Workplace posters required in California include a core set of federal notices on wages, safety, discrimination, family leave, polygraph protections, and military service rights, layered with a larger set of state notices covering the IWC wage order, California’s minimum wage, paid sick leave, Cal/OSHA safety, harassment and transgender rights, pregnancy and family leave, workers’ compensation, unemployment insurance, whistleblower rights, and, starting February 1, 2026, a new annual “California Workplace – Know Your Rights” notice. Missing any of them can cost from a couple hundred dollars to $16,550 per violation, and in a few cases amounts to a misdemeanor.
Federal Posters You Must Display
Every California employer covered by federal labor law has to display the following, in a spot employees can read during the workday.
- The “Employee Rights Under the Fair Labor Standards Act” poster, covering minimum wage, overtime, and child labor protections.1U.S. Department of Labor. Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) Minimum Wage Poster
- OSHA’s “Job Safety and Health: It’s the Law” poster. Any reproduction must be at least 8.5 by 14 inches with 10-point type.2Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Job Safety and Health Workplace Poster
- The FMLA general notice. Covered employers must post it even at locations where no one is currently FMLA-eligible.3U.S. Department of Labor. Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) Poster
- The EEOC’s “Know Your Rights: Workplace Discrimination is Illegal” poster, summarizing federal protections based on race, sex, age, disability, religion, genetic information, and more.4U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Know Your Rights: Workplace Discrimination is Illegal Poster
- The Employee Polygraph Protection Act notice, posted where both employees and applicants can see it.5U.S. Department of Labor. Employee Polygraph Protection Act (EPPA) Poster
- The “Your Rights Under USERRA” poster for service members and applicants.6U.S. Department of Labor. Your Rights Under USERRA Poster
Employers enrolled in E-Verify also have to display the E-Verify participation poster and the “Right to Work” poster, both in English and Spanish, where applicants can see them.
California State Posters You Must Display
Wages, Hours, and Pay
Post the Industrial Welfare Commission wage order that applies to your industry. It covers wages, hours, meal and rest breaks, and working conditions, and has to be visible where employees can read it during the workday.7California Legislative Information. California Code Labor Code – LAB 1183
Alongside it, post the California Minimum Wage poster. For 2026, the state minimum wage is $16.90 per hour.8State of California Department of Industrial Relations. California Minimum Wage MW-2026
You also need a Payday Notice stating your regular paydays and the time and place of payment. An employer-created version is fine as long as it covers those details.9Department of Industrial Relations. Required Posters and Notices
Paid Sick Leave
The Healthy Workplaces/Healthy Families Act requires a paid sick leave notice. As of 2024, employers must provide at least five days or 40 hours of paid sick leave per year, and the Labor Commissioner’s current poster reflects accrual, usage, and carryover rules under that updated law.10Department of Industrial Relations. California Paid Sick Leave: Frequently Asked Questions
Workplace Safety
Post Cal/OSHA’s “Safety and Health Protection on the Job,” which explains the right to a safe workplace and to file confidential complaints.11State of California Department of Industrial Relations. Safety and Health Protection on the Job Post a list of emergency responder phone numbers. And every February, post the Cal/OSHA Form 300A annual summary of work-related injuries and illnesses.9Department of Industrial Relations. Required Posters and Notices
Discrimination, Harassment, and Transgender Rights
The Civil Rights Department’s “California Law Prohibits Workplace Discrimination and Harassment” poster goes in hiring offices, on bulletin boards, and anywhere employees gather. The same statute requires a separate transgender rights poster.12California Legislative Information. California Government Code 12950
Pregnancy and Family Leave
Post the Pregnancy Disability Leave notice, which tells employees disabled by pregnancy, childbirth, or a related condition that they can take up to four months of leave and keep their group health coverage during it.13California Legislative Information. California Government Code 12945 Also post the Family Care and Medical Leave notice covering the California Family Rights Act, which gives eligible employees at companies with five or more workers up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave per year for family care, medical needs, or bonding with a new child.14California Legislative Information. California Government Code 12945.2
Workers’ Compensation and Unemployment Insurance
Post a workers’ compensation notice naming your current carrier (or stating you’re self-insured) and explaining how to get emergency treatment, what’s covered, and the right to consult an attorney. Not keeping it posted is a misdemeanor, and it creates a legal presumption that you have no coverage at all.15California Legislative Information. California Labor Code 3550
Post the EDD unemployment insurance notice somewhere readily accessible to workers. The EDD provides it for free.16California Legislative Information. California Unemployment Insurance Code 1089
Whistleblower Rights
