Last updated: 2026-08-23.
Statewide MandateHow California'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: California requires paid sick leave for 1 employee. 20 locality(-ies) have ordinances stricter than state law: San Francisco, Los Angeles, Oakland, San Diego, Berkeley, Emeryville, Santa Monica, West Hollywood, San Jose, Pasadena, Long Beach, Fresno, Sacramento, Santa Rosa, San Mateo County, San Mateo, Richmond, San Rafael, Daly City, San Leandro. Source: https://www.dir.ca.gov/dlse/paid_sick_leave.htm; 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: California requires paid sick leave for 1 employee. 20 locality(-ies) have ordinances stricter than state law: San Francisco, Los Angeles, Oakland, San Diego, Berkeley, Emeryville, Santa Monica, West Hollywood, San Jose, Pasadena, Long Beach, Fresno, Sacramento, Santa Rosa, San Mateo County, San Mateo, Richmond, San Rafael, Daly City, San Leandro. Source: https://www.dir.ca.gov/dlse/paid_sick_leave.htm; 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: California requires paid sick leave for 1 employee. 20 locality(-ies) have ordinances stricter than state law: San Francisco, Los Angeles, Oakland, San Diego, Berkeley, Emeryville, Santa Monica, West Hollywood, San Jose, Pasadena, Long Beach, Fresno, Sacramento, Santa Rosa, San Mateo County, San Mateo, Richmond, San Rafael, Daly City, San Leandro. Source: https://www.dir.ca.gov/dlse/paid_sick_leave.htm; 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 80 hours accrual cap; 40 hours (5 days) usage cap per year. Use the Compliance Checker to apply your headcount to the correct rule.
For retail stores, shops, and chains: California requires paid sick leave for 1 employee. 20 locality(-ies) have ordinances stricter than state law: San Francisco, Los Angeles, Oakland, San Diego, Berkeley, Emeryville, Santa Monica, West Hollywood, San Jose, Pasadena, Long Beach, Fresno, Sacramento, Santa Rosa, San Mateo County, San Mateo, Richmond, San Rafael, Daly City, San Leandro. Source: https://www.dir.ca.gov/dlse/paid_sick_leave.htm; 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 80 hours accrual cap; 40 hours (5 days) usage cap per year. Use the Compliance Checker to apply your headcount to the correct rule.
For clinics, hospitals, and healthcare staffing: California requires paid sick leave for 1 employee. 20 locality(-ies) have ordinances stricter than state law: San Francisco, Los Angeles, Oakland, San Diego, Berkeley, Emeryville, Santa Monica, West Hollywood, San Jose, Pasadena, Long Beach, Fresno, Sacramento, Santa Rosa, San Mateo County, San Mateo, Richmond, San Rafael, Daly City, San Leandro. Source: https://www.dir.ca.gov/dlse/paid_sick_leave.htm; 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 80 hours accrual cap; 40 hours (5 days) usage cap per year. Use the Compliance Checker to apply your headcount to the correct rule.
For hr teams onboarding new employees: California requires paid sick leave for 1 employee. 20 locality(-ies) have ordinances stricter than state law: San Francisco, Los Angeles, Oakland, San Diego, Berkeley, Emeryville, Santa Monica, West Hollywood, San Jose, Pasadena, Long Beach, Fresno, Sacramento, Santa Rosa, San Mateo County, San Mateo, Richmond, San Rafael, Daly City, San Leandro. Source: https://www.dir.ca.gov/dlse/paid_sick_leave.htm; 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: California requires paid sick leave for 1 employee. 20 locality(-ies) have ordinances stricter than state law: San Francisco, Los Angeles, Oakland, San Diego, Berkeley, Emeryville, Santa Monica, West Hollywood, San Jose, Pasadena, Long Beach, Fresno, Sacramento, Santa Rosa, San Mateo County, San Mateo, Richmond, San Rafael, Daly City, San Leandro. Source: https://www.dir.ca.gov/dlse/paid_sick_leave.htm; 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 80 hours accrual cap; 40 hours (5 days) usage cap per year. Use the Compliance Checker to apply your headcount to the correct rule.
For restaurant groups and chains with 50 or more employees: California requires paid sick leave for 1 employee. 20 locality(-ies) have ordinances stricter than state law: San Francisco, Los Angeles, Oakland, San Diego, Berkeley, Emeryville, Santa Monica, West Hollywood, San Jose, Pasadena, Long Beach, Fresno, Sacramento, Santa Rosa, San Mateo County, San Mateo, Richmond, San Rafael, Daly City, San Leandro. Source: https://www.dir.ca.gov/dlse/paid_sick_leave.htm; 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 80 hours accrual cap; 40 hours (5 days) usage cap per year. Use the Compliance Checker to apply your headcount to the correct rule.
