Question: Does Home Depot Hire Felons

Short Answer: In most states Home Depot will NOT hire felons generally speaking. There are a few exceptions in select states that prohibit Home Depot from running a background check farther back than 7 years. Continue reading to learn more…

Home depot is a large home improvement chain that has thousands of employees spread across the United States.  If you have looked for a lists of employers that hire felons on the internet you may have found the Home Depot listed as “felon friendly.” We have not found this not to be the reality.

Hired one day, fired the next

There are many rumors that Home Depot will hire felons and this is due to several reasons. The first reason is because felons always seem to get far into the hiring process without having any issues. Many felons have a first and second interview, complete their drug test (passing) and then are told that they can start orientation. Sounds great right? What happens is that when the background check comes back they will call you or send a letter saying that are not eligible for employment.

Home Depot runs a background check as the last step of the hiring process and they generally get it back just before orientation starts. We have heard reports that state that the applicant declared his or her felony on the application and even talked about it with the hiring manager. Thinking everything is great the applicant has high hopes of being hired but only to have their hopes dashed at the last moment.

Here is what one applicant had to say;

“I have a friend who applied, was honest about his criminal past, made it through two interviews, passed the drug test, and was scheduled for orientation. The DAY BEFORE he was to go in, he was called and told he would not be hired. Not once during ANY of this did any one mention his background being a problem (he had one felony of a bad check). I do hope it turns out differently for you, but I would be cautious until you actually start work. FYI- this was in Georgia.”

Source: Prison Talk Forum

Another applicant also had this to say to us;

“I made it all the way through the application process [Home Depot] and at the last minute they told me they could not hire me because of my felony conviction even though I told them about it on my application and in the interview.”

It is safe to say that Home Depots hiring process only gives false hope to many felons that apply.

Home Depot Background Check Limits in Some States

It is important to understand that some states have laws regarding how far back a criminal background check can go and this will allow some felons to be able to be hired by Home Depot. Here are the laws for each state.

Twelve states do not allow any felony conviction information older than seven years to be reported.

• California – No cap
• Colorado* Up to $75,000
• Kansas* Up to $20,000
• Maryland* Up to $20,000
• Massachusetts* Up to $20,000
• Montana – No cap
• Nevada – No Cap (Credit Only)
• New Hampshire* Up to $20,000
• New York * Up to $25,000
• Texas * Up to $75,000
• Washington* Up to $20,000

(* exceptions based on pay/salary)

If you live in a seven year background check state

If you do live in one of these states and it has been at least seven years since you 100% COMPLETED your sentence then our advice is to apply to Home Depot.

The next question you may have is should you tell home depot that you have a felony conviction? This is really up to you. If they abide by the law and only go back seven years you should be safe to say nothing. If they don’t follow the law chances are they will most likely not hire you anyway. Pay attention to the salary cap for your state, if your position at Home Depot pays more than the cap the 7 year rules goes out the window and is not in effect. So really it is your call, nothing in this article is legal advice.