Local Minimum Wage

To respond to the needs of unincorporated Boulder County’s lowest paid workers in the face of the rising cost of living, the Boulder County Commissioners unanimously passed the county’s local minimum wage ordinance. The commissioners engaged with workers and employers through in-person and online meetings in English and Spanish, as well as an online survey and public hearing.

In 2019, Boulder County supported the state legislation that empowers counties and municipalities to set their own minimum wage. The City and County of Denver implemented a local minimum wage in 2020.

In the first year of implementing a local minimum wage, counties and municipalities may only raise their minimum wage by up to 15% per year above the state minimum wage, according to state statute.

The local minimum wage in unincorporated Boulder County comes into effect on Jan. 1, 2024.

The local minimum wage applies to individuals performing, or expected to perform, four or more hours of work for an employer in any given week within unincorporated Boulder County. This requirement does not apply to time spent in Boulder County solely for the purpose of traveling through Boulder County’s boundaries to a destination outside of Boulder County’s boundaries, with no employment-related or commercial stops in Boulder County’s jurisdiction except for refueling or the employee’s personal meals or errands.

According to state statute, the Boulder County Commissioners only have the authority to establish a local minimum wage in unincorporated Boulder County. The commissioners are committed to working with municipal governments within Boulder County to establish one minimum wage for the whole county.

The Cities of Boulder, Lafayette, Longmont, Louisville and the Town of Erie are collectively exploring a potential increase to the local minimum wage in their respective communities.

Yes, the local minimum wage applies to all businesses regardless of the number of employees.

Yes, the local minimum wage applies to nonprofit organizations. The state legislation, which grants the county the powers to set a local minimum wage, does not allow the county to exempt employers from any industry.

The Boulder County Commissioners unanimously agreed to raise the local minimum wage in unincorporated Boulder County to $25/hour by 2030. The Boulder County Minimum Wage is as follows, exclusive of fringe benefits and any other deductions or credits, except as otherwise described in the county’s minimum wage ordinance:

Beginning Jan. 1, 2024: $15.69 per hour;

Beginning Jan. 1, 2025: $16.57 per hour;

Beginning Jan. 1, 2026: $17.99 per hour;

Beginning Jan. 1, 2027: $19.53 per hour;

Beginning Jan. 1, 2028: $21.21 per hour;

Beginning Jan. 1, 2029: $23.03 per hour;

Beginning Jan. 1, 2030: $25.00 per hour;

Beginning Jan. 1, 2031 and on Jan. 1 of each subsequent calendar year, such amended wage rate necessary to keep pace with the year-over year increase in the Consumer Price Index, for all items, published annually each August for the Denver-Aurora-Lakewood Area.

Tips regularly and actually received by a food and beverage worker may be applied to an employer’s obligation to pay the food and beverage worker the local minimum wage (i.e. tip offset). However, no more than $3.02 per hour in tip income, or tip credit, may be used to partially offset payment of this wage.

Local minimum wage for tipped employees

Beginning Jan. 1, 2024: $12.67 per hour;

Beginning Jan. 1, 2025: $13.55 per hour;

Beginning Jan. 1, 2026: $14.97 per hour;

Beginning Jan. 1, 2027: $16.51 per hour;

Beginning Jan. 1, 2028: $18.19 per hour;

Beginning Jan. 1, 2029: $20.01 per hour;

Beginning Jan. 1, 2030: $21.98 per hour;

Beginning Jan. 1, 2031 and on January 1 of each subsequent calendar year, such amended wage rate necessary to keep pace with the year-over year increase in the Consumer Price Index, for all items, published annually each August for the Denver-Aurora-Lakewood Area.

Yes, the local minimum wage applies to people under the age of 18.

The Colorado Department of Labor and Employment (CDLE) is fully authorized to investigate and issue orders to remedy violations of labor laws, including an employer’s failure to pay wages. Guidance on demand for payment of wages and making a complaint against an employer can be found on the CDLE website. Additional information is available on the Boulder District Attorney’s website.

If you have been the victim of a crime, including wage theft, please contact the District Attorney’s Office 303-441-3700.

The Colorado Department of Employment and Labor (CDLE) creates a Colorado Overtime and Minimum Pay Standards (COMPS) Order Poster each year, which is available in English and Spanish (as well as other languages). Displaying the most up-to-date version of this poster in English and Spanish meets the requirements of Boulder County’s ordinance.

As outlined in the ordinance, every employer must post the notice in English and Spanish in a prominent place that is easily accessible to all employees. If display of a physical notice is not feasible, including the situation when an employee does not have a regular workplace or job site, employers must provide the required information on an individual basis, in an employee’s primary language, in paper or electronic form that is reasonably conspicuous and accessible.

If employees are already being paid $15.69/hour or higher no action is needed by the employer except to display a notice of the local minimum wage (as required by the county ordinance).

In response to feedback received during engagement with employers, Boulder County will be launching an assistance program for small businesses in unincorporated Boulder County in early 2024 to help navigate local economic pressures while supporting continued business success. Sign up for Commissioners’ News emails to be kept informed.