Does Home Depot Hire Felons?

Having a felony on your record can make finding a new job hard. But thankfully some companies have more felon-friendly hiring policies than others. What about Home Depot? Does Home Depot hire felons in their stores or distribution centers?

The DIY and home improvement favorite have more than 2000 stores and 90 distribution centers around the country, employing almost half a million workers. Could you join their ranks? Let’s find out.

In this article, we’ll go over Home Depot’s policy on hiring felons and give you some important information about the application process.

Does Home Depot Hire Felons in 2025?

Home Depot has a long track record of hiring felons, and many hiring managers report that ex-offenders can often turn out to be valuable and loyal employees.

When a felon is given a chance by an employer, they are very likely to work hard and be diligent employees as they show appreciation for being given an opportunity to prove their worth.

This fact is amply demonstrated by the results of a survey commissioned by the Society for Human Resource Management which found that over 80% of managers said that staff members with a criminal record brought as much value or more value to their company than employees without a criminal background.

So that’s the good news. Having a felony won’t automatically disqualify you when you apply for a job at a Home Depot store or a Home Depot warehouse.

However, Home Depot won’t hire every felon that puts in an application. In some cases, the offense won’t be compatible with the type of job you’re hoping to do.

Usually, offences like theft, sexual assault, and violent crimes will be a problem, but if they happened some time ago and you’ve had a clean record since your felony conviction, you should still apply.

There’s little point in second-guessing your chances and deciding not to apply because you think they will turn you down. Home Depot has plenty of employees with a colorful past behind them. The retailer has plenty of experience with ex-offenders to draw from, so you stand a good chance of getting hired.

The Home Depot application is quick and easy, so you’ve really got nothing to lose by putting in an application.

Is Home Depot On The Ban The Box List?

Home Depot has signed up to the Fair Chance Business Pledge and Ban the Box.

As a Ban the Box employer, Home Depot does not ask about your criminal background on the initial application. This means that you’ll be evaluated in exactly the same way as every other applicant at that stage of the hiring process.

Home Depot will assess what skills and experience you can bring to the job before they delve into your criminal record.

The Fair Chance Business Pledge is an initiative launched by the Obama Whitehouse to make jobs more accessible for individuals with a criminal record. Employers taking part in the initiative make the following pledge –

“We are committed to providing individuals with criminal records, including individuals who have experienced incarceration, a fair chance to participate in the United States economy.”

By taking part in both of these initiatives, Home Depot is clearly willing to give individuals with felonies a second chance.

Does Home Depot Run A Background Check?

Everyone applying for a job at Home Depot will have to pass a background check. While Home Depot is more likely to hire felons than many other retailers, there are still some levels of offense that they simply can’t overlook.

When Home Depot assesses your background, they have one priority, and that is to protect their business interests. That means that they are unwilling to risk hiring staff that could cause them trouble.

For example, there is a huge difference between a Class A sexual offense felony for rape and a Class D sexual offense felony for public urination or soliciting.

The class A felony would most likely disqualify an applicant because they could be a danger to staff or customers. But the Class D felony doesn’t present a safety risk, so would be looked at more favorably.

How far Back Does Home Depot’s Background Check Go?

As you may know, while there is a federally imposed 7-year time limit on reporting misdemeanor convictions on a background report, no federal time limit applies for felonies. This means that your felony can be discovered no matter how long ago it took place.

We’ve heard various reports from Home Depot employees stating that their background check went back 7 years, while others claim the background check found offenses from 10 years earlier. So it’s impossible to say with any certainty how far back the Home Depot background check will go.

However, some states place their own limit on background check reporting and don’t allow a background check companies to report on felonies more than 7 years old.

Even so, some of these states don’t provide full protection. In those cases, they allow convictions to be reported from the date of disposition (the date you were found guilty), the date you were released from prison, or the date you began parole. In this way, employers can discover felonies that took place many years ago if they decide to instruct the background check company to do a thorough search.

The states with a 7-year background check rule in place are:

• California
• Colorado
• Kansas
• Kentucky
• Maryland
• Massachusetts
• Montana
• Nevado
• New Hampshire
• New Mexico
• New York
• Texas
• Washington

It’s a good idea to know which dates apply in your state, so you’ll know what your background report will bring up. You can search online to find out, or contact a lawyer for advice.

