The Ohio Worker Adjustment and Restraining Notification Act (“Ohio WARN Act”), codified under Ohio Revised Code §4113.31[1], went into effect September 29, 2025. The Ohio WARN Act is modeled after the federal WARN Act[2], and places regulations on employers planning mass layoffs or office/plant closure. Like its Federal counterpart, Ohio’s WARN Act requires employers with at least one hundred full-time employees to provide sixty days’ advanced written notice before certain layoffs or closures.
There are several distinctions between the Federal WARN Act and the more tailored Ohio WARN Act. First, the Ohio WARN Act broadens the requirements for an employer in the event of a layoff or closure. Under the federal law, employers must notify union representatives or individual employees not represented by a union. The Ohio WARN Act, on top of these specifications, requires employers to provide a “detailed statement” explaining the reason for the mass layoff or closure, along with information for unemployment resources and benefits.
Additionally, the Ohio WARN Act has a broader definition of a “mass layoff” from the federal standard. Under the federal WARN Act, a “mass layoff” is defined as a layoff of at least 33% of the total workforce at a site. However, the Ohio counterpart defines a “mass layoff” as any layoff of fifty or more employees—a significant distinction that would place many Ohio businesses under the requirements of the Ohio, but not the federal, WARN Act.
There are many more obligations on employers under Ohio’s WARN Act that are outside of the scope of this blog post. Failure to comply with Ohio’s WARN Act can result in numerous penalties and damages awarded to the affected employees.
If your company is considering a reduction in force, please contact one of the employment lawyers at RKPT to review your compliance obligations under the Federal WARN Act and the new Ohio WARN Act.
[1] Ohio Revised Code, §4113.31
[2] 29 U.S. Code Chapter 23
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