Columbus Prepares Employers for 2027 Mandatory Salary Ranges in Job Postings
The city released guidance and practical worksheets to help organizations prepare before pay transparency requirements take effect.
Columbus is creating a more transparent hiring process by requiring salary ranges in job postings across the city. Council Member Lourdes Barroso de Padilla spear-headed the legislation to require salary ranges in job postings. Beginning Jan. 1, 2027, employers with 15 or more employees working in Columbus must include a reasonable salary range in job postings for open positions.
Practical worksheets, activities and employer resources are available to help organizations prepare for Columbus’ pay transparency requirements ahead of Jan. 1, 2027. For job seekers, knowing the salary range up front helps candidates determine whether a role aligns with their expectations, experience and career goals before applying.
Covered employers and exemptions
The pay equity legislation passed on Nov. 3, 2025. Mayor Andrew Ginther signed the measure into law on Nov. 4, 2025. The language of the bill applies to all private employers in the city with 15 or more employees, but does not apply to the state of Ohio or the federal government.
Small businesses with 15 employees or fewer are also exempt under the ordinance. The city spoke to business leaders first to get their input, which created the exception for small businesses with 15 or fewer workers.
Defining a reasonable salary range
The law specifically requires job postings to include a "reasonable" salary range rather than arbitrary numbers. In reporting by WOSU, Barroso de Padilla said this standard was intentional so employers do not skirt the law by saying a new job pays between $1 and $1 million in public listings.
Under the measure, the reasonable salary range language specifically requires the scale to be based on factors like the flexibility of the employer’s budget, applicant experience, variations in position responsibilities, opportunities for growth, and market research on comparable positions and salaries. The toolkit also helps employers think beyond job titles and focus on responsibilities, outputs, skills and authority within the workplace.
Enforcement and civil penalties
Under Columbus City Code, if someone wants to submit a complaint about an employer violating this law, they have to seek out the city's Community Relations Commission to investigate the matter. An employer could face civil penalties if found to violate the law. While council enacted the rules in 2025, the Community Relations Commission shall not begin enforcement of the pay transparency requirement until Jan. 1, 2027, allowing human resources staff sufficient lead time to adjust to and comply with the new law.
Under municipal enforcement procedures, non-compliant employers receive a 90-day cure period to correct improper job postings before facing financial penalties. If an employer fails to remedy the posting within that cure window, the commission can assess civil fines of up to $1,000 for a first violation and up to $5,000 for repeat offenses.
The salary disclosure mandate builds on earlier local workplace protections. In 2023, Columbus banned employers from asking about previous salaries during the hiring process. Supporters emphasized that pay transparency helps eliminate bias in hiring and compensation, pointing to data showing that women currently earn 83 cents for every dollar earned by men.
Compliance toolkits and employer resources
The Employer Toolkit was designed to help employers move from awareness to implementation with practical, easy-to-use resources. The toolkit includes conversation prompts to help employers prepare recruiters, hiring managers and employee-facing leaders for questions from candidates and current employees.
To help employers across Columbus get ready, the communications toolkit makes it easy to share resources with business networks. The materials include ready-to-use communications materials and captions to help organizations share guidance.
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How we know this
The sources and records behind this story, with the facts they support.
Supporting evidence (5)
Columbus is creating a more transparent hiring process by requiring salary ranges in job postings across the city.
Read supporting passage
Columbus is creating a more transparent hiring process by requiring salary ranges in job postings.
Beginning Jan. 1, 2027, employers with 15 or more employees working in Columbus must include a reasonable salary range in job postings for open positions.
Read supporting passage
Beginning Jan. 1, 2027, employers with 15 or more employees working in Columbus must include a reasonable salary range in job postings.
Practical worksheets, activities and employer resources are available to help organizations prepare for Columbus’ pay transparency requirements ahead of Jan. 1, 2027.
Read supporting passage
Practical worksheets, activities and employer resources designed to help organizations prepare for Columbus’ pay transparency requirements ahead of Jan. 1, 2027.
For job seekers, knowing the salary range up front helps candidates determine whether a role aligns with their expectations, experience and career goals before applying.
Read supporting passage
Knowing the salary range up front helps candidates determine whether a role aligns with their expectations, experience and career goals.
The materials include ready-to-use communications materials and captions to help organizations share guidance.
