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grep -i "hires people with records" --state=WI

Jobs for Felons in Wisconsin

Wisconsin law is on your side more than most people know. Most employers here cannot turn you down just for having a record. With a few exceptions, your conviction has to be substantially related to the job. Here is the law, the employers we checked, and who can help near you.
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Jobs for people with a felony in Wisconsin

01 / THE LAW

The law in Wisconsin

What an employer can ask, what they can hold against you, and how to clear your record. Every line links to the law or the agency that says it.

Can they turn me down for my record?

Not just for having one. Wisconsin's Fair Employment Act treats conviction record like race or disability: turning someone down because of it is discrimination. The main exception is a conviction whose circumstances “substantially relate to the circumstances of the particular job.” So a blanket “no felons” rule does not fit Wisconsin law. The question is your conviction against that job.

There are a few flat exceptions written into the law. Schools, burglar alarm installers, and private security and detective businesses can turn down people with unpardoned felonies. An employer can also say no if the job requires a standard fidelity bond and you cannot get one. The free Federal Bonding Program exists for exactly that: Wisconsin bonding program.

Sources, as of September 2026: Wis. Stat. 111.335; DWD Federal Bonding Program

Arrests with no conviction

For most jobs a Wisconsin employer is not supposed to ask about arrests that never led to a conviction. Pending charges are different: they can ask about those. If you think you were turned down unlawfully, you can file with the DWD Equal Rights Division. You have 300 days from the decision, so do not sit on it.

Sources, as of September 2026: Wis. Stat. 111.335(2); DWD Equal Rights Division: arrest and conviction record

Ban the box

State civil service jobs cannot ask about your conviction record until you are certified for the position, unless a specific conviction would legally rule you out. There is no Wisconsin ban-the-box law for private employers.

Madison bans the box in its own hiring, and companies with certain city contracts (service or financial-assistance contracts over $25,000, and public works contractors) must wait until after a conditional job offer to ask about a record.

Sources, as of September 2026: Wis. Stat. 230.16; City of Madison contractor fact sheet (MGO 39.08)

How far back can a background check go?

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 Wisconsin law that shortens that for convictions. In Wisconsin, though, an old conviction still has to be substantially related to the job before it can cost you the job.

Source, as of September 2026: 15 U.S.C. 1681c (Fair Credit Reporting Act)

Expungement

Wisconsin expungement is narrow. You had to be under 25 when you committed the offense, the offense had to carry a maximum of six years or less, and the judge had to order it at sentencing. It happens once you complete the sentence. Many violent felonies are excluded. Bills to widen it, including one in the 2025 budget proposal, have not passed. A pardon is the other path; it does not seal the record.

Sources, as of September 2026: Wis. Stat. 973.015; Office of the Governor: pardon information

This is what the law said when we checked it, September 2026. Laws change and every case is different. Confirm for your situation with a legal aid office or a lawyer. Coaching, not legal advice.

02 / EMPLOYERS

Employers verified in Wisconsin

“Hires people with records” means we found dated evidence that this employer hires people with records at this place. Every mark shows its source and expires unless someone re-checks it. In Wisconsin, "a record does not automatically disqualify you" is the law for almost every employer, so we do not mark anyone for saying it. A Wisconsin mark needs real hiring evidence: the employer hires people with records, and says so.

Just Bakery (JustDane)

Hires people with records

Madison, WI -- Nonprofit bakery and training program

Its own page says the program serves people who are justice involved and hires its graduates into paid instruction and production jobs at the bakery.

“have allowed us to hire our graduates to work in the program both on the instructional and production side of the program.”

Know this: The jobs are inside the program and go to its graduates. The program also serves people with other barriers, not only records.

Evidence:
The employer's own published program page
Checked:
September 25, 2026
Mark expires:
December 24, 2026
read the source

The Community Warehouse (Partners In Hope)

Hires people with records

Milwaukee, WI -- Nonprofit resale store with reentry job training

Its Partners In Hope program puts people coming home from incarceration to work in transitional jobs at its own stores.

