Ohio labor law posters fall into two stacks: four required by the state and roughly six required by the federal government, with the federal set varying by business size. Every one of them is available free from the agency that issues it, and each must be displayed where employees can see it during the workday. Miss one and you can face per-violation fines from the relevant agency, along with a weaker position if an employee later files a wage, discrimination, or safety complaint.
The Four Ohio State Posters
Every Ohio employer has to display these four, regardless of size.
Minimum Wage
Ohio adjusts its minimum wage every January based on the Consumer Price Index, which makes this the poster you’ll swap out most often. For 2026, the standard rate is $11.00 per hour, tipped employees must earn at least $5.50 per hour before tips, and employers grossing less than $405,000 per year only need to match the $7.25 federal minimum. ORC 4111.09 requires a summary of these rules to be posted on-site in a visible spot or on the internet where employees can access it.1Ohio Legislative Service Commission. Ohio Code 4111.09 – Summaries and Copies Rules To Be Posted and Available to Employees The Ohio Department of Commerce updates and publishes the poster each year.2Ohio.gov. 2026 Minimum Wage Poster
Minor Labor Laws
If you employ anyone under 18, ORC 4109.08 requires you to post an abstract of Ohio’s child labor rules, furnished by the Director of Commerce, in a conspicuous spot frequented by the largest number of minor employees, or on your internet site where employees can reach it.3Ohio Legislative Service Commission. Ohio Code 4109.08 – Enforcing Age and Schooling Certificate Requirements You also need to keep a complete list of the minors employed at each establishment alongside the posted abstract.
Fair Employment Practices
ORC 4112.07 requires a notice, prepared or approved by the Ohio Civil Rights Commission, summarizing Chapter 4112 of the Revised Code. That chapter prohibits workplace discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, age, military status, and ancestry. The notice can go up on-site in a conspicuous place or on the internet in a manner accessible to the public.4Ohio Legislative Service Commission. Ohio Code 4112.07 – Posting of Notice The Commission publishes the “Ohio Fair Employment Poster” on its website.
Workers’ Compensation Rebuttable Presumption
ORC 4123.54 requires a written notice about the rebuttable presumption rule, which governs how workers’ compensation claims are treated when alcohol or unauthorized controlled substances are involved. The notice must be the same size or larger than your proof of workers’ compensation coverage and posted in the same location, or made available electronically where employees can access it.5Ohio Legislative Service Commission. Ohio Code 4123.54 – Compensation in Case of Injury or Death This is separate from the Bureau of Workers’ Compensation certificate of coverage that most employers already display.
Federal Posters Ohio Employers Must Add
Federal posting requirements layer on top of the state set. Most apply to every employer; two depend on size.
Fair Labor Standards Act
Every employer with workers covered by the federal minimum wage must display the FLSA notice explaining wage, overtime, and recordkeeping rules, in a conspicuous place where employees can easily see it.6eCFR. 29 CFR 516.4 – Posting of Notices Because Ohio’s 2026 minimum wage of $11.00 exceeds the federal $7.25 rate, the federal poster won’t reflect what most Ohio workers actually earn, but both are still required.
