New Jersey

Key facts

EEOC filing deadline

300 days (FEPA work-sharing state)

State agency deadline

2 years to NJDCR or to file directly in court

Employer coverage

1 or more employees

State law

New Jersey Law Against Discrimination (NJLAD)

State court statute of limitations

2 years

Additional protections beyond federal law

• •Sexual orientation
• •Gender identity and expression
• •Marital status
• •Domestic partnership status
• •Civil union status
• •Atypical hereditary cellular or blood trait
• •Liability for military service
• •Nationality (distinct from national origin)
• •Ancestry

How it works

New Jersey has a work-sharing agreement with the EEOC. A charge filed with NJ Division on Civil Rights is generally also considered filed with the EEOC ("dual-filed"), and vice versa. You usually only need to file once.

Key notes

New Jersey's Law Against Discrimination is one of the strongest employment discrimination statutes in the country. Workers can file directly in state court without first going through the NJDCR — a major procedural advantage. The 2-year SOL is generous. The one-employee threshold means virtually all NJ workers are covered. NJ also has strong protections for pregnant workers and new parents under the NJ SAFE Act and NJ Family Leave Act.