California Employers Face New “Know Your Rights” Notice Obligations Under SB 294 Effective January 1, 2026
Beginning January 1, 2026, California employers are subject to new employee notice obligations under Senate Bill 294, formally known as the Workplace Know Your Rights Act. SB 294 adds new Labor Code sections 1550 through 1559 and requires employers to provide employees with an annual, comprehensive notice explaining a broad range of workplace, constitutional, and immigration-related rights. The law is enforced by the California Labor Commissioner and carries meaningful civil penalties for noncompliance.
The Legislature’s stated purpose in enacting SB 294 is to ensure that workers are affirmatively informed of their rights under California law, regardless of immigration status, and to standardize the content of those disclosures across workplaces. Employers must take affirmative steps to deliver the required notice, in the correct language, by a fixed annual deadline, or risk statutory penalties.
Under SB 294, employers must provide the required “Know Your Rights” notice to all employees on or before February 1, 2026, and again on or before February 1 of each year thereafter. The Labor Commissioner has been directed to publish model notices, and employers may satisfy their obligations by using those official templates without modification. The notice must be provided in the manner the employer normally uses to communicate employment-related information to the employee, and in a language which the employee understands (provided the Labor Commissioner has made that language version of the notice available). As of December 31, 2025, English and Spanish versions have been published, with additional languages to follow.
The content of the notice is prescribed by statute and must cover seven specific categories of rights. These include an explanation of workers’ compensation benefits; the employee’s right to receive advance notice of an immigration agency inspection of I-9 forms; protections against unfair immigration-related practices; constitutional rights when interacting with law enforcement, including immigration agents, in the workplace; the right to organize or engage in protected concerted activity; a description of new laws affecting workplace rights; and a list of the government agencies responsible for enforcing those rights.
To implement SB 294, the Labor Commissioner has issued a detailed model notice titled California Workplace – Know Your Rights. That document explains, in plain language, that California labor laws apply to all workers regardless of immigration status, that retaliation for exercising workplace rights is unlawful, and that employees have specific protections when interacting with immigration enforcement or other law enforcement agents at work. The notice also summarizes employees’ rights to remain silent, to refuse non-warranted searches of non-public work areas, to record law enforcement in public spaces, and to access legal representation. Employers are expected to distribute this notice annually, not merely post it on a wall.
In addition to the annual notice requirement, SB 294 creates a new, standalone obligation related to emergency contacts. Employers must give employees the opportunity to designate an emergency contact and to indicate whether that contact should be notified if the employee is arrested or detained. Beginning January 1, 2026, if an employee has made that designation, the employer must notify the emergency contact if the employee is arrested or detained at the worksite, or, when the employer has actual knowledge, during work hours even if the arrest occurs off-site. Employers must provide employees with the opportunity to make or update these designations no later than March 30, 2026.
An employer who fails to provide the required annual “Know Your Rights” notice may be assessed a civil penalty of up to $500 per employee. Violations of the emergency contact notification requirement are subject to penalties of up to $500 per day per employee, capped at $10,000 per employee. These penalties are enforceable by the Labor Commissioner and are separate from any other liability that may arise from retaliation or underlying Labor Code violations.
The Labor Commissioner has indicated that additional compliance resources are forthcoming. By July 1, 2026, the agency is required to publish educational videos directed separately to employees and employers explaining workplace rights and compliance obligations under the Act. These materials will be posted on the Labor Commissioner’s website and are intended to supplement, not replace, the annual written notice requirement.
Employers should calendar the annual February 1 deadline, adopt a reliable method for distributing the notice to all employees, ensure the notice is delivered in the correct language, and update onboarding and recordkeeping systems to capture emergency contact designations. Employers with existing policies addressing immigration enforcement, workplace inspections, or employee arrests should also review those policies for consistency with the statutory language reflected in the Labor Commissioner’s model notice.
If you have questions about SB 294, need assistance implementing compliant notice procedures, or want guidance tailored to your specific industry or workforce, experienced employment counsel can help you reduce risk while meeting these new statutory obligations.