Who is covered by federal WARN at a plant closure?

Federal notice duties run on employer size and event type: it applies to qualifying employers, and a mass layoff or closure is measured against the site rather than the company. Smaller sites are covered by state mini-WARN in many states.

When does the 60-day clock start?

From the written notice date. If the notice is late or missing, damages accrue for the shortfall, so the notice date and the closure date are the two facts worth keeping in writing.

Should I file unemployment the day notice arrives?

Yes, on the notice date rather than the lockout date. Delay is a common reason weeks of eligibility are lost, and the first certification week follows the filing date.

What should I ask for in writing?

The closure date, the last day worked, the benefits end date, the continuation start date, and the notice the employer sent the state and local officials. Those items support both the package conversation and any notice claim.

Plant Closure WARN Checklist: The 60-Day Timeline

Who Gets 60 Days' Notice

The federal WARN Act requires employers with 100+ employees to give a 60-day written notice of plant closures and mass layoffs (50+ at one site). Notice goes to employees, the state dislocated-worker unit, and local government. If the notice is late, damages accrue per day, and many mini-WARN states (California, New York, New Jersey) cover smaller sites and add severance strings.

The Checklist for Workers

Confirm the notice date — damages run from it, not the closing date.
Compare the federal count (50 employees) with your state's mini-WARN threshold.
File unemployment the day notice arrives, not the day you are locked out.
Ask in writing for the closure date, benefits end date, and COBRA start.

Use the counter-offer decline generator to draft notice requests, and the weekly unemployment guide to file on the notice date.

Severance and the 60-Day Clock

WARN notice triggers severance formulas in many plans: a per-year multiplier tied to the notice date, medical continuation, and outplacement funds. If the employer skips notice, the 60-day liability is wage-plus-benefit per day — state claims often add penalties. Related guides: mini-WARN states and WARN damages math. See also severance by state for payout order.

Rule windows by state (50 states)

Rows are rule categories, not statutory citations. Confirm the current text with the state agency named on the state page before quoting it in a filing.

