soma LL 144 · IN FORCE NYC · DCWP SINCE JUL 2023
Local Law144

If your hiring stack uses AI in NYC, the rule is already on you.

Local Law 144 — the NYC bias-audit law for Automated Employment Decision Tools — has been in active enforcement since July 2023. Most mid-market employers are still non-compliant. Here is what it requires, and how SOMA closes the gap in 21 days.

● Status check
If you use any AEDT to screen NYC applicants, you must publish a bias audit dated within one year, post a candidate notice 10 business days in advance, and document continuous compliance.
10dNotice window
Section01

Who Local Law 144 actually covers.

In scope

  • →Resume parsers and ranking tools used on NYC-based candidates
  • →Skills-assessment platforms with predictive scoring
  • →Video-interview AI (gesture, tone, content analysis)
  • →Promotion-decision tools applied to NYC employees
  • →Any AI substantially assisting employment decisions

Out of scope

  • →Tools that only sort or filter without scoring
  • →Pure background-check services
  • →Employees and candidates fully outside NYC
  • →AI used post-decision (e.g. onboarding only)
  • →Tools that don't substantially affect outcomes
Section02

Three obligations. All must be in place.

OBL · 01BIAS AUDIT

Independent annual bias audit

Performed by an independent auditor, dated within the last 12 months, computing impact ratios across protected categories per the DCWP rule.

CadenceAnnual
OBL · 02PUBLIC SUMMARY

Public-facing summary on your site

Audit summary must be conspicuously posted on the careers/employer page — including audit date, distribution data, and the auditor's selection rates.

FormatWeb
OBL · 03CANDIDATE NOTICE

10-business-day candidate notice

Notice provided to NYC candidates and employees in advance, identifying the AEDT, its source data, and how to request alternative selection.

Window≥ 10 days
Section 03 · Cost of inaction

The cost of a quiet non-compliance.

DCWP enforces per-violation, per-day. A single uncovered hiring season can compound into a six-figure liability — and any disclosed failure becomes discovery in subsequent disparate-impact litigation.

First violation
$500per occurrence
Subsequent
$1,500per day, per AEDT
Reputational
∞discovery in DI suits
Section04

How SOMA closes the gap.

A · Audit & document

LL 144 Compliance Audit

$9,000
21 daysAudit + Posting

Independent bias audit performed against your live AEDT data, public-facing summary drafted, and candidate notice templates delivered for legal review.

  • →Independent bias audit (impact ratios, selection rates)
  • →DCWP-compliant public summary
  • →Candidate notice template + workflow
  • →Vendor data-sufficiency review
Book Discovery →
B · Audit + program

LL 144 + AEDT Program

$22,000
30 daysAudit + Program

Full LL 144 audit plus an ongoing AEDT governance program: vendor oversight, multi-jurisdiction tracking (Colorado, Illinois, EU AI Act), and renewal scheduling so this never lapses.

  • →Everything in Engagement A
  • →AEDT vendor oversight playbook
  • →Multi-jurisdiction compliance map
  • →Annual renewal calendar & reminders
  • →Disparate-impact litigation readiness file
Book Discovery →