If you employ people in Washington State, you have a new compliance obligation landing in 40 days and most business owners I talk to have not heard about it yet.
The Washington State Legislature passed HB 2105, the Immigrant Worker Protection Act, earlier this year. It takes effect June 11, 2026. Enforcement begins in October.
Here is what it actually requires - in plain terms.
What the Law Requires
1. A poster in your common area.
You must display official state-provided information in areas where employees typically gather or take breaks. The poster content will come from the Washington State Attorney General's office. As of today, the final poster template is not yet published, but it will be available at atg.wa.gov before June 11.
Bookmark that URL. Check it regularly between now and June 11.
2. A notification procedure for I-9 audit notices.
If you receive an I-9 audit or inspection notice from ICE, the U.S. Department of Labor, or the U.S. Department of Justice, the law requires you to follow specific notification steps. You must notify affected employees, and you must do it promptly.
The law specifies what the notice to employees must include - the fact that you received a government request, the nature of the request, and information about workers' rights. There are timing requirements. Violating the notification procedure, not just the underlying immigration rules, is the compliance risk here.
3. No voluntary consent to non-judicial searches.
The law restricts employers from voluntarily consenting to a warrantless workplace search related to employees' immigration status. This is not a free pass to obstruct law enforcement - it means you should not agree to allow a search without proper legal authorization, and you should not sign documents that could waive workers' rights without understanding what you are signing.
What You Should Do Before June 11
Talk to an employment attorney. This law has real penalty exposure if you get the notification timing or content wrong. A 30-minute consultation is worth it.
Watch the AG's website for the poster. You cannot post the required notice until the state publishes it. Set a reminder for mid-May to check, then again at the start of June.
Brief your manager or HR point of contact. The scenario most likely to trip up a small business is this: a federal agent shows up, talks to whoever is at the front desk, and that person says or signs something without understanding the new legal requirements. Train your people on what to do - which is: be polite, do not consent to anything, and immediately contact the owner or an attorney.
Know your I-9 status. Separately from this law, this is a good time to do an internal I-9 audit if you have not done one recently. Errors in I-9 documentation are common, fines are real, and an audit is far easier to survive if your paperwork is already in order.
Why This Matters Even If You Are Not in Washington
Washington is typically one of the first states to pass worker protection legislation that eventually spreads to other states with progressive legislatures. If you operate in California, Oregon, Illinois, New York, or Colorado - watch for similar laws in the next 12 to 24 months.
The compliance structure here - a mandatory employer poster, required employee notification on government contact, and restrictions on voluntary consent - is a template that other states may adopt.
For Washington employers specifically: the window before enforcement begins in October gives you real runway to get this right. Start now.
Sources: NFIB Washington State, May 1, 2026 | HB 2105 Bill Summary | NFIB compliance video via Vimeo