site that, within 30 days, causes an employment loss for at least 33 percent of the employees and at least 50 of them, or for at least 500 employees.
An employment loss is a job that ends for a reason other than being fired for cause, quitting or retiring. A layoff of more than 6 months counts too, and so do hours cut by more than half in each month of any 6-month period.
Source: law.cornell.edu, checked Nov 15, 2026
Who gets the notice, and when
The employer must give the written notice 60 days before the closing or layoff. It goes to each representative of the affected workers, or to each affected worker where there is none. It also goes to the state's rapid response unit and to the top elected leader of the local government where the closing or layoff will happen.
Source: law.cornell.edu, checked Nov 15, 2026
State WARN laws
Some states have WARN laws of their own, with rules that differ from the federal Act.
California's law covers a site that has had 75 or more full-time and part-time employees in the last 12 months, and it asks for written notice at least 60 days ahead.
New York's law covers private businesses with 50 or more full-time employees in the state, and it asks for 90 days of notice.
Where we have a guide for a state, its WARN page sums up that state's rules, each with its source.
Sources: edd.ca.govdol.ny.gov, checked Nov 15, 2026
See on NewsIntel: California WARN noticesNew York WARN noticesWARN notices by state
Where to find WARN notices, and how we count them
NewsIntel reads the WARN lists that state labor agencies publish, such as California's and New York's, and links every notice to the list it came from. We check each list once a day. Some states publish no list we can read, so their notices are not on NewsIntel.
The box on this page shows the notices of the last 30 days. We count each notice once, on its notice date. When a list gives no notice date, we use the date the state received the notice, then the date the layoff takes effect, then the day we first saw it.
The workers affected are the number the notice states; a notice that states none adds nothing to the count.
See on NewsIntel: MethodologyAll WARN notices
Questions
- Does a small layoff need a WARN notice?
- Not always under the federal Act. It covers only the employers, plant closings and mass layoffs it defines, so a smaller layoff may have no federal notice. Your state's law may still cover it.29 U.S.C. 2101
- How much notice must an employer give?
- 60 days before the closing or layoff, under the federal Act. The Act allows less notice in a few cases, such as business circumstances that could not reasonably be foreseen, and none for a natural disaster. This is a summary, not legal advice.29 U.S.C. 2102
- Where can I see WARN notices?
- On your state's WARN list, and on NewsIntel's layoffs pages, where each notice links to the state list it came from.All WARN notices
- Does a WARN notice mean the layoff happened?
- No. A notice tells of a planned closing or layoff. Its date and its number of workers are what the state's list shows.Methodology
Sources
- WARN Act Compliance Assistance
dol.gov · Checked
- 29 U.S. Code Chapter 23: Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification
law.cornell.edu · Checked
- 29 U.S. Code 2101: Definitions; exclusions from definition of loss of employment
law.cornell.edu · Checked
- 29 U.S. Code 2102: Notice required before plant closings and mass layoffs
law.cornell.edu · Checked
- Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN), California EDD
edd.ca.gov · Checked
- Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN), New York State Department of Labor
dol.ny.gov · Checked
This is a summary, not legal advice; the law is linked above.