The California CROWN Act makes it illegal for employers and schools in the state to discriminate against you because of your natural hair texture or a protective hairstyle such as braids, locs, or twists. Signed in 2019, the law amended both the Fair Employment and Housing Act and the Education Code so that hair-based discrimination is treated as racial discrimination. If it happens to you, your enforcement path runs through the California Civil Rights Department (CRD) and, if you choose, the Superior Court.
What the Law Protects
The CROWN Act (Creating a Respectful and Open Workplace for Natural Hair) changed the legal definition of “race” in California to include traits historically associated with race, specifically hair texture and protective hairstyles.1California Legislative Information. California Government Code 12926 Protective hairstyles include braids, locs, and twists, and the list is not exhaustive.2California Legislative Information. SB-188 Discrimination: Hairstyles
The change matters because it closed a gap. Before 2019, an employer could argue that banning locs or braids was a neutral grooming rule rather than race discrimination. By writing hair texture and protective styles into the definition of race itself, the legislature made penalizing someone for those styles legally equivalent to penalizing them for their race.
What a Violation Looks Like at Work
Under FEHA, employers cannot enforce dress codes or grooming policies that ban natural hair or protective hairstyles, and the legislature specifically found that policies prohibiting afros, braids, twists, and locs have a disparate impact on Black employees and applicants.3California Legislative Information. California Senate Bill 188 – Discrimination: Hairstyles The protection reaches hiring, promotions, terminations, and daily treatment on the job. A manager who calls your natural hair “unprofessional” or pressures you to straighten it is engaging in race-based harassment under California law.
What a Violation Looks Like at School
The same standard applies to K–12 and public schools through Education Code Section 212.1. Schools cannot discipline, penalize, or exclude a student for wearing a natural or protective hairstyle. The definition of race in the Education Code mirrors the employment definition.3California Legislative Information. California Senate Bill 188 – Discrimination: Hairstyles
Filing a Complaint With CRD
Hairstyle discrimination complaints go to the California Civil Rights Department. To open a case, you submit an intake form. For employment claims, you have three years from the date of the last discriminatory act to file, and that window can be extended by up to 90 days if you only discovered the discrimination near the end of the period.4California Legislative Information. California Government Code 12960
Once CRD has your complaint, it investigates and decides whether there is reasonable cause to believe the law was violated. If it finds cause, CRD may pursue mediation or file a lawsuit on your behalf. If it does not, the case closes.5California Civil Rights Department. Complaint Process
Getting a Right-to-Sue Letter and Filing Your Own Lawsuit
You are not required to wait for CRD to finish. If CRD has not filed a lawsuit within 150 days of your complaint, it will let you know you can request a right-to-sue letter. Once you receive it, you have one year to file in California Superior Court.6California Legislative Information. California Government Code 12965 Many people with strong claims go this route because it gives them more control over timing and strategy.
You can file in the county where the discrimination happened, where the employer’s relevant records are kept, or where you would have worked if not for the discriminatory conduct. Many employment discrimination attorneys work on contingency, taking a percentage of any recovery rather than charging upfront, and the statute allows the court to award reasonable attorney’s fees and costs to the prevailing party.6California Legislative Information. California Government Code 12965
What You Can Recover
If you win a FEHA hairstyle discrimination claim, whether through CRD or a private lawsuit, several types of relief are available:
- Back pay for wages lost because of the discrimination, plus interest.
- Compensatory damages for emotional distress, mental anguish, and out-of-pocket costs.
- Punitive damages for particularly egregious or willful conduct. FEHA sets no statutory cap, though courts apply constitutional limits.
- Injunctive relief, such as a court order requiring the employer to change its grooming policies, conduct training, or stop specific practices.
- Attorney’s fees and costs if you prevail.
One point of confusion is worth clearing up. The $25,000-per-violation civil penalty referenced in some online summaries comes from Government Code Section 12965(d), which applies specifically to violations of Civil Code Section 51.7 involving hate violence, not to standard employment grooming policies.6California Legislative Information. California Government Code 12965 In a typical hairstyle case, your recovery comes from compensatory and punitive damages rather than a fixed statutory penalty.
When an Employer Can Still Restrict Hair
The CROWN Act does not wipe out every grooming rule. Employers keep narrow room to regulate hair, but the bar is high.
The most common defense is genuine health and safety. If a hairstyle poses a real hazard, such as long unrestrained hair around industrial machinery, an employer can require workers to secure their hair. The requirement has to be securing it, not cutting or changing it. A rule that hair be tied back or covered serves the safety purpose without banning the style.
Employers can also assert business necessity, but California defines it strictly. The policy must be necessary to safe and efficient operation, it must actually accomplish that purpose, and there must be no less discriminatory alternative that would work equally well. The employer carries the full burden on all three elements, and courts scrutinize whether “business necessity” is being used to justify the same appearance policing the law was written to end.
Religious Hairstyles Are a Separate Track
If you wear your hair a certain way for religious reasons, such as a turban, uncut hair, or a specific covering, that is protected under a different framework: religious accommodation law. Your employer must provide a reasonable accommodation under both federal and state law unless doing so creates a substantial burden on the business.7U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Fact Sheet: Religious Accommodations in the Workplace
You don’t have to use magic words to request one. As long as the employer knows you need a grooming exception for religious reasons, the duty kicks in. Coworker complaints or customer discomfort do not count as undue hardship; the employer needs to show an actual operational burden, such as a genuine safety risk.7U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Fact Sheet: Religious Accommodations in the Workplace The two protections can overlap when a hairstyle is tied to both race and religion.
Filing a Federal Charge Instead of or Alongside CRD
California law is stronger and more explicit than federal law on hair, but federal law is still available. The EEOC treats discrimination based on hair texture as a Title VII violation because hair texture is an immutable characteristic associated with race.8U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Facts About Race/Color Discrimination A federal CROWN Act has been introduced in Congress but has not been enacted.9Congress.gov. H.R.1638 – 119th Congress (2025-2026): CROWN Act of 2025
Because California has its own anti-discrimination law, the deadline for filing an EEOC charge is 300 days from the discriminatory act rather than the standard 180.10U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Time Limits for Filing a Complaint Filing with both CRD and the EEOC is common; the agencies have a worksharing agreement, so filing with one generally preserves your rights with the other.