Colorado’s FAMLI poster requirements apply to every employer covered by the Family and Medical Leave Insurance program. You must display the FAMLI Division’s official notice in a conspicuous workplace location, post it in English, Spanish, and any other language spoken as a first language by at least five percent of your workforce, and hand it individually to each employee at hire and within five days of learning about a qualifying life event. The poster is free. Skipping any of these steps can cost up to $500 per violation.
Get the Official Notice From the FAMLI Division
You don’t write this notice yourself. The FAMLI Division publishes the Required Program Notice as a free PDF in its online Employer Toolkit, and only the Division’s version satisfies the law.1Family and Medical Leave Insurance (FAMLI). FAMLI Toolkit The Division has said plainly that an internal summary or handbook excerpt is not a substitute.2Family and Medical Leave Insurance (FAMLI). 5 Easy FAMLI Notification Rules for Colorado Employers
Colorado law requires the notice to cover the program’s requirements, available benefits, the claims process, payroll deduction details, job protection and benefits continuation, and protection against retaliation for using the program.3Justia. Colorado Code 8-13.3-511 – Notice Employees who read it learn they can take paid leave for qualifying events, cannot be punished for filing a claim, and are entitled to reinstatement to the same or an equivalent position if they’ve worked at least 180 days before leave begins.4Family and Medical Leave Insurance (FAMLI). Job Protection and Retaliation
Languages You Have to Post
English and Spanish are mandatory for every covered employer, whatever the makeup of your workforce. On top of that, you must post the notice in any additional language that is the first language of at least five percent of your workforce.5Legal Information Institute. Colorado Code 7 CCR 1107-3.7 – Requirements Regarding Notice to Employees
The Toolkit currently offers 17 translated versions. If your workforce needs a language that isn’t there, the Division has said it will make a reasonable effort to provide one on request.2Family and Medical Leave Insurance (FAMLI). 5 Easy FAMLI Notification Rules for Colorado Employers
Where the Poster Has to Go
The display location matters. If you have a physical workplace, put the notice somewhere conspicuous and accessible where employees actually work: a break room, an area near time clocks, a central bulletin board.5Legal Information Institute. Colorado Code 7 CCR 1107-3.7 – Requirements Regarding Notice to Employees The working test is whether an average employee would run into it during a normal workday without hunting for it. Multiple establishments each need their own posted copy.
Remote, Teleworking, and App-Based Employees
If you have no physical workplace, or if employees telework or perform work through a web-based or app-based platform, the notice has to go out electronically. That means email or a conspicuous placement on the platform employees use for work.5Legal Information Institute. Colorado Code 7 CCR 1107-3.7 – Requirements Regarding Notice to Employees Burying a link deep in an intranet doesn’t meet the standard.
Individual Delivery at Hire and at Qualifying Events
The general posting is only half of the obligation. You also have to deliver the notice individually to each employee in two situations: at the time of hire, and within five days of learning that an employee is experiencing a life event that may trigger FAMLI eligibility.6Family and Medical Leave Insurance (FAMLI). Individuals and Families FAQs The statute requires written notice at both moments.3Justia. Colorado Code 8-13.3-511 – Notice
This is where most employers slip. Hanging the poster and stopping there leaves a gap. Qualifying events include a serious illness, the birth or placement of a child, or a family member’s medical crisis, and the five-day clock starts when you learn about the event, not when the employee formally requests leave. Build both deliveries into your onboarding and leave-management workflow so the notice goes out without anyone having to remember.
If You Have a Private Plan or Opted Out
The poster obligation shifts if you aren’t using the state-run FAMLI plan, but it doesn’t go away.
Employers with an approved private plan have to post notices specific to that plan, covering its benefits, eligibility, contribution amounts, and appeal rights.2Family and Medical Leave Insurance (FAMLI). 5 Easy FAMLI Notification Rules for Colorado Employers The standard state poster alone won’t do the job because it describes the state plan. Private-plan employers must also notify their workforce at least 30 days before the plan takes effect and deliver the private-plan notice individually to employees with qualifying events.7Family and Medical Leave Insurance (FAMLI). Private Plans
Local governments that voted to decline FAMLI still have posting duties. The Division has said opted-out local governments must post the Required Program Notice and inform employees about the option to participate voluntarily, and it provides a customizable written notification template and a breakroom poster designed for those employers. An opted-out local government also has to register in My FAMLI+ Employer and upload a decision letter documenting the opt-out.8Family and Medical Leave Insurance (FAMLI). Local Governments
What Non-Compliance Costs
Failing to meet the FAMLI notification requirements can result in fines of up to $500 per violation.2Family and Medical Leave Insurance (FAMLI). 5 Easy FAMLI Notification Rules for Colorado Employers Each missed individual notice and each day without a properly posted notice can count as a separate violation, so exposure scales with workforce size and time.
There’s also a downstream risk. An employee who was never told about FAMLI benefits and later discovers a missed claim window has a stronger argument that the employer failed a legal duty, which matters if a retaliation claim surfaces. The cost of downloading a free PDF and displaying it is essentially zero.
Keeping the Poster Current
Compliance isn’t a one-time task. The Division periodically updates the notice to reflect current benefit amounts and premium rates, so check the Toolkit page at least once a year and replace any outdated copy on the wall. Every business with at least one qualifying employee must register with the FAMLI Division, and the posting obligation follows from that registration.9Family and Medical Leave Insurance (FAMLI). Employers Add the notice to your new-hire packet, keep the current version on the break-room wall, and set a reminder for qualifying-event delivery inside five days. That’s the whole compliance picture.