Read supporting passage
Help employers across Columbus get ready for Clear Pay. The Communications Toolkit makes it easy to share these resources with your network. It includes ready-to-use newsletter copy, email language and a social media graphic and caption.
https://www.columbusforward.us/initiative-member/columbus-pay-transparency-initiative
Supporting evidence (4)
The pay equity legislation passed on Nov. 3, 2025.
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Legislation Passed - November 3, 2025
While council enacted the rules in 2025, the Community Relations Commission shall not begin enforcement of the pay transparency requirement until Jan. 1, 2027, allowing human resources staff sufficient lead time to adjust to and comply with the new law.
Read supporting passage
Legislation Passed - November 3, 2025 With passage, the legislation will become law following the standard thirty day delay. However, per Ordinance 2898-2025, the Community Relations Commission shall not begin enforcement of the pay transparency requirement until January 1, 2027. This is intended to allow human resources staff sufficient lead time to adjust to and comply with the new law.
In 2023, Columbus banned employers from asking about previous salaries during the hiring process.
Read supporting passage
In 2023, Columbus banned employers from asking about previous salaries — a critical step in closing gender and racial pay gaps. This next step builds on that progress.
Supporters emphasized that pay transparency helps eliminate bias in hiring and compensation, pointing to data showing that women currently earn 83 cents for every dollar earned by men.
Read supporting passage
Women currently earn 83 cents for every dollar earned by men. Pay transparency helps eliminate bias in hiring and compensation, creating more equitable opportunities for all workers.
Supporting evidence (6)
Council Member Lourdes Barroso de Padilla spear-headed the legislation to require salary ranges in job postings.
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Columbus City Council unanimously passed a new law Monday evening that requires employers to post salary ranges on job postings.The law specifically requires these posting to include a "reasonable" range. Council member Lourdes Barroso de Padilla, who spear-headed the legislation, said this was intentional so employers don't skirt the law by saying a new job pays between $1 and $1 million.
The language of the bill applies to all private employers in the city with 15 or more employees, but does not apply to the state of Ohio or the federal government.
Read supporting passage
The language of the bill applies to all private employers in the city with 15 or more employees. It does not apply to the state of Ohio or the federal government.
The city spoke to business leaders first to get their input, which created the exception for small businesses with 15 or fewer workers.
Read supporting passage
She said the city spoke to business leaders first to get their input on the legislation, which is what created the exception for small businesses with 15 employees or less.
In reporting by WOSU, Barroso de Padilla said this standard was intentional so employers do not skirt the law by saying a new job pays between $1 and $1 million in public listings.
Read supporting passage
Columbus City Council unanimously passed a new law Monday evening that requires employers to post salary ranges on job postings.The law specifically requires these posting to include a "reasonable" range. Council member Lourdes Barroso de Padilla, who spear-headed the legislation, said this was intentional so employers don't skirt the law by saying a new job pays between $1 and $1 million.
Under the measure, the reasonable salary range language specifically requires the scale to be based on factors like the flexibility of the employer’s budget, applicant experience, variations in position responsibilities, opportunities for growth, and market research on comparable positions and salaries.
Read supporting passage
The "reasonable" salary range language specifically requires the range or scale or salary to be based on factors like the flexibility of the employer’s budget; the anticipated range of experience job applicants may have; the potential variation in the responsibilities of the position; the opportunities for growth in and beyond the position; the cost of living for the various locations in which an applicant may work and market research on comparable positions and salaries.
Under Columbus City Code, if someone wants to submit a complaint about an employer violating this law, they have to seek out the city's Community Relations Commission to investigate the matter.
Read supporting passage
Under Columbus City Code, if someone wants to submit a complaint about an employer violating this law, they have to seek out the city's Community Relations Commission.The employer could face civil penalties if found to violate the law.
https://www.clearpaycbus.com/employertoolkit
Supporting evidence (3)
The toolkit also helps employers think beyond job titles and focus on responsibilities, outputs, skills and authority within the workplace.
Read supporting passage
The toolkit also helps employers think beyond job titles and focus on responsibilities, outputs, skills and decision-making authority.
The Employer Toolkit was designed to help employers move from awareness to implementation with practical, easy-to-use resources.
The toolkit includes conversation prompts to help employers prepare recruiters, hiring managers and employee-facing leaders for questions from candidates and current employees.