Colorado Pay Transparency Law: What a Job Posting Must Include
Colorado requires an employer to disclose, in good faith, three things in the notification of each job opportunity: the hourly or salary pay (or the range), a general description of the benefits and other compensation, and the date the application window is expected to close.
The director can order a fine of $500 to $10,000 per violation. The statute counts one violation per job opening, however many places the opening is posted.
What the law says
An employer must in good faith disclose the following in the notification of each job opportunity: (a) The hourly or salary compensation or the range of the hourly or salary compensation; (b) A general description of the benefits and other compensation applicable to the job opportunity (C.R.S. § 8-5-201(2)(a)-(b)). The notification must also state the date the application window is anticipated to close (§ 8-5-201(2)(c)).
Source: https://law.justia.com/codes/colorado/title-8/labor-i-department-of-labor-and-employment/wages/article-5/part-2/section-8-5-201/
Last verified 2026-10-16
Penalties
The director may order the employer to pay a fine of no less than five hundred dollars and no more than ten thousand dollars per violation (C.R.S. § 8-5-203(4)). Failure to comply for one job opening is one violation regardless of the number of postings (§ 8-5-203(2)(c)).
Easy to miss
- A pay range alone is not enough: the statute lists a benefits description as a separate item.
- The expected closing date of the application window is also a required item, and it is easy to leave out of a standard posting template.
- The fine is counted per job opening, not per place the posting appears.
What a posting can look like
Pay range: $70,000–$85,000 per year, depending on experience. Benefits: health, dental and vision insurance; 401(k) with employer match; paid time off. We expect to accept applications until November 15, 2026.
An illustration of the required items, not legal wording.
Check a Colorado posting
Questions
The hourly or salary compensation or its range, a general description of the benefits and other compensation, and the date the application window is anticipated to close (C.R.S. § 8-5-201(2)).
The director may order a fine of no less than $500 and no more than $10,000 per violation (C.R.S. § 8-5-203(4)).
Also see: New York · California
The quoted text is the law. The explanations around it are our plain-language summary, not legal advice. We re-check each source regularly and show the date we last verified it.