For retail stores and shops with fewer than 15 employees: California requires paid sick leave for 1 employee. 20 locality(-ies) have ordinances stricter than state law: San Francisco, Los Angeles, Oakland, San Diego, Berkeley, Emeryville, Santa Monica, West Hollywood, San Jose, Pasadena, Long Beach, Fresno, Sacramento, Santa Rosa, San Mateo County, San Mateo, Richmond, San Rafael, Daly City, San Leandro. Source: https://www.dir.ca.gov/dlse/paid_sick_leave.htm; 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 80 hours accrual cap; 40 hours (5 days) usage cap per year. Use the Compliance Checker to apply your headcount to the correct rule.
For retail chains with 50 or more employees: California requires paid sick leave for 1 employee. 20 locality(-ies) have ordinances stricter than state law: San Francisco, Los Angeles, Oakland, San Diego, Berkeley, Emeryville, Santa Monica, West Hollywood, San Jose, Pasadena, Long Beach, Fresno, Sacramento, Santa Rosa, San Mateo County, San Mateo, Richmond, San Rafael, Daly City, San Leandro. Source: https://www.dir.ca.gov/dlse/paid_sick_leave.htm; 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 80 hours accrual cap; 40 hours (5 days) usage cap per year. Use the Compliance Checker to apply your headcount to the correct rule.
For clinics and healthcare practices with fewer than 15 employees: California requires paid sick leave for 1 employee. 20 locality(-ies) have ordinances stricter than state law: San Francisco, Los Angeles, Oakland, San Diego, Berkeley, Emeryville, Santa Monica, West Hollywood, San Jose, Pasadena, Long Beach, Fresno, Sacramento, Santa Rosa, San Mateo County, San Mateo, Richmond, San Rafael, Daly City, San Leandro. Source: https://www.dir.ca.gov/dlse/paid_sick_leave.htm; 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 80 hours accrual cap; 40 hours (5 days) usage cap per year. Use the Compliance Checker to apply your headcount to the correct rule.
For hospitals and healthcare systems with 50 or more employees: California requires paid sick leave for 1 employee. 20 locality(-ies) have ordinances stricter than state law: San Francisco, Los Angeles, Oakland, San Diego, Berkeley, Emeryville, Santa Monica, West Hollywood, San Jose, Pasadena, Long Beach, Fresno, Sacramento, Santa Rosa, San Mateo County, San Mateo, Richmond, San Rafael, Daly City, San Leandro. Source: https://www.dir.ca.gov/dlse/paid_sick_leave.htm; 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 80 hours accrual cap; 40 hours (5 days) usage cap per year. 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 | 80 hours accrual cap; 40 hours (5 days) usage cap per year |
| Paid or unpaid | paid |
| Carryover | Yes |
| Qualified reasons | Own/family illness, preventive care, safety, judicial (crime victim, eff Jan 1 2026). |
| Effective date | Sep 29, 2022 (2014 original) |
| Official source | https://www.dir.ca.gov/dlse/paid_sick_leave.htm ↗ |
These cities/counties in California have their own sick leave rules that may exceed the state standard. Each links to a dedicated page with the full local breakdown.
| Locality | Employer threshold | Accrual | Max | Paid/Unpaid |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Francisco | 1 employee | 1 hour per 30 hours (or 1 per 20 for certain) | Up to 72 hours (rollover) or 40 hours frontloaded | paid |
| Los Angeles | 1 employee | 1 hour per 30 hours | 48 hours/year | paid |
| Oakland | 1 employee | 1 hour per 30 hours | 40 hours/year | paid |
| San Diego | 1 employee | 1 hour per 30 hours | 40 hours/year | paid |
| Berkeley | 1 employee | 1 hour per 30 hours | 40 hours/year | paid |
| Emeryville | 1 employee | 1 hour per 30 hours | 40 hours/year | paid |
| Santa Monica | 1 employee | 1 hour per 30 hours | 40 hours/year | paid |
| West Hollywood | 1 employee (full-time) | 1 hour per 30 hours | 96 hours paid + 80 unpaid | paid |
| San Jose | 1 employee | 1 hour per 30 hours | 40 hours/year (or 3 days frontloaded) | paid |
| Pasadena | 1 employee | 1 hour per 30 hours | 40 hours/year | paid |
| Long Beach | 1 employee | 1 hour per 30 hours | 40 hours/year | paid |
| Fresno | 1 employee | 1 hour per 30 hours | 40 hours/year | paid |
| Sacramento | 1 employee | 1 hour per 30 hours | 40 hours/year | paid |
| Santa Rosa | 1 employee | 1 hour per 30 hours | 40 hours/year | paid |
| San Mateo County | 1 employee | 1 hour per 30 hours | 40 hours/year | paid |
| San Mateo | 1 employee | 1 hour per 30 hours | 40 hours/year | paid |
| Richmond | 1 employee | 1 hour per 30 hours | 40 hours/year | paid |
| San Rafael | 1 employee | 1 hour per 30 hours | 40 hours/year | paid |
| Daly City | 1 employee | 1 hour per 30 hours | 40 hours/year | paid |
| San Leandro | 1 employee | 1 hour per 30 hours | 40 hours/year | paid |
Unlike federal law, California guarantees paid sick leave to nearly every employee. There is no nationwide federal paid sick leave mandate for private employers — the COVID-19 emergency rule (FFCRA) expired at the end of 2022, and the proposed federal Healthy Families Act has not passed. The only federal floor is the unpaid Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA, 29 U.S.C. § 2601), which covers only employers with 50 or more employees and eligible workers (1,250 hours in 12 months) for up to 12 weeks of unpaid, job-protected leave. California's Healthy Workplaces, Healthy Families Act (Labor Code §§ 245-249) applies from the first employee, accrues from day one, and pays for the time off — a far broader entitlement than the federal baseline.
