If you seek employment in the City of Buffalo, you are covered by the Fair Employment Screening Law, a “Ban the Box” law. This law applies to the public sector and any person, partnership, corporation, labor organization, not-for-profit organization, or association with 15 or more employees.
Under this law, an employer cannot ask or require you to reveal any criminal conviction history on a job application. It is also unlawful for an employer to ask about or require you to disclose your criminal conviction history before you have a first interview. If an employer does not conduct an interview, they must inform you if they intend to run a background check before the job begins.
There are exceptions to the above. If you apply for any of the following jobs, an employer can ask about your conviction history. These jobs include the Fire Department, the Police Department, private and public-school positions, and positions requiring you to care for vulnerable people, such as children and the elderly.