Last updated: 2026-08-23.
Statewide MandateHow Arizona's real statutory thresholds apply to specific employer profiles. Each section re-frames the state law above for one audience — the underlying figures never change, only the lens does.
For employers with fewer than 15 employees: Arizona requires paid sick leave for 1 employee. No local ordinances are tracked beyond the state law. Source: https://www.azlica.com/; retrieved 2026-08-23.
Size note: Your obligation turns on the threshold "1 employee". The Compliance Checker applies your headcount automatically. Use the Compliance Checker to apply your headcount to the correct rule.
For employers with 50 or more employees: Arizona requires paid sick leave for 1 employee. No local ordinances are tracked beyond the state law. Source: https://www.azlica.com/; retrieved 2026-08-23.
Size note: Your obligation turns on the threshold "1 employee". The Compliance Checker applies your headcount automatically. Use the Compliance Checker to apply your headcount to the correct rule.
For restaurant, café, and food-service operators: Arizona requires paid sick leave for 1 employee. No local ordinances are tracked beyond the state law. Source: https://www.azlica.com/; retrieved 2026-08-23.
Industry note: The law is industry-neutral — all covered employers, including restaurants & food service, use the same statewide thresholds: 1 employee, accrual 1 hour per 30 hours worked, cap 24 hours/year (<15 employees); 40 hours/year (15+ employees). Use the Compliance Checker to apply your headcount to the correct rule.
For retail stores, shops, and chains: Arizona requires paid sick leave for 1 employee. No local ordinances are tracked beyond the state law. Source: https://www.azlica.com/; retrieved 2026-08-23.
Industry note: The law is industry-neutral — all covered employers, including retail employers, use the same statewide thresholds: 1 employee, accrual 1 hour per 30 hours worked, cap 24 hours/year (<15 employees); 40 hours/year (15+ employees). Use the Compliance Checker to apply your headcount to the correct rule.
For clinics, hospitals, and healthcare staffing: Arizona requires paid sick leave for 1 employee. No local ordinances are tracked beyond the state law. Source: https://www.azlica.com/; retrieved 2026-08-23.
Industry note: The law is industry-neutral — all covered employers, including healthcare employers, use the same statewide thresholds: 1 employee, accrual 1 hour per 30 hours worked, cap 24 hours/year (<15 employees); 40 hours/year (15+ employees). Use the Compliance Checker to apply your headcount to the correct rule.
For hr teams onboarding new employees: Arizona requires paid sick leave for 1 employee. No local ordinances are tracked beyond the state law. Source: https://www.azlica.com/; retrieved 2026-08-23.
Size note: Your obligation turns on the threshold "1 employee". The Compliance Checker applies your headcount automatically. Use the Compliance Checker to apply your headcount to the correct rule.
For restaurant and food-service operators with fewer than 15 employees: Arizona requires paid sick leave for 1 employee. No local ordinances are tracked beyond the state law. Source: https://www.azlica.com/; retrieved 2026-08-23.
Industry note: The law is industry-neutral — all covered employers, including small restaurants (under 15 employees), use the same statewide thresholds: 1 employee, accrual 1 hour per 30 hours worked, cap 24 hours/year (<15 employees); 40 hours/year (15+ employees). Use the Compliance Checker to apply your headcount to the correct rule.
For restaurant groups and chains with 50 or more employees: Arizona requires paid sick leave for 1 employee. No local ordinances are tracked beyond the state law. Source: https://www.azlica.com/; retrieved 2026-08-23.
Industry note: The law is industry-neutral — all covered employers, including large restaurants & chains (50+ employees), use the same statewide thresholds: 1 employee, accrual 1 hour per 30 hours worked, cap 24 hours/year (<15 employees); 40 hours/year (15+ employees). Use the Compliance Checker to apply your headcount to the correct rule.
For retail stores and shops with fewer than 15 employees: Arizona requires paid sick leave for 1 employee. No local ordinances are tracked beyond the state law. Source: https://www.azlica.com/; retrieved 2026-08-23.
Industry note: The law is industry-neutral — all covered employers, including small retail (under 15 employees), use the same statewide thresholds: 1 employee, accrual 1 hour per 30 hours worked, cap 24 hours/year (<15 employees); 40 hours/year (15+ employees). Use the Compliance Checker to apply your headcount to the correct rule.
For retail chains with 50 or more employees: Arizona requires paid sick leave for 1 employee. No local ordinances are tracked beyond the state law. Source: https://www.azlica.com/; retrieved 2026-08-23.
Industry note: The law is industry-neutral — all covered employers, including large retail & chains (50+ employees), use the same statewide thresholds: 1 employee, accrual 1 hour per 30 hours worked, cap 24 hours/year (<15 employees); 40 hours/year (15+ employees). Use the Compliance Checker to apply your headcount to the correct rule.
