Blog · Updated June 2026
Pay Transparency Law Fines & Penalties by State
A reference table of civil penalties across every US jurisdiction with an active pay transparency law — from first-offense cure periods to six-figure repeat violations.
Pay transparency violations are almost always civil, not criminal — but the fines are real and add up quickly if you operate in multiple states. New York City has the most eye-catching exposure at up to $250,000 per violation, but Colorado’s mandatory minimums can be just as painful for employers with high job-posting volume.
Penalty reference table
| State / City | Law | First offense | Repeat / max | Mandatory? | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York City | Local Law 32 | $0 (cure period) | Up to $250,000 | Yes | Employers get a chance to cure on first violation. Repeat violations are mandatory. |
| California | SB 1162 | $100–$10,000 | $100–$10,000 per violation | Discretionary | DLSE assesses per posting. Willful violations at the higher end. |
| Illinois | HB 3129 | $500–$10,000 | $500–$10,000 per violation | Discretionary | IDOL can issue penalties per violation per posting. |
| Colorado | EPEWA | $500 | $500–$10,000 | Yes | Mandatory minimum $500 per posting violation. Benefits non-disclosure adds separate exposure. |
| New Jersey | P.L. 2024 c.91 | Up to $300 | Up to $600 | Discretionary | One fine per posting even across multiple platforms. NJDOL enforces. |
| Washington | EPEWA | Up to $1,000 | Up to $5,000 | Discretionary | L&I issues orders to comply and can impose fines for repeat violations. |
| New York State | §194-b | Up to $1,000 | Up to $3,000 | Discretionary | DOL discretionary. NYC Local Law 32 applies separately to NYC employers. |
| Maryland | SB 525 | Up to $300 | Up to $600 | Discretionary | Lower fines than most states; commissioner has discretion. |
| Minnesota | SF 2995 | Up to $500 | Up to $500 per violation | Discretionary | Commissioner of Labor may assess fines. |
| Hawaii | SB 1057 | Up to $500 | Up to $500 per violation | Discretionary | DLIR discretionary assessment. |
| Washington DC | Wage Transparency Act 2023 | Up to $1,000 | Up to $10,000 | Discretionary | OHR enforces; graduated for repeat violations. |
How enforcement actually works
Most state agencies enforce pay transparency laws reactively — they investigate after a complaint is filed by an applicant or employee. New York City is the exception: the Commission on Human Rights (CCHR) conducts proactive audits of job boards and has sent notices of violation to employers without waiting for a complaint.
Colorado’s Division of Labor Standards and Statistics (DLSS) investigates complaints and can issue findings of violation after a review. Because Colorado’s minimum fine is $500 per posting, a company that has run 50 non-compliant postings faces at least $25,000 in exposure even on a first offense — before considering attorney costs.
The real cost: reputational and recruiting
Beyond fines, pay transparency violations attract media attention and Glassdoor commentary. A Department of Labor finding against a mid-market employer is public record. Increasingly, candidates use salary-range presence as a proxy for employer trustworthiness — companies that don’t post ranges see lower application rates from experienced candidates who know their market value.
The most effective risk-management strategy is not avoiding fines — it is building a posting workflow where salary ranges are set and reviewed before a role goes live.
Know your exposure before regulators do. PayTransparency’s scanner checks your entire careers page and surfaces violations with statutory fine estimates — so you can fix them proactively.