Among its West Coast neighbors, California is the most generous on accrual rate. Oregon (ORS 653.601 et seq.) requires 1 hour per 30 hours but caps paid leave at 40 hours per year and pays it only for employers with 10 or more employees (6 or more in Portland); smaller Oregon employers must still provide the time, just unpaid. Nevada (SB 312, NRS 608.0197) mandates general paid leave at roughly 1 hour per 52 hours (0.01923) for employers with 50 or more Nevada employees, usable for any reason without disclosure. Arizona (Prop 206, A.R.S. § 23-371) requires 1 hour per 30 hours with a 40-hour cap (24 for employers under 15). California's 1-in-30 accrual, 80-hour accrual cap / 40-hour usage cap, and 1-employee threshold sit at the strict end of the regional spectrum, and its local ordinances (San Francisco, Los Angeles, Oakland and others) can push the floor even higher.
| Year | Change |
|---|---|
| 2014 (eff. 2015) | Healthy Workplaces, Healthy Families Act (AB 1522) enacted — California's first statewide paid sick leave: 3 days / 24 hours per year, accruing 1 hour per 30 hours worked. |
| 2016 (eff. 2017) | SB 3 aligned paid sick leave accrual with the minimum-wage schedule and shortened the waiting period before leave could be used to the 90th day of employment. |
| 2022 (eff. 2023) | AB 1041 expanded qualifying reasons to include safe leave for victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking, and broadened kin care. |
| 2023 (eff. 2024) | SB 616 raised the annual minimum to 5 days / 40 hours, set an 80-hour (10-day) accrual cap, and permitted frontloading the full amount at the start of the 12-month period. |
| 2025 (eff. 2026) | AB 406 added crime-victim and court-related (judicial) reasons — including appearing in immigration or other court proceedings — as permitted uses of paid sick leave. |
Employers in California 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Withholding or denying accrued paid sick leave | Labor Code § 248.5 — employee recovers 3x the dollar value of withheld leave or $250 (whichever is greater), capped at $4,000 per employee, plus attorney's fees. | Common with use-it-or-lose-it policies that violate the carryover rule. |
| Retaliation or termination for using sick leave | § 246.5 — reinstatement plus back pay plus $50 per day of violation (up to $4,000) plus actual damages; a rebuttable presumption of retaliation applies within 30 days of a leave request. | Firing or disciplining within the 30-day window shifts the burden to the employer. |
| Missing or outdated workplace poster / wage statement | § 247 — up to $100 per violation; separate PAGA exposure of $100-$200 per employee per pay period for routine under-posting. | PAGA lets an employee sue on the state's behalf for systematic posting or accrual failures. |
| Under-accrual or wrong carryover cap | § 246 plus § 248.5 — shorting accrual is treated as withholding and carries the same 3x / $250 formula. | Many payroll systems still cap at the old 24-hour (3-day) minimum and miss the 80-hour accrual cap. |
Use the button below to print or save a one-page compliance summary for California. It includes the state law table and any local ordinances above.
Yes. California requires paid sick leave for 1 employee. Accrual is 1 hour per 30 hours worked, capped at 80 hours accrual cap; 40 hours (5 days) usage cap per year, with carryover Yes.
Employees accrue 1 hour per 30 hours worked. The max accrual is 80 hours accrual cap; 40 hours (5 days) usage cap per year.
20 locality(-ies) have ordinances stricter than state law: San Francisco, Los Angeles, Oakland, San Diego, Berkeley, Emeryville, Santa Monica, West Hollywood, San Jose, Pasadena, Long Beach, Fresno, Sacramento, Santa Rosa, San Mateo County, San Mateo, Richmond, San Rafael, Daly City, San Leandro.
A focused set of free calculators and guides across related topics — no account required.