Jobs for Felons in North Carolina

A 2020 executive order, EO 158, told North Carolina state agencies to take the criminal history question off the state job application. Under it, background checks and questions about your record wait until after a first interview. The order says state hiring decisions cannot be based on a record unless it is “demonstrably job-related,” and that agencies will give you a reasonable chance to explain.

The state HR office still posts its FAQ on the order. We could not confirm whether a later order changed it, so ask the agency how it handles records when you apply. We found no statewide ban-the-box law for private employers. If you are applying to a city or county, ask about its own policy.

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 generally drop off after seven years (the limit does not apply to jobs paying $75,000 a year or more). We found no North Carolina law that shortens that for convictions. Expunction is what takes a record out of the picture.

Once a record is expunged, an employer cannot make you disclose it, “in any application, interview, or otherwise,” and leaving it out is not a false statement. Employers can still ask about convictions that are not expunged. An employer who breaks the rule gets a written warning from the Labor Commissioner the first time, then a civil penalty of up to $500 for each violation after that. Law enforcement certification is an exception, so this covers most jobs, not every one.

Under North Carolina's main expunction law for older nonviolent convictions, the wait is: one nonviolent misdemeanor, 3 years; more than one nonviolent misdemeanor, 7 years; one nonviolent felony, 10 years (15 years for felony breaking or entering); two or three nonviolent felonies, 20 years. Each clock runs from the conviction or the end of any active sentence, probation or post-release supervision, whichever is later. The filing fee is $175 unless you are indigent.

Some records cannot be expunged this way, including Class A through G felonies, Class A1 misdemeanors, offenses with assault as an element, offenses that require sex offender registration, some drug felonies (methamphetamine, heroin, or possession with intent to sell cocaine), and impaired driving. Dismissed charges and other situations have their own rules; the court system's expunctions page has the forms for each.

If you have no more than three Class H or I felonies (plus any misdemeanors), you can ask the court that convicted you for a Certificate of Relief once 12 months have passed since you completed your sentence. It lifts many legal job barriers, and government agencies must consider it favorably. It does not erase the record and it is not a pardon. The fee is $50, waived if you are indigent.

Here is the part to say out loud to an employer: a Certificate of Relief bars a negligent-hiring lawsuit against an employer who relied on it when it hired you.

A North Carolina licensing board can deny you over a conviction only if it is directly related to the licensed work or is violent or sexual. It cannot deny you automatically, and it cannot deny you for “moral turpitude.” Before it denies you over your record, it must tell you in writing, and you get 30 days to answer. This rule does not cover the law enforcement, private protective services, or security systems boards.

You can also ask a board for a predetermination at any time, even before you start training. It must answer within 45 days and can charge up to $45. A “yes, eligible” answer is binding as long as your record has not changed.

Federal EEOC guidance from 2012 warns employers that blanket “no felons” policies can violate Title VII, but since April 2025 a federal executive order has told agencies to deprioritize this kind of case. We found no North Carolina law that stops a private employer from using a record, so your real tools here are expunction, the Certificate of Relief, and picking the right employer.