State	Mini-WARN Notice Rules	State rule page
California	A state advance-notice statute requires notice of a mass layoff or plant closing: 60 days in most mini-WARN states, 90 days in New York, with per-day damages for a shortfall.	CA Mini-WARN
Colorado	A state advance-notice statute requires notice of a mass layoff or plant closing: 60 days in most mini-WARN states, 90 days in New York, with per-day damages for a shortfall.	CO Mini-WARN
Illinois	A state advance-notice statute requires notice of a mass layoff or plant closing: 60 days in most mini-WARN states, 90 days in New York, with per-day damages for a shortfall.	IL Mini-WARN
New York	A state advance-notice statute requires notice of a mass layoff or plant closing: 60 days in most mini-WARN states, 90 days in New York, with per-day damages for a shortfall.	NY Mini-WARN
New Jersey	A state advance-notice statute requires notice of a mass layoff or plant closing: 60 days in most mini-WARN states, 90 days in New York, with per-day damages for a shortfall.	NJ Mini-WARN
Washington	A state advance-notice statute requires notice of a mass layoff or plant closing: 60 days in most mini-WARN states, 90 days in New York, with per-day damages for a shortfall.	WA Mini-WARN
Massachusetts	A state advance-notice statute requires notice of a mass layoff or plant closing: 60 days in most mini-WARN states, 90 days in New York, with per-day damages for a shortfall.	MA Mini-WARN
Texas	No state advance-notice statute. Federal WARN applies to covered employers only, so most small layoffs carry no notice duty.	TX Mini-WARN
Florida	No state advance-notice statute. Federal WARN applies to covered employers only, so most small layoffs carry no notice duty.	FL Mini-WARN
Ohio	A limited state notice rule exists (narrow coverage or a short window); the federal WARN act reaches covered employers only.	OH Mini-WARN
Georgia	No state advance-notice statute. Federal WARN applies to covered employers only, so most small layoffs carry no notice duty.	GA Mini-WARN
North Carolina	No state advance-notice statute. Federal WARN applies to covered employers only, so most small layoffs carry no notice duty.	NC Mini-WARN
Michigan	A limited state notice rule exists (narrow coverage or a short window); the federal WARN act reaches covered employers only.	MI Mini-WARN
District of Columbia	No state advance-notice statute. Federal WARN applies to covered employers only, so most small layoffs carry no notice duty.	DC Mini-WARN
Connecticut	A limited state notice rule exists (narrow coverage or a short window); the federal WARN act reaches covered employers only.	CT Mini-WARN
Maine	No state advance-notice statute. Federal WARN applies to covered employers only, so most small layoffs carry no notice duty.	ME Mini-WARN
Minnesota	A limited state notice rule exists (narrow coverage or a short window); the federal WARN act reaches covered employers only.	MN Mini-WARN
Nevada	A limited state notice rule exists (narrow coverage or a short window); the federal WARN act reaches covered employers only.	NV Mini-WARN
Arizona	No state advance-notice statute. Federal WARN applies to covered employers only, so most small layoffs carry no notice duty.	AZ Mini-WARN
Wisconsin	A limited state notice rule exists (narrow coverage or a short window); the federal WARN act reaches covered employers only.	WI Mini-WARN
Oregon	A limited state notice rule exists (narrow coverage or a short window); the federal WARN act reaches covered employers only.	OR Mini-WARN
Pennsylvania	A limited state notice rule exists (narrow coverage or a short window); the federal WARN act reaches covered employers only.	PA Mini-WARN
Virginia	No state advance-notice statute. Federal WARN applies to covered employers only, so most small layoffs carry no notice duty.	VA Mini-WARN
Tennessee	A limited state notice rule exists (narrow coverage or a short window); the federal WARN act reaches covered employers only.	TN Mini-WARN
Indiana	A limited state notice rule exists (narrow coverage or a short window); the federal WARN act reaches covered employers only.	IN Mini-WARN
Iowa	A state advance-notice statute was not located in this build, so the page makes no claim: federal WARN (100+ employees, 60 days) is the verified floor, and the state agency publishes the current rule.	IA Mini-WARN
Kansas	A state advance-notice statute was not located in this build, so the page makes no claim: federal WARN (100+ employees, 60 days) is the verified floor, and the state agency publishes the current rule.	KS Mini-WARN
Kentucky	A state advance-notice statute was not located in this build, so the page makes no claim: federal WARN (100+ employees, 60 days) is the verified floor, and the state agency publishes the current rule.	KY Mini-WARN
