In this guide8 sections
In July 2025, In-N-Out Burger CEO Lynsi Snyder said she was moving her family to Tennessee, where the company is building an office in Franklin. She also said the company is not leaving California and is moving its corporate headquarters from Irvine back to Baldwin Park. If your own employer moves offices, consolidates or asks you to relocate, California law gives you specific rights on notice, final pay, severance and unemployment.
Key takeaways
- Moving operations 100 miles or more away can count as a “relocation” under California’s WARN Act, which generally requires 60 days’ written notice at covered workplaces.
- If your job ends because you don’t relocate, all final wages, including unused vacation, are due on time under Labor Code §§201–203 and 227.3.
- You must get at least five business days to consider a separation agreement, and you can’t be made to sign a release to get wages you are already owed.
- Unemployment after turning down a transfer depends on your facts, so apply and explain your reasons.
What In-N-Out announced
News reports in July 2025 said Snyder told a podcast that “raising a family is not easy here” and “doing business is not easy here,” and that she was relocating to Tennessee, where In-N-Out is building an office in Franklin to support its eastern growth. After the comments drew attention, she said in a social media video, “We’re not leaving California,” and that the company was not moving its corporate headquarters out of the state.
Earlier in 2025, the company announced it would move its corporate headquarters from Irvine back to Baldwin Park, where the first In-N-Out opened in 1948. In July 2025, Snyder said the Irvine office would close by 2030.
When a relocation triggers Cal-WARN notice
California’s WARN Act applies to a covered establishment, generally one that employs or has employed 75 or more people in the prior 12 months. A covered employer generally must give 60 days’ written notice before:
- A relocation: moving all or substantially all operations to a place 100 miles or more away.
- A mass layoff: laying off 50 or more employees in a 30-day period.
- A termination: ceasing or substantially ceasing operations.
A move under 100 miles usually isn’t a “relocation” under the law, but it may still trigger notice if it leads to a mass layoff. Without required notice, affected employees may recover back pay and benefits for up to 60 days (Labor Code §1402). See our guide to Cal-WARN notice rights and on EDD’s WARN page.
If you’re offered a transfer
Hypothetical: Dana works in accounting at a company moving its office from Orange County to Tennessee. She declines a transfer because her kids are in school, so her job ends on the moving date.
- Get the offer in writing, including pay, moving costs and what happens if you decline.
- Ask how California protections change. Many California rules, such as daily overtime and California sick leave, are generally tied to work performed in California and may not follow you to another state.
Your final paycheck if you don’t move
| Situation | When final pay is due | Law |
|---|---|---|
| Your employer ends your job | Immediately, on your last day | Labor Code §201 |
| You quit with at least 72 hours’ notice | On your last day | Labor Code §202 |
| You quit with less notice | Within 72 hours | Labor Code §202 |
| Earned, unused vacation | With final pay, at your final rate | Labor Code §227.3 |
A willfully late final check may bring a waiting-time penalty of a day’s wages for each day late, up to 30 days (§203). See the Labor Commissioner’s final pay FAQ and our guide to final paycheck rules.
Severance and unemployment
California generally doesn’t require severance. If you are offered a separation agreement, your employer must tell you that you may consult a lawyer and give you at least five business days to decide (Gov. Code §12964.5). It can’t require a release to pay wages you are already owed (Labor Code §206.5). Our severance agreement guide explains what to look for.
File for unemployment once your work ends. If you declined a transfer, EDD decides eligibility on your reasons, and it reviews severance and similar payments to see whether they affect benefits. More in our unemployment guide.
Frequently asked questions
Is In-N-Out leaving California?
No. Snyder said in July 2025 that the company is not leaving California or moving its headquarters out of the state, while it builds an office in Tennessee and moves its headquarters to Baldwin Park.
Can my employer fire me for refusing to relocate?
Generally, a California employer can change where a job is based. But the decision can’t be discriminatory or retaliatory, and final pay and notice rules still apply.
Do I get my vacation pay if I don’t move?
Generally yes. Earned, unused vacation is paid with your final wages, unless a union contract says otherwise.
Does Cal-WARN apply to an office move within California?
Usually not as a “relocation” if the move is under 100 miles, but it can apply if the move leads to a mass layoff or a shutdown at a covered site.
Talk to a California employment lawyer
Employees First Labor Law represents workers exclusively. We offer free virtual consultations if your employer is relocating, consolidating or ending your job. Contact us online or call (310) 853-3461.
This article is general information about California law as of 2026, not legal advice for your situation. Reading it does not create an attorney-client relationship.
