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Washington’s new Immigrant Worker Protection Act (IWPA) is now in effect, and it applies to pretty much everyone. It covers every private or public employer with one or more workers in Washington, and the notice, posting, anti-retaliation, and enforcement provisions began October 1, 2026. Here’s the short version.

What you need to do now

  • Hang the AG’s IWPA poster where all workers can see it. Think about where your crews actually report — if they go to a central office, post it there; if they report to jobsites, post it at the jobsite. The posters are free, so doing both is easy.

If you get an I-9 Notice of Inspection from a federal agency

  • You have 5 business days to notify workers (federal law still gives you just 3 business days to hand over the I-9s, so this runs alongside that).
  • You must do both: give each worker individual notice (hand delivery, mail, email, or text — keep proof it was sent) and post a notice where all workers can see it.
  • If any of your workers are union-represented, send the notices to their union rep too.
  • The notice has to include the name of the federal agency, the date you got the notice, and the types of records they’re asking for. It also needs a copy of the federal inspection notice itself and contact info for a statewide immigrant and refugee rights organization approved by the AG. The AG’s model notice covers all of this.

After the inspection results come back

  • If any worker is flagged as lacking work authorization or having I-9 problems, you have 5 business days to notify that worker individually (and their union rep, if any).
  • If the results allow time to fix deficiencies, you need to offer that worker some meeting dates/times to talk it through before the federal deadline.
  • The notice has to be in the language you normally use to communicate with that worker. The AG’s “Notice to Affected Employees” template works for this.

A few other things to know

  • If agents show up at your site: they can go into public areas, but generally need a judicial warrant signed by a judge (not an administrative warrant from DHS) to enter non-public areas or access employee records without your consent. You can ask to see the warrant and call your attorney. Don’t lie or physically obstruct agents.
  • Penalties: $500 per worker, per violation, rising to $1,000 per worker for willful violations. Workers and organizations can also sue.

Resources

  • Attorney General’s Office Resources: IWPA Employer Resources
    • (poster, model notices, employer guidance — all in English, Spanish, Russian, Vietnamese, Ukrainian, and Chinese-Mandarin)
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