Why Required Postings Matter
California has more mandatory workplace posting requirements than any other state. For restaurants, this means a combination of federal, state, and local notices — some of which must be displayed in specific locations, in specific languages, and updated when the underlying law changes. Failure to display required postings can result in citations and fines during CDPH, Cal/OSHA, or ABC inspections.
Download current state posters from the DIR workplace postings page and CRD posters from the California Civil Rights Department publications page.
The Core Required Postings for California Restaurants
Here is the poster list most California restaurants need on the wall. Confirm the current template from the issuing agency before you print:
- IWC Wage Order — restaurants generally use Wage Order 5 (public housekeeping). Post where employees can see it.
- California Minimum Wage Notice — update whenever the statewide or local rate changes.
- Paid Sick Leave Notice — Healthy Workplaces Healthy Families Act notice (SB 616 expanded accrual to at least 5 days / 40 hours).
- Payday Notice — regular paydays and where wages are paid (employer-created notice is allowed).
- Workers’ Compensation Notice — carrier information and employee rights (often Form DWC 7 plus your carrier’s notice).
- Cal/OSHA Safety and Health Protection on the Job — California poster, not the federal substitute.
- Emergency Phone Numbers — Cal/OSHA emergency contact notice for your location.
- CRD Discrimination and Harassment Poster — required for all employers; employers with 5+ employees also post transgender rights, pregnancy rights, and family care / pregnancy disability leave posters (CRD publications).
- EDD Unemployment / SDI / Paid Family Leave notices — DE 1857D, DE 2515, DE 2511 as applicable.
- Whistleblower Protections Notice — including the whistleblower hotline number.
- No-Smoking Signage — where smoking is prohibited in enclosed workplaces.
- Federal posters — FLSA minimum wage, federal OSHA “It’s the Law,” EEO, Employee Polygraph Protection, and FMLA if you have 50+ employees.
- ABC RBS Notice — if you hold an on-premises ABC license, post near the bar or point of service.
- Health inspection grade / permit — as required by your county environmental health department.
- Proposition 65 warning — if applicable to your operation.
The SB 294 Workplace Know Your Rights notice is not a wall poster. Employers must give it to each employee annually (and at hire). See SB 294 for California restaurants for delivery, language, emergency-contact, and recordkeeping rules, and use DIR’s current template.
Where Posters Must Be Posted
California generally requires notices in a conspicuous place where employees can readily see them. For a restaurant, that usually means a dedicated board in the break room or back-of-house that every employee passes through — and a separate board at every location you operate. Customer-facing items (health grade card, Prop 65, ABC RBS notice) go where guests or servers actually see them.
Postings That Change With Local Law
Depending on your city or county, you may also be required to post local minimum wage notices (San Francisco, Los Angeles, and several other jurisdictions have rates above the state minimum), local paid sick leave supplements, or health department-specific notices. Each jurisdiction is different.
How to Stay Current on Postings
The most common compliance gap is not the initial posting — it’s failing to update notices when the law changes. California’s minimum wage changes annually. CRD updates its notices periodically. ABC requirements have evolved with the RBS rollout. Re-check dir.ca.gov/wpnodb.html at least once a year, and immediately after any January 1 law change. ComplianceKitchen tracks required notices for your specific location and alerts you when a posting needs to be updated or replaced.