The Office of Wage Standards (OWS) of the Bureau of Contract Administration is responsible for implementing and administering the guidelines of the Los Angeles Minimum Wage and Minimum Wage Enforcement Ordinances in the City of Los Angeles. The OWS ensures that employers in the City comply with the appropriate minimum wage rates specified by the Ordinance through community outreach and investigation of potential wage theft violations to advance labor standards in the City.
Employer
Employer means any person, as defined in the California Labor Code including a corporate officer or executive, who directly or indirectly or through an agent or any other person, including through the services of a temporary services or staffing agency or similar entity, employs or exercises control over the wages, hours or working conditions of any Employee.
Employer Requirements
- • Employer must pay hourly minimum wage and provide paid sick leave for hours worked within the geographic boundaries of the City.
- • Employer must post the Office of Wage Standards Wage and Sick Time Notice in a conspicuous place at any workplace or job site in English and any other language(s) spoken by at least five percent (5%) of the Employees at the workplace or job site.
- • Employer must keep payroll records for four (4) years.
- • Employer must provide employees with the Employer's name, address, and telephone number in writing at the time of hire.
- Retaliation against any Employee exercising rights under the Minimum Wage and Office of Wage Standards Ordinances is prohibited.
Employee
Employee means any individual who in any particular week performs at least two (2) hours of work within the geographic boundaries of the City of Los Angeles for any Employer and is entitled to earn the California minimum wage. This Employee is covered by the Minimum Wage Ordinance (MWO) regardless of immigration status or employment status whether the Employee is full-time, part-time, temporary, etc.
Employee Remedies include, but are not limited to, the following:
- • Payment of wages unlawfully withheld;
- • Payment of Sick Time Benefits unlawfully withheld; and/or
- • An additional penalty of up to $120 to the Employee and up to $50 to the City for each day that either violation occurred or continued.
- • In cases of retaliation, the Employee may be entitled to reinstatement and trebled the above.
- An aggrieved Employee may file a civil court action.
Information
Wage Schedule Chart
Starting July 1, 2016, the minimum wage in the City of Los Angeles will increase according to the following schedules:
| Effective Date | Employers with 26 or more Employees |
Employers with 25 or fewer Employees or Non-Profit Corporations with 26 or more Employees with approval to pay a deferred rate |
||
| 7/1/2016 | $10.50 | $10.00 (CA State Minimum Wage) | ||
| 7/1/2017 | $12.00 | $10.50 | ||
| 7/1/2018 | $13.25 | $12.00 | ||
| 7/1/2019 | $14.25 | $13.25 | ||
| 7/1/2020 | $15.00 | $14.25 | ||
| 7/1/2021 | $15.00 | $15.00 | ||
Paid Sick Leave Chart
Starting July 1, 2016, all Employers, except for Employers with 25 or fewer Employees, will be required to provide paid sick leave according to the Los Angeles Minimum Wage Ordinance (MWO). The paid sick leave will be provided to all Employees who work at least two hours in a particular week in the City of Los Angeles for the same Employer for 30 days or more within a year. Employers with 25 or fewer Employees begin providing sick leave benefits on July 1, 2017.
| Entitlement | ||||||||
| Front-Loading | At least 48 hours provided either at the beginning of each year of employment, calendar year, or 12-month period; OR - | |||||||
| Accrual | One (1) hour of paid sick leave for every thirty (30) hours worked. | |||||||
| 72-Hour Cap | Accrued unused paid sick leave shall carry over to the following year of employment and may be capped at a minimum of 72 hours; however, an Employer may choose no cap or a higher cap. | |||||||
| Separation from employment | An Employer is not required to provide compensation to an Employee for accrued or unused sick days at separation from employment. | |||||||
| Reinstatement | If an Employee is re-hired within one (1) year of separation from employment, previously accrued and unused paid sick leave shall be reinstated. | |||||||
| Usage | ||||||||
| When | An Employee may use paid sick leave beginning on the 90th day of employment or July 1, 2016, whichever is later. | |||||||
| How | An Employer shall provide paid sick leave upon the oral or written request of an Employee for themselves or a family member, or for any individual related by blood or affinity. Qualified use of time can be found in LAMC Section 187.04(G). | |||||||
| The use of paid sick leave may be limited to 48 hours leave annually. | ||||||||
Administrative Fines for Violations
Each and every day that a violation exists constitutes a separate and distinct violation. Any administrative fine assessed within a three (3)-year period in any Notice of Correction and determined to be a subsequent violation of the same provision by the same Employer may be increased cumulatively by fifty (50) percent from the maximum administrative fine allowed.
| Violation | Fine Amount | |
| Failure to post notice of the Los Angeles Minimum Wage rate and Sick Time Benefits- Municipal Code Section 188.03(A) | Up to $500 | |
| Failure to allow access to payroll records - Municipal Code Section 188.03(B) | Up to $500 | |
| Failure to maintain payroll records or to retain payroll records for four years - Municipal Code Section 188.03(B) | Up to $500 | |
| Failure to allow access for inspection of books and records or to interview employees - Municipal Code Section 188.03(C) | Up to $500 | |
| Retaliation for exercising rights under this article - Municipal Code Section 188.04 - The Penalty for retaliation is up to $1,000 per employee. | Up to $1,000 | |
| Failure to provide employer's name, address, and telephone number in writing - Municipal Code Section 188.03(A) or 188.05(B) | Up to $500 | |
| Failure to cooperate with the Division's investigation - Municipal Code Section 188.05(B) | Up to $500 | |
| Failure to post Notice of Correction to employees - Municipal Code Section 188.06(D) | Up to $500 | |
This is a summary of certain provisions of the MWO. For complete requirements of the MWO, please refer to LAMC Sections 187 and 188.
Documents
2019 Los Angeles Minimum Wage & Paid Sick Leave Poster
| Letter-sized (8.5x11) | Legal-sized (8.5x14) | Full-sized (11x17) |
2018 Los Angeles Minimum Wage & Paid Sick Leave Poster
| Letter-sized (8.5x11) | Legal-sized (8.5x14) | Full-sized (11x17) |
Los Angeles Minimum Wage and Office of Wage Standards Ordinances
Frequently Asked Questions
Fact Sheets
English- Spanish
- Chinese - Simplified
- Chinese - Traditional
- Hindi
- Vietnamese
- Tagalog
- Korean
- Japanese
- Thai
- Armenian
- Russian
- Farsi
Employee Guide Brochures (Trifolds)
- English/English
- English/Spanish
- English/Chinese - Simplified
- English/Chinese - Traditional
- English/Hindi
- English/Vietnamese
- English/Tagalog
- English/Korean
- English/Japanese
- English/Thai
- English/Armenian
- English/Russian
- English/Farsi
Related Links
Visit Us
If you have any questions or would like to submit a complaint in person, we warmly welcome you to visit our office located at 1149 S Broadway, Suite 300, Los Angeles, CA 90015. If you would prefer not to present identification to building security, please don’t let it stop you from meeting with us. Inform building security that you have a meeting with the Office of Wage Standards (OWS), and we will be contacted to meet you in the lobby. Please rest assured that all conversations are kept confidential. We look forward to meeting with you!
Also, click here to get in contact with any of the community-based organizations that are able to provide helpful services at various locations and in different languages.