Display the whistleblower notice prominently and in lettering larger than 14-point type. It must list employee rights and responsibilities and include the Attorney General’s whistleblower hotline number.17California Legislative Information. California Labor Code 1102.8
New Annual Notice for 2026
Starting February 1, 2026, employers must give employees a “California Workplace – Know Your Rights” notice every year. This is a new annual requirement, so any existing poster set needs it added.9Department of Industrial Relations. Required Posters and Notices
Immigration Agency Inspection Notice
If you receive notification that an immigration agency plans to inspect employment records, you have 72 hours to post a notice in the workplace.9Department of Industrial Relations. Required Posters and Notices
When English Alone Isn’t Enough
Federal law mostly accepts English-only posters, with a few exceptions. The FMLA poster must be provided in the primary language of employees where a significant portion of the workforce isn’t literate in English.18U.S. Department of Labor. Posters – Frequently Asked Questions
California is stricter. The workers’ compensation notice must be posted in English and Spanish wherever there are Spanish-speaking employees.15California Legislative Information. California Labor Code 3550 The minimum wage poster also has to appear in Spanish. For the discrimination and harassment poster and the transgender rights poster, employers whose workforce at any location is 10 percent or more non-English-speaking must post in those employees’ primary languages too. The Civil Rights Department publishes its poster in English, Spanish, Simplified Chinese, Tagalog, Vietnamese, and Korean.12California Legislative Information. California Government Code 12950
Remote and Hybrid Workforces
Physical posting is still the default under federal law. Electronic notices supplement hard-copy posting in most situations; they don’t replace it.19U.S. Department of Labor. Field Assistance Bulletin No. 2020-7
Electronic posting can fully substitute for physical posting only when all three of these are true: every employee works exclusively remotely, all employees customarily receive information from the employer electronically, and all employees have ready access to the electronic posting at all times. If even one employee works on-site, you still need physical posters at that location.19U.S. Department of Labor. Field Assistance Bulletin No. 2020-7
For hybrid setups, use both. The electronic version must sit somewhere employees can reach without asking for permission, and you have to tell them where to find it.
Industry and Local Posters
Some industries have additional posting duties. Healthcare, agriculture, and food service employers often have industry-specific safety notices or wage orders tailored to their operations. Hotels, restaurants, bars, and certain other specified businesses must post a human trafficking notice with hotline numbers for victims to seek help or report unlawful activity.20California Office of the Attorney General. Human Trafficking Model Notice
Cities and counties can add their own rules too, especially around local minimum wage ordinances. San Francisco, Los Angeles, and several other municipalities have their own minimum wage rates and require city-specific notices. Check local requirements for every location where you have workers.
What Missing a Poster Costs
Penalties depend on which poster is missing and which agency enforces it.
- Failing to post OSHA’s “Job Safety and Health” poster can run up to $16,550 per violation.21Occupational Safety and Health Administration. OSHA Penalties
- Not displaying the EEOC “Know Your Rights” poster carries a penalty of $680 per offense, adjusted annually for inflation.4U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Know Your Rights: Workplace Discrimination is Illegal Poster
- Willfully failing to post the FMLA notice carries a penalty of up to $216 per offense.22eCFR. 29 CFR 825.300 – General Notice Requirements
- Failing to keep California’s workers’ compensation notice posted is a misdemeanor, and it serves as evidence that the employer has no coverage.15California Legislative Information. California Labor Code 3550
- Failing to comply with the California unemployment insurance notice requirement is also a misdemeanor.16California Legislative Information. California Unemployment Insurance Code 1089
Beyond direct fines, missing posters hurt an employer’s defense in wage claims and discrimination cases, because the employer loses the argument that the employee was on notice of the rules.
Where to Get the Posters and How to Display Them
Most required posters are free from the agencies that mandate them. Federal posters come from the Department of Labor’s poster page.23U.S. Department of Labor. Workplace Posters California state posters come from the Department of Industrial Relations and the Employment Development Department. Your workers’ compensation poster comes from your insurance carrier.9Department of Industrial Relations. Required Posters and Notices
Post them where employees can easily read them during the workday: a break room, a common area, or near a time clock. Employers with multiple locations or departments should post in each area, not rely on one central set, and notices must stay legible and unobscured.
Private vendors sell all-in-one compliance posters combining federal and state notices on a single display, often with subscription updates when laws change. These can save time, but verify that any vendor poster is current and contains every required notice. An all-in-one poster missing even one mandated notice still leaves you out of compliance, and the rules change often enough that annual review is the floor, not a best practice.