New York City · statute
NYC Local Law 144: what it requires, and the records to keep
Local Law 144 bars using an automated employment decision tool (AEDT) unless it had an independent bias audit within the past year, the results summary is public, and candidates get advance notice. It is one of the few laws that mandates a third-party bias audit of AI hiring tools.
01 / What it requires
What NYC Local Law 144 requires
Employers and employment agencies that use an automated employment decision tool to substantially assist hiring or promotion decisions about candidates or employees in New York City.
- 01Obtain an independent bias audit of the AEDT no more than one year before use.
- 02Audit must report selection or scoring rates and impact ratios by sex, race/ethnicity and intersectional categories.
- 03Publish a summary of the most recent bias audit results and the tool's distribution date on the employment section of the website.
- 04Notify candidates and employees at least 10 business days before use, including the qualifications assessed and how to request an alternative process or accommodation.
- 05Disclose the type and source of data collected and the data retention policy, on the website or on written request.
02 / AI work
Where it touches AI work
Covers machine learning, statistical modelling, data analytics or AI tools that issue a score, classification or recommendation used to substantially assist employment decisions. Vendors are not directly bound, but employers usually rely on vendor-commissioned audits.
03 / Dates
The dates that matter
City Council passes Local Law 144 of 2021
Original effective date; enforcement deferred pending rules
DCWP final rules effective and enforcement begins
State Comptroller audit finds DCWP enforcement ineffective
04 / Enforcement
Who enforces it
Up to $500 for a first violation and each additional violation on the same day; $500-$1,500 for each subsequent violation; each day of non-compliant use and each failure to give notice is a separate violation (Admin. Code 20-872)
05 / Records
Records an organisation keeps
What an auditor or an inquiry usually asks to see. Your obligations depend on your role and your facts.
- 01Independent auditor's bias audit report dated within the past year
- 02Archived public audit summary with distribution date
- 03Candidate notices with send dates at least 10 business days before use
- 04Data-type and retention-policy disclosures and request responses
Optional evidence · where Planisphere fits
Keep a record anyone can check
When your team meets a duty, Planisphere can seal the event it reports as a receipt.
A disclosure shown, a review signed, a model change approved: the event your system reports.
The event becomes a sealed receipt, dated and attributed to whoever is signed in.
Paste the receipt into Verify. No account or key.
A record supports your compliance evidence process. It is not a legal finding or a certification. Systems that call Planisphere's gate API can also hold or refuse an action before it runs.
QUESTIONS
The questions that come next
What is NYC Local Law 144 bias audit?+
A Local Law 144 bias audit is an impartial evaluation, by an independent auditor, of an automated employment decision tool used to substantially assist hiring or promotion decisions about candidates or employees in New York City. It must be completed no more than one year before the tool is used and must report selection or scoring rates and impact ratios by sex, race/ethnicity and intersectional categories. Employers must post a summary of the latest results and the tool's distribution date, and give candidates and employees at least 10 business days' notice before use. Read the full answer
Who can perform a Local Law 144 bias audit?+
Only an independent auditor: a person or group able to exercise objective and impartial judgment on everything within the audit's scope. Under DCWP's rules, an auditor is not independent if it is or was involved in using, developing or distributing the tool; if, during the audit, it has an employment relationship with the employer, employment agency or tool vendor; or if it has a direct or material indirect financial interest in any of them. The audit must calculate selection or scoring rates and impact ratios across sex and race/ethnicity categories. Read the full answer
How much is the NYC AEDT audit penalty?+
Civil penalties are up to $500 for a first violation and for each additional violation on the same day, and $500 to $1,500 for each later violation. Each day a tool is used in violation of the law is a separate violation, and each failure to give a required notice is also a separate violation. The Department of Consumer and Worker Protection has enforced the law since 5 July 2023. A December 2025 State Comptroller audit found that its enforcement missed many potential violations. Read the full answer
SOURCES
Go back to the source
NYC Department of Consumer and Worker Protection, NYC Rules
NYC Department of Consumer and Worker Protection
Office of the New York State Comptroller
CHANGE LOG
What changed, and when
Rebuilt from primary sources; facts checked on this date.
Related: FSMB AI / state boards · State Bar AI Opinions · SOPIPA · Colorado AI Act · Texas TRAIGA · Utah AI Policy Act