Jobs for Felons in Georgia

Since a 2015 executive order, now in State Personnel Board Rule 6, Georgia state agencies do not ask about criminal history before the interview. The exception is “sensitive government positions”: jobs where the law bars people with certain convictions, or where the agency head has decided certain history rules you out right away.

We found no statewide ban-the-box law for private employers. Most can ask on the application.

A 2022 Atlanta ordinance added criminal history status to the city's Human Relations Code, making it unlawful for an employer to refuse to hire or to fire someone because of it. An employer can still decide based on how the record relates to the job: whether you committed the offense, how serious it was, how long ago it happened, and what the job involves. It can also follow state or federal laws that bar a conviction for that job. Complaints go to the Atlanta Human Relations Commission. Ask the city which employers the ordinance covers.

Under federal law, a background check company can report a conviction no matter how old it is. Arrests that did not lead to a conviction drop off after seven years (the limits do not apply to jobs paying $75,000 a year or more). We found no Georgia law that shortens that for convictions.

Federal EEOC guidance from 2012 warns employers that blanket “no felons” policies can violate civil rights law (Title VII). Since April 2025 a federal executive order has told agencies to deprioritize this kind of case, so do not count on the EEOC to investigate. The guidance is still a useful script when you talk to an employer.

Georgia calls its version of expungement “record restriction.” The GBI says a restricted record is available only to judges and criminal justice agencies, and is not given to private persons or businesses. That includes most employers running a check.

Which records qualify, and how First Offender records are handled, changed in 2026. We are not listing the eligibility rules here until we have checked the current text. Use the Georgia Courts self-help page, the Georgia Justice Project or legal aid to check your own case, and see the State Board of Pardons and Paroles if you are thinking about a pardon.

A 2026 law (SB 207) lets a person with a criminal record ask covered licensing boards, at any time, including while incarcerated and before starting any required training, for a predetermination on whether the record will disqualify them. That part of the law takes effect July 1, 2027, for applications made on or after that date. Until then, ask the board directly before you pay for training.