“are given the opportunity to receive job training by working in transitional jobs at our stores.”

Know this: These are transitional training jobs, which may be time-limited, not permanent positions.

Evidence:
The employer's own published program page
Checked:
September 24, 2026
Mark expires:
December 23, 2026
read the source

A mark is evidence, not a promise of a job. Apply the way the employer asks, and read the caveat. Know an employer in Wisconsin that hires people with records? Send them to get listed.

03 / LOCAL HELP

Local help in Wisconsin

Free help near you: job centers, reentry programs, legal aid for clearing your record, and 211. Links checked 2026-09-26.
  • Job Center of Wisconsin: Reentry Toolkit

    Statewide

    The state's job site and its reentry toolkit. Find your local Job Center there for free job search help in person.

  • 211 Wisconsin

    Statewide, call or text 211

    Free referrals for housing, food, treatment, clothing for interviews, and local reentry programs.

  • Wisconsin DOC Reentry Unit programs

    Statewide

    The Department of Corrections list of reentry programs, including employment programs for people on supervision.

  • Windows to Work

    South Central Wisconsin

    Pre- and post-release case management and job readiness through the regional workforce board.

  • Employ Milwaukee: Reentry

    Milwaukee

    Milwaukee's workforce board. Reentry job services for job seekers.

  • Project RETURN

    Milwaukee

    Helps people who have been incarcerated make a lasting return home, with programs aimed at the barriers a record creates.

  • EXPO of Wisconsin

    Milwaukee, Madison and statewide

    Led by formerly incarcerated people. Reentry support, including career and workforce development.

  • JustDane

    Madison and Dane County

    Reentry services and Just Bakery, its paid training program.

  • LIFT Wisconsin Legal Tune Up

    Statewide, online

    Free online tool that checks your court records for things you can fix: criminal records, driver's licenses, and more.

  • Legal Action of Wisconsin

    Statewide

    Free civil legal help for people with low incomes, including help for people in reentry.

04 / GUIDES

Guides that fit

05 / QUESTIONS

Jobs for felons in Wisconsin: common questions

01

Can an employer in Wisconsin refuse to hire me because of a felony?

Not just because you have one. Under Wisconsin's Fair Employment Act (Wis. Stat. 111.335), an employer can turn you down for a conviction only if its circumstances substantially relate to the job, or if a flat exception applies (for example schools, private security, or a job that requires a fidelity bond you cannot get). As of September 2026. Confirm your situation with the DWD Equal Rights Division or legal aid.

02

Does Wisconsin have a ban the box law?

For state civil service jobs, yes: the state cannot ask about your conviction record until you are certified for the position (Wis. Stat. 230.16). There is no statewide ban-the-box law for private employers. Madison bans the box in its own hiring and for companies with certain city contracts. As of September 2026.

03

How far back do background checks go in Wisconsin?

Federal law lets a background check company report convictions with no time limit; arrests without a conviction generally drop off after seven years. We found no Wisconsin law that shortens that for convictions. What Wisconsin adds is the rule that even an old conviction must be substantially related to the job before an employer can use it against you.

04

Can I get my record expunged in Wisconsin?

Only in narrow cases. Under Wis. Stat. 973.015 you had to be under 25 at the time of the offense, the offense had to carry a maximum of six years or less, and the judge had to order expungement at sentencing. As of September 2026 no wider law has passed. A pardon is another path, but it does not seal the record.

05

Which employers in Wisconsin hire felons?

Legally, most Wisconsin employers must consider you, because the Fair Employment Act makes a record alone an unlawful reason to say no. Steel Man Resumes marks employers "Hires people with records" only when there is dated evidence that they actually hire people with records, such as Just Bakery in Madison and The Community Warehouse in Milwaukee. Each mark shows its source and expires unless re-checked.

06

Where can I get free help finding a job with a record in Wisconsin?

Start with your local Job Center (Job Center of Wisconsin), 211 Wisconsin for everything around the job, and a reentry program near you such as Project RETURN or Employ Milwaukee in Milwaukee, JustDane in Madison, or Windows to Work in South Central Wisconsin.

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