Colorado Paid Sick Leave Law (HFWA)
✓ Verified against official sources · September 1, 2026 C.R.S. §§ 8-13.3-401 to 8-13.3-419 (S.B. 20-205, as amended by S.B. 23-017)
The short answer: Colorado's Healthy Families and Workplaces Act requires all employers to provide accrued paid leave — one hour per 30 hours worked, up to 48 hours a year — plus a supplemental 80-hour bank during declared public health emergencies.
Accrual rate
1 hour per 30 hours worked
Annual amount
Up to 48 hours per year (+80-hour PHE supplement when declared)
Employers covered
All employers — full-time, part-time and temporary employees
Penalty for non-compliance: Enforced by the CDLE Division of Labor Standards and Statistics; violations are unpaid-wage violations with the Wage Act's remedies and penalties.
Under the Healthy Families and Workplaces Act (S.B. 20-205, as amended by S.B. 23-017), every Colorado employer must provide accrued leave: employees earn one hour per 30 hours worked, up to 48 hours per year, paid at the same rate and with the same benefits as time worked, with up to 48 hours carrying over. The Act also created a separate Public Health Emergency mechanism: when a PHE is declared, employers supplement leave up to 80 hours.
Permitted uses run beyond the employee's own illness — family care, mental health, domestic violence and sexual assault needs, bereavement, school closures, and evacuation orders. The CDLE enforces HFWA leave through the same machinery as unpaid wages.
For employersS.B. 23-017 widened the permitted uses beyond health — including bereavement and evacuation of the employee's residence — and HFWA leave must be paid at the same rate and benefits as time worked.
For employeesEvery Colorado employee — part-time and temporary included — earns one hour per 30 worked, up to 48 hours a year, usable for health, safety, bereavement and emergency-closure needs.
The full playbook, start to finish
This page covers one rule. The complete lawyer-reviewed guide covers the whole landscape, with sources and every state's rules.
?
Colorado FAQ
Which Colorado employers are covered by the HFWA?
All of them, for all employees — full-time, part-time and temporary — per CDLE INFO #6B.
What can Colorado sick leave be used for?
The employee's or a family member's health needs, domestic violence or sexual assault-related needs, public closures — and since S.B. 23-017, bereavement and evacuation of the employee's residence due to emergencies.
§
Official sources
CDLE INFO #6B — Rights and obligations under the HFWA (Feb 2026)
Primary source for this page
Colorado Department of Labor and Employment (CDLE)
Colorado labor agency
Educational content, not legal advice. Rules change — every fact above was checked against the linked official sources on the date shown.
⇄
How other states compare
| State | Accrual rate | Annual amount | Employers covered |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alaska | 1 hour per 30 hours worked | 40 hrs (under 15 employees) / 56 hrs (15+) | All employers — the cap varies at the 15-employee line |
| Arizona | 1 hour per 30 hours worked | 40 hours (15+ employees) / 24 hours (under 15) | All employers — the cap varies by size |
| California | 1 hour per 30 hours worked (alternative schedules allowed) | Use at least 40 hours / 5 days; accrual cap 80 hours / 10 days | Nearly all employers, regardless of size |
| Colorado | 1 hour per 30 hours worked | Up to 48 hours per year (+80-hour PHE supplement when declared) | All employers — full-time, part-time and temporary employees |
| Connecticut | 1 hour per 30 hours worked | Up to 40 hours per year; 40 hours carryover | 11+ employees now; every employer from Jan 1, 2027 |
| District of Columbia | 1 hour per 37 / 43 / 87 hours worked, by employer size | 7 days (100+) / 5 days (25–99) / 3 days (≤24) | All D.C. employers — tiered by headcount |
| Illinois | 1 hour per 40 hours worked | Up to 40 hours per 12-month period — usable for any purpose | Nearly all employers (school and park districts excluded) |
| Maine | 1 hour per 40 hours worked | Up to 40 hours per year — usable for any reason | More than 10 employees in Maine for 120+ days a year (non-seasonal) |
| Maryland | 1 hour per 30 hours worked | Earn up to 40 hrs/yr; use and bank up to 64 hrs | All — paid at 15+ employees, unpaid at 14 or fewer |
| Massachusetts | 1 hour per 30 hours worked | Up to 40 hours per calendar year | All — paid at 11+ employees, unpaid below |
| Michigan | 1 hour per 30 hours worked (frontloading allowed) | Use up to 72 hrs/yr — 40 hrs at small businesses (≤10 workers) | All employers with one or more employees |
| Minnesota | 1 hour per 30 hours worked | Up to 48 hours per year; bank up to 80 hours with carryover | All employers with one or more employees |
| Missouri | None — the mandate was repealed effective Aug 28, 2025 | No state requirement — employer policy controls | No Missouri employer is required to provide sick leave |
| Nebraska | 1 hour per 30 hours worked, after 80 hours of employment | 40 hrs (11–19 employees) / 56 hrs (20+) | 11+ employees — employers with 10 or fewer are exempt |
| Nevada | 0.01923 hours per hour worked (≈1 per 52; frontloading allowed) | ≈40 hours per benefit year for full-time work — any purpose | Private employers — under-50-employee hardship and other carve-outs |
| New Jersey | 1 hour per 30 hours worked (or 40 hours advanced up front) | Up to 40 hours per benefit year; 40 hours carryover | All New Jersey employers, regardless of size |
| New Mexico | 1 hour per 30 hours worked (or 64 hours frontloaded Jan 1) | Use up to 64 hours per year; 64-hour carryover | All private employers, regardless of size |
| New York | 1 hour per 30 hours worked | 56 hrs paid (100+) / 40 paid (5–99) / 40 unpaid (0–4, ≤$1M income) | Every NY employer — the tier sets paid vs. unpaid and the cap |
| Oregon | 1 hour per 30 hours worked (or 1-1/3 per 40) | Up to 40 hours per year | All — paid at 10+ employees, unpaid under 10 |
| Rhode Island | 1 hour per 35 hours worked | Up to 40 hours per year | Paid at 18+ employees; smaller employers provide unpaid leave |
| Vermont | 1 hour per 52 hours worked | Up to 40 hours per 12-month period | All Vermont employers |
| Washington | 1 hour per 40 hours worked | No annual cap — leave is usable as accrued; 40-hour carryover | All employers covered by the Minimum Wage Act |
+