How to File an Oregon BOLI Complaint: Deadlines and Next Steps

You file a complaint with Oregon’s Bureau of Labor and Industries (BOLI) online at complaints.boli.oregon.gov, and there is no fee.¹ You can also call 971-245-3844, email boli_help@boli.oregon.gov, or go in person to an office in Portland, Salem, or Eugene.² BOLI handles workplace discrimination, wage and hour disputes, and other civil rights violations in employment, housing, and public accommodations. Before you start, confirm your deadline, gather your documents, and decide whether you also want to preserve a federal claim.

Check Your Deadline First

Oregon runs two separate clocks, and missing yours ends the case before it starts.

For employment discrimination complaints based on race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, marital status, age, military service, or certain workplace harassment nondisclosure agreements, you have five years from the date of the incident. For every other civil rights complaint, including housing and public accommodations, the deadline is one year.³

Wage complaints are governed separately under ORS 652 and 653, covering unpaid wages, overtime, meal and rest breaks, minimum wage, and final paychecks.⁴⁵ Late final paychecks carry their own schedule: wages are due by the end of the next business day when you’re fired, immediately on your last day if you quit with at least 48 hours’ notice (excluding weekends and holidays), and within five days or by the next payday if you quit without that notice.⁶

If your complaint also involves federal discrimination law, the federal clock through the EEOC is much shorter: 300 calendar days from the discriminatory act in Oregon.⁷ More on how to protect both claims below.

What to Have Ready Before You File

Accuracy at this stage saves weeks later. Misspelled names, wrong dates, or incorrect wage amounts can slow the investigation or weaken it. Pull the following together before you open the online form:

The employer’s legal business name and physical address, plus the names and titles of any supervisors or managers involved.
A chronological timeline of the incidents, with specific dates and factual descriptions.
Supporting documents: pay stubs, employment contracts, emails, text messages, termination letters, and anything else that corroborates what happened.
Names and contact details for witnesses who saw or heard the conduct.

For a wage claim, check the amounts you’re owed against your pay stubs and any written agreements covering bonuses, commissions, or overtime.

Submitting the Complaint

The online portal is the fastest route. After you submit, you’ll get a confirmation email. One thing to know going in: BOLI is a public agency, so information you provide, including your contact details, could be released in response to a public records request.

If you’d rather not file online, the phone, email, and office options above all reach the same intake process. There is no cost either way, and you don’t need an attorney to file.

What Happens After You File

Once BOLI accepts the complaint, an investigator is assigned as a neutral fact-finder. BOLI notifies the employer, sends them a copy of the complaint, and requests a written response.⁸ The investigator may interview both sides, interview witnesses, and request documents. Housing discrimination investigations must begin within 30 days of filing.⁹ Other investigations have no fixed start date and often run several months.

The investigation ends in one of two findings:

Substantial evidence found. The evidence would lead a reasonable person to believe your claims are true. That’s a lower bar than winning in court, but it’s the threshold for BOLI to proceed with formal charges.¹⁰
Case dismissed. The investigator found insufficient evidence. You then have 90 days to file the same claims in court yourself.⁸

If BOLI finds substantial evidence and the case doesn’t settle, the Commissioner issues formal charges and the case moves to a hearing before an Administrative Law Judge, with a written Final Order at the end and the option to appeal to the Oregon Court of Appeals.¹¹ Most cases don’t reach that stage.

Mediation Is Available at Any Point

BOLI’s Alternative Dispute Resolution team offers mediation while the investigation is open. If both sides agree, a mediator holds a screening call and then schedules a session, typically a full day over video conference, with the parties in separate virtual rooms.¹²

Investigation deadlines pause during mediation. If you reach an agreement, the mediator helps put it in writing. If you don’t, the case returns to investigation with no penalty and your legal rights intact.¹² Mediation can produce outcomes an investigation can’t, like a neutral job reference or a policy change, and walking away from the table doesn’t harm your case.

If You’d Rather Go Straight to Court

You don’t have to wait for BOLI to finish. If your case has not been dismissed, BOLI issues a notice of your right to sue at the one-year anniversary of your filing date, and you can then file in circuit court. If BOLI dismisses the case, the window shrinks to 90 days from the dismissal date.⁸

Court opens up the full range of remedies under ORS 659A.885, including compensatory damages, punitive damages, and attorney fees for the prevailing party.¹³ Many employment attorneys work on contingency fees of 25 to 40 percent of the recovery.

You’re Protected From Retaliation

Oregon law makes it illegal for an employer to fire, demote, suspend, or otherwise punish you for filing a BOLI complaint, cooperating with an investigation, or bringing a civil action, as long as you acted in good faith.¹⁴ The protection also covers employees who report criminal activity or testify at hearings.

Retaliation is its own violation. If your employer retaliates after you file, you can file a second complaint about the retaliation itself.

Preserving a Federal Claim at the Same Time

BOLI has a worksharing agreement with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.¹⁵ When you file a discrimination charge with BOLI that’s also covered by federal law, BOLI dual-files with the EEOC by sending them a copy. The same happens in reverse if you start with the EEOC. The agency that receives the charge first usually keeps it for investigation, and within 10 days both agencies notify you and the employer that the charge was dual-filed.¹⁶

Dual filing matters because Title VII, the ADA, and the Age Discrimination in Employment Act cover different ground than ORS 659A, with different thresholds and remedies. Mind the timing: Oregon gives you up to five years for most employment discrimination complaints, but the EEOC deadline is 300 days.⁷ Wait longer than 300 days and you preserve only the state claim. If BOLI later dismisses your case and you want the EEOC to review that decision, you must request the review in writing within 15 days of receiving BOLI’s determination.¹⁶

1
Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries. BOLI Complaints Filing
2
State of Oregon. Contact Us – Section: Office Locations
3
Oregon Public Law. Oregon Code 659A.820 – Complaints
4
Oregon State Legislature. Oregon Code 652 – Hours, Wages, Wage Claims, Records
5
Oregon State Legislature. Oregon Code 653 – Minimum Wages, Employment Conditions, Minors
6
Oregon Public Law. Oregon Code 652.140 – Payment of Wages on Termination of Employment
7
U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Time Limits for Filing a Charge
8
State of Oregon. Respondent Process in BOLI Cases
9
Oregon Public Law. Oregon Code 659A.835 – Investigation, Finding of Substantial Evidence
10
State of Oregon. Respondent Process in BOLI Cases – Section: Substantial Evidence
11
State of Oregon. Contested Case Process
12
State of Oregon. Mediation 101
13
Oregon Public Law. Oregon Code 659A.885 – Civil Action
14
Oregon Public Law. Oregon Code 659A.230 – Discrimination for Initiating or Aiding in Criminal or Civil Proceedings Prohibited
15
U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. EEOC/FEPA Worksharing Agreement Between Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries
16
U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Fair Employment Practices Agencies (FEPAs) and Dual Filing