For clinics and healthcare practices with fewer than 15 employees: Arizona requires paid sick leave for 1 employee. No local ordinances are tracked beyond the state law. Source: https://www.azlica.com/; retrieved 2026-08-23.
Industry note: The law is industry-neutral — all covered employers, including small healthcare (under 15 employees), use the same statewide thresholds: 1 employee, accrual 1 hour per 30 hours worked, cap 24 hours/year (<15 employees); 40 hours/year (15+ employees). Use the Compliance Checker to apply your headcount to the correct rule.
For hospitals and healthcare systems with 50 or more employees: Arizona requires paid sick leave for 1 employee. No local ordinances are tracked beyond the state law. Source: https://www.azlica.com/; retrieved 2026-08-23.
Industry note: The law is industry-neutral — all covered employers, including large healthcare systems (50+ employees), use the same statewide thresholds: 1 employee, accrual 1 hour per 30 hours worked, cap 24 hours/year (<15 employees); 40 hours/year (15+ employees). Use the Compliance Checker to apply your headcount to the correct rule.
| Requirement | Detail |
|---|---|
| Statewide mandate | Yes |
| Employer threshold | 1 employee |
| Accrual rate | 1 hour per 30 hours worked |
| Max accrual / year | 24 hours/year (<15 employees); 40 hours/year (15+ employees) |
| Paid or unpaid | paid |
| Carryover | Yes (up to 40 hrs) |
| Qualified reasons | Own/family illness, preventive care. |
| Effective date | Jul 1, 2017 |
| Official source | https://www.azlica.com/ ↗ |
Arizona's earned paid sick time (Prop 206 / Fair Wages and Healthy Families Act, A.R.S. § 23-371 et seq., effective Jul 1, 2017) goes beyond the federal floor. There is no nationwide federal paid sick leave mandate for private employers; the only federal guarantee is the unpaid FMLA (12 weeks, employers 50 or more, 1,250-hour eligibility). Arizona requires every employer — regardless of size — to provide 1 hour per 30 hours worked, capped at 24 hours (under 15 employees) or 40 hours (15 or more). The state law also preempts cities from setting different private-employer rules, so the statewide floor is the only mandate in places like Phoenix and Tucson.
Regionally, Arizona is in the middle. California (Labor Code § 246) requires 1 hour per 30 hours with an 80-hour accrual / 40-hour usage cap and a 1-employee threshold. Nevada (SB 312), Arizona's western neighbor, mandates general paid leave at roughly 1 hour per 52 hours (0.01923) for employers with 50 or more Nevada employees. New Mexico, Arizona's eastern neighbor, also mandates paid sick leave (1 hour per 30 hours, 64-hour cap, all employers). Utah — Arizona's northern neighbor — has no statewide paid sick leave law, leaving the benefit to employer policy. Arizona's 1-in-30 accrual with size-tiered caps is stricter than Nevada and Utah but in line with California and New Mexico on accrual rate.
| Year | Change |
|---|---|
| 2016 (eff. 2017) | Proposition 206 (Fair Wages and Healthy Families Act) approved by voters; codified at A.R.S. §§ 23-371 to 23-381, requiring earned paid sick time for all employers. |
| 2026 | Earned paid sick time requirements unchanged for 2026; employers must still display the state minimum-wage / paid-sick-time poster and honor the 90-day waiting period before use. |
Employers in Arizona most often trip on the items below. Amounts are typical statutory ranges — confirm the current figure with the state labor department before acting.
| Violation | Typical penalty / fine | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Denying earned paid sick time | A.R.S. § 23-364 — remedies include unpaid sick pay, an additional sum equal to twice the unpaid amount, interest, attorney's fees, costs, and reinstatement for retaliation; civil penalties up to $250 for a first violation and $1,000 for repeat violations. | Statute of limitations is 2 years. |
| Retaliation for using sick time | Anti-retaliation protections under A.R.S. § 23-364; reinstatement plus back pay plus double damages available. | Retaliation includes termination, discipline, or any adverse action tied to sick-time use. |
| Failing to post the required notice | The Industrial Commission of Arizona may assess penalties for poster failures separately from pay violations. | A Spanish-language poster is also published; failure to post is a standalone compliance issue. |
Use the button below to print or save a one-page compliance summary for Arizona. It includes the state law table and any local ordinances above.
Yes. Arizona requires paid sick leave for 1 employee. Accrual is 1 hour per 30 hours worked, capped at 24 hours/year (<15 employees); 40 hours/year (15+ employees), with carryover Yes (up to 40 hrs).
Employees accrue 1 hour per 30 hours worked. The max accrual is 24 hours/year (<15 employees); 40 hours/year (15+ employees).
No local ordinances are tracked for Arizona beyond the state law.
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