Your restaurant risks a U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) investigation and fines for every day you don't have the federally mandated Employee Polygraph Protection Act (EPPA) Poster displayed for all staff in Eugene. This mandatory labor law notice, also called a polygraph use prohibition poster, is required by the federal Wage and Hour Division. Key facts:
Analyzed from Employee Polygraph Protection Act (EPPA) Poster
83% from one compliance interview
Manual entry or document upload required
The Employee Polygraph Protection Act (EPPA) Poster is a federal requirement mandated by the U.S. Department of Labor for virtually all private employers. In Eugene, Oregon, your restaurant must display this federal workplace poster alongside other required Oregon state postings (like those for paid sick leave and minimum wage). The legal basis is the federal Employee Polygraph Protection Act of 1988 (29 U.S.C. §§ 2001–2009), which prohibits most private employers from using lie detector tests on employees or applicants. While the EPPA itself is federal law, its poster is enforced as part of the broader suite of workplace notice requirements under the Wage and Hour Division. This is separate from, but just as mandatory as, the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), Davis-Bacon Act, and Service Contract Act posters referenced in your other obligations.
Failure to display the correct, up-to-date EPPA poster can trigger significant penalties during a routine federal or state labor inspection. Consequences are not hypothetical—they are financial and operational:
Legal code: Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), Davis-Bacon Act, Service Contract Act
Recent update: In 2024, the U.S. Department of Labor issued updated versions of several mandatory workplace posters; while the core EPPA poster text hasn't changed recently, you must ensure you are displaying the current, non-expired version from the DOL website to avoid citations for outdated information.
| Type | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Restaurant (Full-Service) | Required | Applies to all private employers with interstate commerce under the EPPA, 29 CFR § 801.6, with no exemption for full-service dining. |
| Bar / Nightclub | Required | Required for private employers; no exemption exists in the EPPA or Oregon law for alcohol-serving establishments. |
| Food Truck | Required | Required if the business engages in or affects interstate commerce, which applies to virtually all food service operations. |
| Coffee Shop / Café | Required | Applies as a private employer; the EPPA does not exempt businesses based on size or product type. |
See which restaurant types need this requirement — and which don't.
See Full Requirements →Select 'Yes' if your business currently employs one or more individuals, as the EPPA poster requirement is triggered by the presence of employees.
COMMON MISTAKE: Selecting 'No' when you have any W-2 employees, which is a primary reason for failing a DOL audit on this requirement.
Enter the total number of individuals currently employed by your business, including full-time, part-time, and temporary staff.
COMMON MISTAKE: Entering an inaccurate or outdated count that does not match payroll records, which can lead to discrepancies during an inspection.
Enter the complete street address (number, street, city, state, ZIP) of the primary location where employees report to work and where the poster must be displayed.
COMMON MISTAKE: Entering a P.O. Box, a home address for a remote owner, or an incorrect suite number, which can delay official correspondence.
Select 'Yes' if your business operates from more than one physical address where employees work, as this triggers the need for a poster at each location.
COMMON MISTAKE: Selecting 'No' to simplify the process when you actually have multiple sites, creating a compliance gap at the undisclosed locations.
Describe the specific, conspicuous place where the poster is or will be displayed, such as 'Employee break room bulletin board' or 'Near the time clock in the kitchen'.
COMMON MISTAKE: Providing a vague description like 'in the office' or forgetting that the poster must be in a location frequented by all employees, which is a common DOL citation.
Select 'Yes' if an official EPPA poster is already physically posted at your workplace; select 'No' if you need to obtain and post one.
COMMON MISTAKE: Selecting 'Yes' when using an outdated, damaged, or unofficial poster, which does not satisfy the federal requirement.
Confirm by selecting 'Yes' that any displayed poster is the current, official version from the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL), identifiable by a publication or revision date.
COMMON MISTAKE: Assuming any labor law poster satisfies the requirement; the EPPA notice is a specific, standalone poster from the DOL.
Enter the date you downloaded or otherwise obtained the official EPPA poster from the DOL website or another verified source.
COMMON MISTAKE: Leaving blank or entering an incorrect date, which makes it difficult to prove you acquired the current version if audited.
Enter the date the official EPPA poster was physically posted in the workplace, which starts your compliance period.
COMMON MISTAKE: Confusing this with the download date; the display date is often later and is the legally relevant date for compliance.
Select 'Yes' to affirm you understand the poster must be displayed prominently where employees can readily see it, as required by 29 CFR § 801.6.
