Federal Labor Law Posters: Required Notices, Display, and Penalties

Federal labor law posters are the official workplace notices that employers must display so employees can read about their rights to fair wages, safe conditions, freedom from discrimination, and protected leave. Six posters apply to most private employers, with additional notices required for federal contractors and certain industries. Every required poster is available free from the federal agency that issues it, and the penalty for missing the OSHA poster alone can reach $16,550 per violation.¹

The Six Core Posters for Most Private Employers

Not every business needs all six. Coverage depends on headcount and the type of work you do, but most employers with more than a handful of employees will need several.

Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). Covers the federal minimum wage of $7.25 per hour and overtime at one-and-a-half times the regular rate after 40 hours in a workweek. Required for every employer subject to the FLSA’s minimum wage rules.²
Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA). Tells workers they have the right to a safe workplace and explains how to file a safety complaint. Applies to most private-sector employers regardless of size.³
Know Your Rights (EEO). The EEOC’s poster covering discrimination protections under Title VII, the ADA, GINA, and the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act. Applies to employers with 15 or more employees, and 20 or more for age discrimination.⁴
Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA). Explains the right to up to 12 weeks of unpaid, job-protected leave per year for qualifying family and medical reasons. Required for employers with 50 or more employees within a 75-mile radius.⁵
Employee Polygraph Protection Act (EPPA). Notifies workers that most private employers cannot require or request lie detector tests. Must be displayed where both employees and job applicants can see it.⁶
Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA). Informs employees who leave for military service of their right to return to their civilian jobs. Applies to virtually all employers, public and private, regardless of size.⁷

One quirk worth knowing. Most of these posters carry financial penalties for noncompliance, but the FLSA poster does not. The Department of Labor does not issue citations or penalties specifically for failing to display the FLSA notice, even though it remains a legal obligation.⁸

Additional Posters for Federal Contractors and Specific Industries

Government contracts and certain industries trigger posting obligations beyond the standard set. These are the ones employers most often overlook, usually because the business didn’t think of itself as a “government contractor” until an audit forced the question.

Davis-Bacon Act. Contractors and subcontractors on federally funded construction projects exceeding $2,000 must post the prevailing wage rates for the project.⁹
Service Contract Act. Employers providing services to the federal government under contracts over $2,500 must display notices about minimum wages and fringe benefits for covered workers.¹⁰
Migrant and Seasonal Agricultural Worker Protection Act (MSPA). Farm labor contractors and agricultural employers who hire migrant or seasonal workers must post notices explaining those workers’ rights.¹¹
National Labor Relations Act (NLRA). Federal contractors and subcontractors must inform employees of their rights to organize and bargain collectively. The requirement comes from DOL regulations at 29 CFR Part 471, not the NLRA itself.¹²

Federal contractors enrolled in E-Verify must also display both the E-Verify participation poster and the Right to Work poster in English and Spanish where prospective employees can see them.

Which Posters Does Your Business Actually Need

Headcount, industry, and government contracts all shape the answer. Some thresholds trip people up. The FMLA poster only kicks in at 50 employees within a 75-mile radius, and the EEOC’s Know Your Rights poster only applies at 15 employees for most discrimination laws.¹³ Smaller employers still need OSHA, FLSA, USERRA, and EPPA posters.

The fastest way to sort this out is the Department of Labor’s free FirstStep Poster Advisor. Answer a few questions about your business and it tells you which federal posters you must display, with links to free downloadable copies.¹⁴

Recheck your obligations whenever your business crosses an employee-count threshold, takes on a government contract, or expands into a new industry. Going from 49 to 51 employees means FMLA posting becomes mandatory.

Where and How to Display Them

The core rule is the same across every federal poster requirement: put them where employees actually see them. OSHA’s regulation spells it out most precisely, requiring placement in “a conspicuous place or places where notices to employees are customarily posted.”¹⁵ Break rooms, hallways near time clocks, and employee entrances are the standard choices.

The OSHA poster and any reproductions must be at least 8.5 by 14 inches with at least 10-point type. Headings must be in large type, generally no less than 36-point.¹⁵ Other posters carry similar legibility expectations. Printing a full-page poster on standard letter paper and taping it behind a coffee machine doesn’t count.

Each physical location where your business operates needs its own set. Some posters must also be visible to job applicants, not just current employees. The EPPA notice, for example, must be placed where both employees and applicants for employment can readily see it.⁶

Language Requirements

Most federal poster rules do not require displays in any language other than English. The main exceptions are the FMLA and MSPA posters. Under the FMLA, if a significant portion of your workforce is not literate in English, you must provide the poster in a language they can understand.¹⁶ The DOL offers many of its posters in Spanish and other languages, and providing them is sensible wherever your workforce will benefit, but for most posters it’s a best practice rather than a legal mandate.

