PAID SICK LEAVE BENEFITS, A NATIONWIDE LIST – Is Your Business Affected?

Currently, no federal paid sick leave law exists. However, over the last decade, many states, counties and cities have passed distinct laws requiring covered employers to provide such benefits to designated workers.

Businesses employing persons in multiple covered locations may face conflicting requirements for each.

A current list of jurisdictions nationwide that we have found with such laws:

State/County/City Covered Employers Effective Date ArizonaAll employers regardless of size.July 1, 2017CaliforniaAll employers regardless of size.July 1, 2015Berkeley, CAAll employers regardless of size.October 1, 2017Emeryville, CAAll employers regardless of size.July 2, 2015Los Angeles, CAEmployers with 26 or more employees.July 1, 2016Employers with 25 or fewer employees.July 1, 2017Long Beach, CAHotel employers.November 6, 2012Oakland, CAAll employers regardless of size.March 2, 2015San Diego, CAAll employers regardless of size.July 11, 2016San Francisco, CAAll employers regardless of size.February 5, 2007Santa Monica, CAAll employers regardless of size.January 1, 2017ConnecticutFor employers with 50 or employees (for services workers only.)January 1, 2012District of ColumbiaAll employers regardless of size.November 13, 2008Chicago, ILAll employers regardless of size that maintain a business facility within theCity of Chicago and/or are required to obtain a business license to operate inthe city.July 1, 2017Cook County, ILAll employers that employ at least one covered employee at a place of business within the Cook County.July 1, 2017Montgomery County, MDEmployers with five or more employees, and both paid and unpaid if it has fewer than 5 employees.October 1, 2016MassachusettsEmployers with 11 or more employees and unpaid if fewer than 11.July 1, 2015Minneapolis, MNEmployers with 6 or more employees. Employers with 5 or fewer employees can choose to provide unpaid leave.July 1, 2017St. Paul, MNEmployers with 24 or more employees.July 1, 2017Bloomfield, NJAll employers regardless of size.July 1, 2015Elizabeth, NJAll employers regardless of size.March 2, 2016East Orange, NJAll employers regardless of size.January 7, 2015Irvington, NJAll employers regardless of size.January 28, 2015Jersey City, NJEmployers with 10 or more employees. Employers with fewer than 10 employees can provide unpaid sick days.January 24, 2014Montclair, NJAll employers regardless of size.March 4, 2015Morristown, NJAll employers regardless of size.January 11, 2017New Brunswick, NJEmployers with 5 or more full time employees.January 6, 2016Newark, NJAll employers regardless of size.June 21, 2014Passaic, NJAll employers regardless of size.January 1, 2015Paterson, NJAll employers regardless of size.January 8, 2015Plainfield, NJAll employers regardless of size.July 15, 2016New York City, NYEmployers with five or more employees, or one or more domestic worker. Employers with fewer than five employees must provide unpaid sick leave.April 1, 2014Portland, ORAll employers with 10 or more employees (at least 6 for employers located in Portland) Employers with less than 10 employees (less than 6 for employers located in Portland.)January 1, 2016Philadelphia, PAEmployers with 10 or more employees must provide paid sick leave. Employers with 9 employees must provide unpaid sick leave.May 13, 2015VermontEmployers with more than five employees.January 1, 2017Employers with five or fewer employees.January 1, 2018WashingtonAll Employers regardless the size.January 1, 2018SeaTac, WAHospitality, transportation and retail employers with 10 or more employees (non – managerial employees.)January 1, 2014Seattle, WAAll employers with more than four full- time equivalent employees (including full time, part-time and temporary workers.)September 1, 2012Spokane, WAAll employers regardless of size. New businesses which start up during 2017 will have an additional year from the date they get their first business registration in Spokane. January 1, 2017Tacoma, WAAll employers regardless of size.February 1, 2016

See also:

• Bulletproofing Los Angeles’s Paid Sick Leave Ordinance (October, 2016).
• San Diego Paid Sick Leave Requirements, Effective July 11 and September 2, 2016 (August, 2016).
• Santa Monica Rides the Sick Pay Wave (August, 2016).
• California Paid Sick Leave Law, More About (November, 2015).
• Oakland Paid Sick Leave Law Provides Greater Benefits Than the Upcoming State Requirements (March, 2015).

For more information, please contact Tim Bowles, Cindy Bamforth or Helena Kobrin.

Cindy Bamforth
August 15, 2017