COMMON MISTAKE: Treating this as a mere formality without verifying the actual display meets DOL 'readily seen' standards, leading to non-compliance.
ApronPrep auto-fills 10 of 12 fields from a single compliance interview — no re-typing, no guessing what the government expects.
Using a poster downloaded from a generic website, which may not include the current Eugene-specific contact information for the Oregon Bureau of Labor & Industries (BOLI) or the latest required text. This violates the requirement to display the official federal poster. Always download the current poster directly from the U.S. Department of Labor or Oregon BOLI website to ensure compliance.
Placing the poster in a manager's office, a locked break room, or an area not frequented by all employees, such as a back-of-house storage closet. The federal EPPA requires the poster to be 'conspicuously posted' where all employees can readily see it. Mount it in a common area like the main employee hallway near the time clock or next to other mandatory labor law posters.
Printing the poster on standard letter-sized paper (8.5" x 11") which can make the text illegible, or using low-resolution print that is difficult to read. While no specific size is mandated, the poster must be clearly readable. Use at least 11" x 17" paper and ensure the print quality is high. A faded or smudged poster does not meet the 'conspicuously posted' standard.
ApronPrep auto-fills 10 of 12 fields from one compliance interview.
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| City | Fee Range | Timeline |
|---|---|---|
| Eugene | ||
| Portland | ||
| Salem |
Review the U.S. Department of Labor's EPPA regulations to confirm your specific business falls under the law. All private sector employers engaged in interstate commerce are generally covered. Have your business's legal name, physical address, and EIN (Employer Identification Number) ready. This foundational step ensures you are obtaining the correct, legally mandated version of the poster.
Download the official "Employee Polygraph Protection Act" poster (WH Publication 1462) for free from the U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division website (dol.gov/whd). No formal application is required to obtain the poster file. The common trip-up is printing non-official versions from third-party sites that may be outdated or non-compliant; always verify the poster has the DOL logo and publication number WH 1462.
Print the downloaded PDF file. The poster must be large enough to be easily readable (typically 11" x 17" or larger) and printed in a durable format. You must have access to a suitable printer or professional printing service. Prepare the designated posting area in your workplace, ensuring it is a conspicuous place where employees and applicants can readily see it, such as a breakroom or near other required labor law posters.
This is one of 13 requirements for opening a restaurant in Oregon.
federal
local
state
federal
See all co-required forms and how they connect to your compliance dossier.
See All RequirementsThe EPPA poster itself is a federal document, not an application to be processed. Acquiring it is immediate. You can download and print it directly from the U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division website. There is no specific timeline for posting it; the requirement is simply to have it displayed at your business, similar to other federal employment notices like the E-Verify Enrollment participation notice.
The government filing fee for the Employee Polygraph Protection Act (EPPA) poster is $0. The poster is provided for free by the U.S. Department of Labor. There is no charge to download, print, or display it, which differs from local permits like a City Business License/Registration that involve fees. Not legal advice — verify with the DOL's Wage and Hour Division.
Yes. The physical poster or a new copy you print must be posted at every worksite where employees work. If you move your restaurant, you must ensure the poster is displayed at the new location. The poster is not a permit tied to an address, unlike a site-specific Building Permit. It is a general federal notice that applies to all covered businesses.
The Employee Polygraph Protection Act (EPPA) poster does not have a renewal process. It is a perpetual federal notice. However, you must replace it if the Department of Labor issues an updated version or if the posted copy becomes defaced, damaged, or illegible. Contact the DOL's Wage and Hour Division to confirm there have been no regulatory changes requiring a new poster version.
There is no dedicated inspection for the EPPA poster. Compliance may be checked during a broader federal or state employment standards investigation by the DOL's Wage and Hour Division, which can also review compliance with wage, hour, and other posting requirements. An investigator will verify the poster is displayed in a conspicuous place where employees can readily see it, similar to checking for other required labor law notices.
This guide is generated from ApronPrep's compliance dossier system, which uses 53 parallel AI authority experts to discover requirements, then downloads actual forms and generates field-level intelligence for each one.
For Oregon specifically, we have analyzed compliance dossiers for 3 cities (Eugene, Portland, Salem), generating Rich FILs (Form Intelligence Layers) with 12 form fields analyzed for this requirement. Fee data is sourced from actual county department fee schedules, not estimates.
Our data is verified against official government sources and updated when regulatory changes are detected. If you find an error, please report it — accuracy is our core commitment.
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