New Protected Classes in Minneapolis: Employers Must Prepare for August 1 Ordinance Change
On May 1, 2025, the Minneapolis City Council voted to amend anti-discrimination protections within the city’s ordinance by adding three protected classes: (1) height and weight; (2) housing status; and (3) justice-impacted status.
The ordinance applies to any person or business within the City of Minneapolis who hires or employs any employee, and any person or business, wherever located, who hires or employs any employee whose services are to be partially or wholly performed in the City of Minneapolis.
The new protected classes will prevent employers from using height and weight, housing status, or justice-impacted status as motivating factors for any adverse employment decisions, including decisions covering hiring and firing.
Under the amended ordinance, employees are still allowed to make decisions based upon height and weight if an individual’s height or weight prevents them from performing a job’s essential functions without a reasonable accommodation, treating height and weight in a similar manner to an employee’s physical disability.
Importantly, “justice-impacted status” encompasses an employee or applicant’s criminal record or history, including any arrest, charge, conviction, period of incarceration, or past or current probationary status.
Employers may still make adverse decisions reasonably based on the relationship between the underlying conduct of the criminal history or record and the ability, capacity, and fitness required to perform the duties and discharge the responsibilities of the position of employment or occupation, as long as the following factors are considered:
- Whether the individual was convicted of the offense;
- The length of time since the alleged offense or conviction;
- The nature and gravity of the crime(s);
- The age of the employee at the time the crime(s) was committed;
- Any evidence of rehabilitation efforts offered in support of the employee; and
- Any unreasonable risk to property or to the safety or welfare of specific individuals or the general public.
Although the exception does not encompass decisions based on arrests that did not result in a conviction, for pending criminal matters an employer is not prohibited from making an adverse employment decision based on a reasonable consideration of the factors outlined above.
The justice-impacted protections also broadly still allows employers to make decisions based on justice-impacted status “when permitted by, and made in accordance with state or federal law, regulation, rule, or government contract,” including, but not limited to, for positions that involve work with children and positions in law enforcement.
The ordinance amendment goes into effect on Aug. 1, 2025.
With these significant changes on the horizon, it’s critical for businesses operating in Minneapolis to review their current hiring practices, job descriptions, and policies. Don’t wait — contact us today to ensure your policies are aligned with the new requirements before the effective date.
Is your Employee Handbook
2025 Compliant?
Like it or not, recent federal and state law changes, regulatory changes and precedent-setting federal case law have necessitated the updating of your policies, procedures and forms.
And these required updates apply to employers of all sizes.
These revisions should have been in place by January 1, 2025.
Synergy Human Resources is available to help ensure that your policies, procedures and forms are updated and compliant for the new year.