Remote and Multi-Site Workforces

Federal posting rules were largely written before remote work became common, and the guidance is still catching up. FMLA regulations now allow electronic posting as long as it otherwise meets the requirements.¹⁶ The USERRA notice can be delivered through direct handling, mailing, or email instead of a physical poster. For other posters, the DOL recommends placing a prominent notice on your website with links to the required posters, but makes clear that electronic posting is not a substitute for physical posting where physical posting is otherwise required.

The safest approach for employers with remote workers is to post physically at every office location and also make electronic copies available on your intranet or by email.

Penalties for Missing Posters

The financial stakes vary widely. Some penalties would barely register on a corporate balance sheet. Others are steep enough to get anyone’s attention.

OSHA poster. Up to $16,550 per violation, the same penalty bracket as an other-than-serious OSHA safety violation. Inspectors do check for it during workplace inspections.¹
Know Your Rights (EEO) poster. Up to $698 per offense, adjusted annually for inflation.¹⁷
FMLA poster. Up to $216 for a willful refusal to post.¹⁸
EPPA. A maximum civil penalty of $26,262 for violations of the Act, though this covers all EPPA violations, not posting failures alone.¹⁸
FLSA poster. No specific penalty. Posting is still required.⁸

These figures reflect the most recent inflation adjustments effective in January and September 2025, and remain in effect through 2026 unless a new adjustment is published. Beyond direct fines, missing posters can complicate an employer’s defense in wage, safety, or discrimination disputes. It’s harder to argue an employee knew about a legal deadline or procedure when the poster explaining it wasn’t on the wall.

Getting the Posters Free and Avoiding Scams

Every required federal poster is available at no cost from the agency that administers it. The DOL provides downloadable files for all of its posters and takes orders for printed copies through its online publication ordering system.¹⁹ The EEOC hosts its Know Your Rights poster separately.⁴

Watch out for companies that send official-looking letters or emails demanding payment for poster “updates.” This is one of the most common small-business scams. These solicitations often mimic government letterhead, claim your posters are outdated, and threaten fines if you don’t buy replacements. The Department of Labor never charges for its posters and does not send solicitations. If someone shows up at your workplace claiming to be from OSHA or the DOL and demands payment for replacement posters, they have no authority to collect fines. Ignore the demand and report the contact to the agency the person claims to represent.

Consolidated all-in-one posters sold by private vendors are legal to use, but only if they contain the full, current text of every required notice in the correct format. If a consolidated poster omits a required notice or uses an outdated version, the employer is the one who gets fined, not the poster company.

Keeping Posters Current

Federal poster requirements change when the underlying laws or regulations change, whether that’s a new minimum wage, an updated penalty amount, or an expanded protected category. The EEOC’s Know Your Rights poster was last significantly revised in 2022 to add protections under the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act. Using an outdated version after a major revision can count as a violation even when a poster is displayed.

Check the DOL’s poster page at least once a year, ideally in January when most inflation-adjusted penalties and new poster versions take effect. If you use a consolidated poster from a private vendor, confirm that the vendor actually updates its product when requirements change. Many do; some sell you last year’s version at this year’s price.

State Posters Are Separate

Federal posters are only half the picture. Every state has its own required workplace notices covering topics like state minimum wage, workers’ compensation, unemployment insurance, and anti-discrimination protections that go beyond federal law. These are separate from federal posters and must be displayed alongside them. The DOL’s poster page links to state labor department contacts for state-specific requirements.⁸ Many employers handle both by dedicating a single bulletin board to all required notices, federal on one side and state on the other.

1
Occupational Safety and Health Administration. OSHA Penalties
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U.S. Department of Labor. Wages and the Fair Labor Standards Act
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Occupational Safety and Health Administration. OSHA Cares Job Safety and Health Workplace Poster
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U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Know Your Rights: Workplace Discrimination is Illegal Poster
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U.S. Department of Labor. Family and Medical Leave (FMLA)
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U.S. Department of Labor. Employee Polygraph Protection Act (EPPA) Poster
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U.S. Department of Labor. Your Rights Under USERRA Poster
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U.S. Department of Labor. Workplace Posters
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U.S. Department of Labor. Davis-Bacon and Related Acts
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eCFR. 29 CFR Part 4 – Labor Standards for Federal Service Contracts
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U.S. Department of Labor. Migrant and Seasonal Agricultural Worker Protection Act (MSPA) Poster
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National Labor Relations Board. Employee Rights Notice Posting
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U.S. Department of Labor. Fact Sheet 28A – Employee Protections Under the Family and Medical Leave Act
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U.S. Department of Labor. elaws – FirstStep Poster Advisor
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eCFR. 29 CFR 1903.2
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U.S. Department of Labor. Posters – Frequently Asked Questions
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Federal Register. 2025 Adjustment of the Penalty for Violation of Notice Posting Requirements
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U.S. Department of Labor. Civil Money Penalty Inflation Adjustments
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U.S. Department of Labor. Workplace Posters