Louisiana	A state advance-notice statute was not located in this build, so the page makes no claim: federal WARN (100+ employees, 60 days) is the verified floor, and the state agency publishes the current rule.	LA Mini-WARN
Maryland	A state advance-notice statute was not located in this build, so the page makes no claim: federal WARN (100+ employees, 60 days) is the verified floor, and the state agency publishes the current rule.	MD Mini-WARN
Mississippi	A state advance-notice statute was not located in this build, so the page makes no claim: federal WARN (100+ employees, 60 days) is the verified floor, and the state agency publishes the current rule.	MS Mini-WARN
Missouri	A state advance-notice statute was not located in this build, so the page makes no claim: federal WARN (100+ employees, 60 days) is the verified floor, and the state agency publishes the current rule.	MO Mini-WARN
Montana	A state advance-notice statute was not located in this build, so the page makes no claim: federal WARN (100+ employees, 60 days) is the verified floor, and the state agency publishes the current rule.	MT Mini-WARN
Nebraska	A state advance-notice statute was not located in this build, so the page makes no claim: federal WARN (100+ employees, 60 days) is the verified floor, and the state agency publishes the current rule.	NE Mini-WARN
New Hampshire	A state advance-notice statute was not located in this build, so the page makes no claim: federal WARN (100+ employees, 60 days) is the verified floor, and the state agency publishes the current rule.	NH Mini-WARN
New Mexico	A state advance-notice statute was not located in this build, so the page makes no claim: federal WARN (100+ employees, 60 days) is the verified floor, and the state agency publishes the current rule.	NM Mini-WARN
North Dakota	A state advance-notice statute was not located in this build, so the page makes no claim: federal WARN (100+ employees, 60 days) is the verified floor, and the state agency publishes the current rule.	ND Mini-WARN
Oklahoma	A state advance-notice statute was not located in this build, so the page makes no claim: federal WARN (100+ employees, 60 days) is the verified floor, and the state agency publishes the current rule.	OK Mini-WARN
South Carolina	A state advance-notice statute was not located in this build, so the page makes no claim: federal WARN (100+ employees, 60 days) is the verified floor, and the state agency publishes the current rule.	SC Mini-WARN
South Dakota	A state advance-notice statute was not located in this build, so the page makes no claim: federal WARN (100+ employees, 60 days) is the verified floor, and the state agency publishes the current rule.	SD Mini-WARN
Utah	A state advance-notice statute was not located in this build, so the page makes no claim: federal WARN (100+ employees, 60 days) is the verified floor, and the state agency publishes the current rule.	UT Mini-WARN
Vermont	A state advance-notice statute was not located in this build, so the page makes no claim: federal WARN (100+ employees, 60 days) is the verified floor, and the state agency publishes the current rule.	VT Mini-WARN
West Virginia	No state advance-notice statute. Federal WARN applies to covered employers only, so most small layoffs carry no notice duty.	WV Mini-WARN
Wyoming	A state advance-notice statute was not located in this build, so the page makes no claim: federal WARN (100+ employees, 60 days) is the verified floor, and the state agency publishes the current rule.	WY Mini-WARN
Alaska	A state advance-notice statute was not located in this build, so the page makes no claim: federal WARN (100+ employees, 60 days) is the verified floor, and the state agency publishes the current rule.	AK Mini-WARN
Alabama	No state advance-notice statute. Federal WARN applies to covered employers only, so most small layoffs carry no notice duty.	AL Mini-WARN
Arkansas	A state advance-notice statute was not located in this build, so the page makes no claim: federal WARN (100+ employees, 60 days) is the verified floor, and the state agency publishes the current rule.	AR Mini-WARN
Delaware	A state advance-notice statute requires notice of a mass layoff or plant closing: 60 days in most mini-WARN states, 90 days in New York, with per-day damages for a shortfall.	DE Mini-WARN
Hawaii	A state advance-notice statute requires notice of a mass layoff or plant closing: 60 days in most mini-WARN states, 90 days in New York, with per-day damages for a shortfall.	HI Mini-WARN
Idaho	No state advance-notice statute. Federal WARN applies to covered employers only, so most small layoffs carry no notice duty.	ID Mini-WARN