Equal Employment Opportunity
The EEOC’s “Know Your Rights: Workplace Discrimination is Illegal” poster covers Title VII, the ADA, the ADEA, the Equal Pay Act, and GINA. Any employer subject to those laws must post it where employees and applicants can see it.7eCFR. 29 CFR 1601.30 – Notices To Be Posted The penalty for failing to post it is up to $680 per violation, adjusted annually for inflation.8U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Know Your Rights: Workplace Discrimination is Illegal Poster
OSHA Job Safety and Health
The OSHA poster informs workers of their right to a safe workplace, their right to report hazards without retaliation, and how to contact OSHA. Every employer covered by the OSH Act must display it where employees can readily see it.9Occupational Safety and Health Administration. 29 CFR 1903.2 – Posting of Notice
USERRA
The Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act applies to every employer regardless of size. The “Your Rights Under USERRA” poster covers reemployment rights, protection from military service discrimination, and health insurance continuation, and it goes wherever you customarily place employee notices.10Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 38 USC 4334 – Notice of Rights and Duties
Employee Polygraph Protection Act
Most private-sector employers cannot use lie detector tests for pre-employment screening or during employment. The EPPA poster explains the prohibition and the narrow exceptions for certain security and pharmaceutical positions. It must go in a prominent spot where employees and applicants can see it.11eCFR. 29 CFR 801.6 – Notice of Protection
Family and Medical Leave Act (50+ Employees)
Only employers with 50 or more employees within a 75-mile radius have to display the FMLA poster, which explains an eligible worker’s right to up to 12 weeks of unpaid, job-protected leave and how to file a complaint with the Wage and Hour Division. A covered employer must post it even if no current employees are eligible.12eCFR. 29 CFR 825.300 – Employer Notice Requirements
Where to Download Them for Free
Every required poster is free from the issuing agency. Ohio’s minimum wage poster and minor labor laws abstract are on the Ohio Department of Commerce’s labor law page.13Ohio.gov. Labor Law The fair employment poster is on the Ohio Civil Rights Commission’s site. The federal posters are all downloadable from the U.S. Department of Labor’s workplace posters page, which also has a FirstStep Poster Advisor that walks you through which federal posters your specific business needs.14U.S. Department of Labor. Workplace Posters The EEO poster comes from the EEOC directly.8U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Know Your Rights: Workplace Discrimination is Illegal Poster
Subscription services that mail updated posters for $50 to $70 a year are optional, not required. If you use one, verify that the posters they send match the revision dates on the official agency sites.
Where to Put Them
The consistent phrase across every posting statute is “conspicuous place.” That means somewhere employees naturally pass during the workday: a break room, near a time clock, by the main entrance to a work area. Workers should see the posters without going out of their way. Stacking them behind other materials or letting equipment block them defeats the purpose.
Each physical location needs its own complete set. A single set at corporate headquarters does not cover a warehouse or satellite office.
Remote Workers and Electronic Posting
Ohio law explicitly allows electronic posting as an alternative for the minimum wage notice, the minor labor laws abstract, the fair employment notice, and the workers’ compensation rebuttable presumption notice. Federal law allows electronic posting for the FMLA notice as long as the content and visibility match a physical poster.12eCFR. 29 CFR 825.300 – Employer Notice Requirements
For fully remote workers, electronic access through a company intranet, shared drive, or onboarding portal is the practical route. Workers have to be able to find the notices easily and read them clearly on whatever device they use. A PDF buried six clicks deep in a shared folder isn’t conspicuous. A dedicated “Workplace Notices” page linked from the intranet homepage is safer. Not every federal poster regulation has been formally updated to address electronic posting, so if you have any employees who report in person, treat digital access as a supplement to physical posting at that location, not a replacement.
Language Requirements
Ohio has no state law requiring posters in languages other than English. Federal rules are more specific: where an employer’s workforce is not proficient in English, the U.S. Department of Labor states that the employer must provide the notice in the language employees speak.14U.S. Department of Labor. Workplace Posters The DOL offers several of its posters in Spanish and other common languages as free downloads.
What Happens If You Don’t Post Them
Penalties depend on which agency enforces the poster. OSHA can fine an employer up to $16,550 per posting violation, adjusted annually for inflation.15Occupational Safety and Health Administration. OSHA Penalties The EEOC’s penalty for a missing “Know Your Rights” poster is up to $680 per violation.8U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Know Your Rights: Workplace Discrimination is Illegal Poster FMLA violations can also weaken an employer’s position if an employee later claims they were never notified of their rights.
The dollar amounts are only part of the exposure. Missing posters can undermine employer defenses in wage claims, discrimination complaints, and workers’ compensation disputes. If an employee argues they didn’t know about a filing deadline or a process to report unsafe conditions, the posted notice is the employer’s best evidence of notice. Without it, that defense disappears.
Keeping Them Current
Ohio’s minimum wage poster updates every January when the new CPI-adjusted rate takes effect, and the 2026 version replaces the prior year’s at the start of the year.2Ohio.gov. 2026 Minimum Wage Poster Federal posters change less often, but when they do, the old version has to come down promptly.
A simple annual routine covers it. Each January, check the Ohio Department of Commerce and the DOL workplace posters page, compare revision dates against what’s on your wall, and reprint anything that has changed. The DOL’s FirstStep Poster Advisor can also flag new requirements based on changes to your workforce size or industry.14U.S. Department of Labor. Workplace Posters