Every Texas employer with at least one employee must display the Texas workplace violence poster, a free bilingual notice from the Texas Workforce Commission that tells workers how to report threats or suspicious activity to the Department of Public Safety through the iWatchTexas system. The requirement comes from House Bill 915, signed in 2023, which created Texas Labor Code Chapter 104A. TWC began enforcing the posting rule on January 8, 2024.1Texas Workforce Commission. Posters for the Workplace
Who Has to Post It
Texas Labor Code Section 104A.001 defines an “employer” as any person who employs one or more employees.2State of Texas. Texas Labor Code Section 104A.002 – Notice by Employer Sole proprietors with a single hire, large corporations, nonprofits — all of them qualify. No industry is exempt. Retail shops, construction firms, restaurants, and professional offices all fall under the rule. If you sign even one person’s paycheck in Texas, the poster belongs on your wall.
What the Poster Must Say
The Texas Workforce Commission, working with DPS, sets the content of the notice through 40 Texas Administrative Code Section 800.600.3Texas Workforce Commission. Chapter 800 General Administration Subchapter N Reporting Workplace Violence A compliant notice has to convey two things:
- Employees can report workplace violence or suspicious activity to DPS through the iWatchTexas Community Reporting System at www.iwatchtx.org or by calling 844-643-2251.
- Employees have the right to make that report anonymously.
The official TWC poster includes both items in a ready-to-print bilingual format.4Texas Workforce Commission. Reporting Workplace Violence Using the TWC version is the simplest way to guarantee compliance, since it already meets the commission’s layout and content standards. Verify the hotline number against the official poster before printing anything; some older third-party guides circulate incorrect numbers, and the correct line is 844-643-2251.
Where to Download the Official Poster
TWC hosts the official bilingual poster as a free PDF on its workplace posters page.1Texas Workforce Commission. Posters for the Workplace Download and print it at no cost. There is no requirement to buy a poster from a commercial vendor, and the state does not charge for the template.
Where and How to Display It
The statute requires the notice to be posted in a conspicuous place at the employer’s place of business, and in enough locations to be convenient to all employees.2State of Texas. Texas Labor Code Section 104A.002 – Notice by Employer Break rooms, main hallways, and bulletin boards near time clocks are the usual spots. Multiple floors or buildings each need their own copy in the areas where employees regularly work. Keep it unobstructed and at readable height. Burying it behind other notices on a cluttered board doesn’t count.
The notice must appear in both English and Spanish.1Texas Workforce Commission. Posters for the Workplace The official TWC poster is a single bilingual document, so one printout covers both. Additional translations for other languages spoken in your workforce are allowed but not required.
Remote and Off-Site Workers
The statute focuses on posting at the employer’s “place of business,” and neither Chapter 104A nor the TWC’s administrative rules specifically address electronic distribution for remote employees. If you have workers who never visit a physical office, providing the notice electronically through an internal portal, onboarding packet, or email is a reasonable step toward meeting the “convenient to all employees” standard. Keep a record showing that remote staff received it.
Compliance Deadline
HB 915 took effect on September 1, 2023, and gave TWC until March 1, 2024, to finalize the administrative rules and poster template.5Texas Legislature Online. Texas House Bill 915 – Relating to the Creation of a Workplace Violence Hotline and a Requirement That Employers Post Notice Regarding the Hotline TWC moved ahead of that deadline and began enforcing the posting requirement on January 8, 2024.1Texas Workforce Commission. Posters for the Workplace Any Texas business that has operated since then without the poster is already out of compliance.
Penalties for Not Posting
Chapter 104A does not spell out a specific fine for employers who fail to display the notice. That does not make ignoring it risk-free. A missing poster is an obvious flag during any state inspection, and if a workplace violence incident occurs at a business that never posted the notice, that gap becomes a significant liability point in any investigation or civil claim that follows. Printing one page costs almost nothing compared to that exposure.