Another way you can find out what offense still shows on your background report is to order a report yourself.

By knowing what is likely to show up on your report, you can take the time to prepare a brief statement about your offense, which you can use when you’re asked about it.

If you’ve got a serious offense that still shows on your background report, you’ll need to work hard to present yourself in the best light possible and bring up as much relevant information as you can muster to show that you are a reformed character.

Should You Mention Your Felony At The Interview?

Home Depot will give you 2 interviews. The first interview will be a phone interview with the HR department and they’ll ask you various questions about the information you provided on your application. They should ask about criminal convictions in this interview. You need to answer honestly.

Remember, having a felony on your record won’t automatically disqualify you, but lying about your record will.

If your interviewer doesn’t ask, it’s still a good idea to mention your felony if you know it will show up on your background report.

Your second interview will take place at the store or warehouse, and they may or may not ask about criminal convictions during this interview. If you’re asked, be honest. If you aren’t asked, and you’ve already covered the information on your 1st interview, there’s not really any point in bringing it up again.

The decision on your felony will be made by HR, not the store manager.

After your second interview, if the manager thinks you’re a good fit, they will ask you to provide the necessary information for your background check. You’ll need to enter your information using a computer in their office.

Does Home Depot Do A Drug Test?

After you’ve filled out the information for your background check, you’ll be asked to take a drug test, although sometimes the drug test takes place at orientation.

The Home Depot drug test for job applicants is a mouth swab drug test.

You’ll be asked to avoid food and drink for 10 minutes before your test. This is so you won’t have the opportunity to try to cheat with a mouth rinse or chewing gum.

Then you’ll be given a sponge swab to hold against your inner cheek. The swab absorbs the saliva in your mouth and when it has collected enough to test, the indicator on the swab stick will turn blue and you can remove the swab.

Your saliva sample is sent away for processing and if it comes back clean and you pass the background check, you’ll be contacted about your orientation date.

Home Depot tests for the following substances:

• Opiates
• Cocaine
• Marijuana
• Amphetamines and methamphetamine
• Phencyclidine (PCP)
• Methadone
• Benzodiazepines
• Barbiturates
• Propoxyphene
• Methaqualone

Keep in mind that your sample will be tested for marijuana even if you’re in a state where recreational or medical marijuana is legal.

Marijuana remains illegal at the federal level, and Home Depot follows federal rules for its drug policy.

If you use drugs, it’s a good idea to take a DIY drug test at home, so you know that whatever substance you use has cleared your system before you begin the application process.

You can pick up a DIY drug test at most pharmacies, at Walmart and Target, and you can also order online from Amazon and other retailers.

How Long Does The Background Check Take?

Your background check should be completed fairly quickly unless you’ve applied at a busy time of the year when they have thousands of checks to run.

The busiest time of year for hiring is in the spring, and your background check could take around 2 weeks if you apply during that time.

Usually, background checks only take a few days, and you’ll hear back quickly about your start date.

If you haven’t heard anything after 10 days during nonbusy hiring periods, you should call to follow up.

If you fail the background check, you’ll receive a Pre Adverse Action notice. This is a letter that informs you that the information found during your background check means that you won’t be hired.

The notice will set out how you can obtain a free copy of your background report and how you can appeal the decision if there are errors in your report.

You should take the opportunity to get a copy of your report. This will show you exactly what was found so you’ll know where you stand for future job applications.

And, the report might contain errors. Sometimes offenses are listed which don’t belong to you. And sometimes they’ve included an offense that is time-barred.

If you find errors, they have to correct the report.

Let’s Recap

Home Depot has signed up to the Fair Chance Business Pledge, which demonstrates its willingness to give ex-offenders a second chance as long as the offense doesn’t pose a risk to their business.

They also participate in Ban the Box, so you don’t need to disclose any information about your offense until you get to the interview stage and have a chance to impress with your skills, experience, and attitude.

Home Depot has hired many felons in the past and you stand a good chance of getting hired unless your felony is one that is incompatible with the safety of staff, customers, or company property.

Home Depot will carry out a background check, so you’ll need to be honest when they ask you about any criminal offenses on your record.