Does Tesla hire people with felonies?

What Tesla has said

Tesla has not published a policy on hiring people with criminal records. The Tesla U.S. postings we read carry only a general equal opportunity line, with no mention of arrest or conviction records, and Tesla is not on the Second Chance Business Coalition member list. Tesla's global talent privacy notice lists pre-employment screening checks, as permitted by law, among the ways it uses applicant data, and says that for certain limited roles it may receive screening and credit report information from outside data providers. It does not say what is checked, when, or who is checked, and we found no drug-test policy.

We didn't find a public statement from Tesla about hiring people with records: not on its careers site, in its reports, or in its announcements. That doesn't mean it won't hire you. It means there's nothing on the record to point to.

Does Tesla do background checks?

Tesla hasn't said publicly whether it runs background checks. Tesla's Talent Privacy Notice (global, updated May 2026) lists performing pre-employment screening checks and prior work and education verification, as permitted by law, among the purposes for which it uses applicant data. Its list of data it may process includes results of pre-employment screenings, such as background information and, where permitted, a credit report, where applicable or relevant, and it says that for certain limited roles it may receive screening and credit report information from third-party data providers. It does not mention criminal records, say which roles are screened, or give a timing, vendor or look-back. One Fremont, California posting for a Pre-Employment Associate lists pre-employment assessments, including background checks, among the role's duties.^1,2

• How long a background check takes

Does Tesla drug test?

Tesla hasn't published a drug testing policy. Some job postings say whether a test is required, so check the listing for the role you want.

Your rights, and how far back a check can go

• Under the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), an employer must get your written permission before it gets a background report about you from a background screening company.^6,7,8
• Before an employer decides not to hire, keep, or promote you because of something in a background report, it must give you a copy of the report and a document called "A Summary of Your Rights Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act."^6,7
• You have the right to dispute inaccurate or incomplete information in your background report directly with the company that made it.^6,9
• The FCRA's seven-year limit does not apply to criminal convictions, so under federal law a conviction can show up on a background report no matter how old it is.^10,11
• Under the FCRA, background and credit reports generally cannot include arrest records, civil lawsuits, or civil judgments that are more than seven years old (or older than the statute of limitations, if that is longer).^10,12

Your full background check rights

Before you apply

• You can ask a background screening company for the information it has on you, and the CFPB keeps a list of consumer reporting companies, including employment screening companies, with their contact details.^6,9,13
• According to the Clean Slate Initiative, 14 states and Washington, D.C. have passed Clean Slate laws that meet its criteria for automatically clearing eligible records: Pennsylvania, Utah, New Jersey, Connecticut, Michigan, Delaware, Virginia, California, Oklahoma, Colorado, Minnesota, New York, Illinois, and Missouri, plus D.C.¹⁴
• The Federal Bonding Program, run by the U.S. Department of Labor, lets states give employers free fidelity bonds that protect them against losses from a newly hired worker's dishonest acts, for job seekers with past justice involvement or in recovery from substance use.^15,16

See whether you can clear your record in your state