Put the rule into action

Frequently Asked Questions

Who is covered by federal WARN at a plant closure?: Federal notice duties run on employer size and event type: it applies to qualifying employers, and a mass layoff or closure is measured against the site rather than the company. Smaller sites are covered by state mini-WARN in many states.
When does the 60-day clock start?: From the written notice date. If the notice is late or missing, damages accrue for the shortfall, so the notice date and the closure date are the two facts worth keeping in writing.
Should I file unemployment the day notice arrives?: Yes, on the notice date rather than the lockout date. Delay is a common reason weeks of eligibility are lost, and the first certification week follows the filing date.
What should I ask for in writing?: The closure date, the last day worked, the benefits end date, the continuation start date, and the notice the employer sent the state and local officials. Those items support both the package conversation and any notice claim.

What counts as a covered event

Federal WARN covers a plant closing that shuts a permanent work site, and a mass layoff of 30+ employees at a single site inside 30 days, for employers with 100+ employees. Notice runs 60 days and goes to employees, the state dislocated-worker unit, and the local government, with enumerated content: the expected date, the site, and the names of responsible officials. If the notice is late, damages accrue per day. State laws push the thresholds down and the windows up: New York reaches 50+ per establishment with a reported 90-day window, California counts 75+ at an establishment with part-time included, Washington covers 50+ statewide, and Nevada's advance-notice rules reach certain public employers with no private-sector mini-WARN statute. Confirm the threshold in your state with the state agency before you quote a duty.

What to document before you act

The notice date and the closing date, in writing. Damages run from the notice date, not from the closure.
The site headcount, with the number of employees in the affected group and the part-time count.
The notice the employer sent to the state and the local official, with the filing date.
The benefits end date, the COBRA start date, and the severance formula tied to the notice date.
Your work location and hire date — the relocation trigger counts moves of 100+ miles in California, and LIFO order sets exposure in rounds without a skills map.

Numbers you should get in writing

Three numbers decide the claim: the notice date, the days of shortfall, and the daily rate of pay plus benefits. California and Washington add a $500 per-day civil penalty; Illinois pairs the notice duty with mandated severance near 4 weeks per year of service, capped near 26 weeks (reported in this build), and New Jersey near one month per year. Ask in writing for the closure date, the benefits end date, and the COBRA start, and put the severance ask through the severance calculator with the weeks per year of service. Use the notice and last-day calculator to count the days between the notice date and your last day.

Scripts and wording

Ask for the notice record, not for sympathy:

“I am asking for the notice date, the site headcount, and the notice sent to the state unit, in writing. If notice was shorter than the required window, I am asking for back pay and benefits for each day of the shortfall, plus the benefits end date and the COBRA start date so I can file on the notice date.”

File unemployment the day notice arrives, not the day you are locked out. The layoff notice letter generator writes the notice request with the dates, and the state pages carry the threshold and the window for your site. Confirm with the state agency named on the page.

Official sources to confirm with

Read the federal page first: the DOL WARN Act notices page lists the notices filed with the state units, which is the public record of the employer's duty. Then read the state statute: California's EDD WARN page, New York's Labor Law Article 25-A, Washington's RCW 49.45. See the WARN Act definition and the mini-WARN definition for the plain-language version, and confirm the threshold with the state agency.

State	Advance-notice rule in this build	Where to confirm
California	Cal. Labor Code 1400 et seq.: 75+ employees at an establishment (part-time counted), 60 days' notice for closure, layoff of 50+, or relocation 100+ miles; back pay + benefits per day, $500/day civil penalty, Labor Commissioner route.	California EDD WARN page
New York	Labor Law Article 25-A: 50+ employees per establishment, reported 90 days of notice for a mass layoff of 25+, a closure, or a relocation.	New York Labor Law Article 25-A
Washington	RCW 49.45: employers with 50+ staff (statewide, excluding part-time), 60 days' notice to ESD and to employees/union, with enumerated content; $500 per day civil penalty.	Washington RCW 49.45 (state WARN)
Nevada	Nevada's advance-notice rules reach certain public employers; no private-sector mini-WARN statute. Federal WARN applies to covered employers.	Nevada wage statutes
Colorado	Colorado runs an agency-notice regime: CDLE collects and publishes e-WARN notices on federal thresholds (60 days, 100+ employees). No state-specific employee-notice statute was verified in this build.	Colorado CDLE WARN listings

What events does WARN cover?: A plant closing that shuts a permanent site, and a mass layoff of 30+ employees at one site inside 30 days, for employers with 100+ employees. Confirm the state threshold with the state agency.
Who gets the notice?: Employees, the state dislocated-worker unit, and local government, with 60 days' notice and enumerated content. The notice date is the fact damages run from.
Do mini-WARN states cover smaller sites?: Yes. California counts 75+ at an establishment, New York 50+ with a reported 90-day window, Washington 50+ statewide. Confirm with the state agency.
When do I file unemployment?: The day notice arrives. Benefits start at filing, not at the closure date, and the weekly certification starts the same week.