Failing to display the mandatory Employee Rights Under the National Labor Relations Act Poster opens your Colorado Springs business to unfair labor practice charges from the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), which can lead to investigations, fines, and mandatory posting orders. This federal notice, also known as the NLRA Poster, must be posted by nearly all private-sector employers. Key facts:
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The Employee Rights Under the National Labor Relations Act Poster is a mandatory federal workplace notice required by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) under the authority of the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA). This federal law applies nationwide, including to restaurants and other private employers in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The poster specifically informs employees of their rights to organize, bargain collectively, and engage in other protected concerted activities without interference from their employer. The NLRB provides an official 11" x 17" poster titled "Employee Rights Under The National Labor Relations Act" that must be displayed.
Failure to post this notice is considered an unfair labor practice. While the NLRA itself does not prescribe specific civil monetary fines for a simple failure to post, the practical consequences for non-compliance are significant and can lead to costly litigation. The NLRB can impose remedies, which may include:
Legal code: National Labor Relations Act (NLRA)
Recent update: The NLRB updated the content of the official poster in March 2023, adding language about the right to strike and protections against surveillance; employers must display this current version.
| Type | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Restaurant (Full-Service) | Required | Required for all private-sector employers whose business affects interstate commerce, which includes virtually all restaurants. |
| Bar / Nightclub | Required | Required unless gross annual revenue is below $500,000, a threshold most bars exceed, per NLRA jurisdiction standards. |
| Food Truck | Required | Required if annual gross revenue meets or exceeds $500,000, which applies to most established food truck businesses. |
| Coffee Shop / Café | Required | Required as a retail establishment; the NLRA generally covers businesses with gross volume over $500,000. |
See which restaurant types need this requirement — and which don't.
See Full Requirements →Indicate 'Yes' if you currently have any employees—including part-time, full-time, or seasonal workers—on payroll, as this determines your coverage under the NLRA and your requirement to post this notice.
COMMON MISTAKE: Selecting 'No' when you have any paid staff (excluding independent contractors), which is the most frequent cause of non-compliance for small businesses and can lead to penalties even before an inspection.
Select the classification that best matches your business structure (e.g., Private Employer, Federal Contractor, Agricultural Employer) from the provided list, as specific posting rules vary by employer type.
COMMON MISTAKE: Choosing the default or incorrect category (e.g., selecting 'Private Employer' when you are a subcontractor on a federal project), which can cause you to post the wrong poster version.
Confirm 'Yes' once you have successfully downloaded the official 'Employee Rights Under the NLRA' poster (Form NLRB-14773) from the NLRB.gov website or an approved source.
COMMON MISTAKE: Saying 'Yes' prematurely or using a poster from a third-party site that is outdated or non-compliant, which does not satisfy the legal requirement.
Select the physical size (typically 11x17 inches) or digital format you intend to use, ensuring it meets the NLRB's readability standards for mandatory workplace postings.
COMMON MISTAKE: Choosing an 8.5x11 inch size when the standard required for clear visibility is 11x17 inches, leading to a citation for improper posting dimensions.
Select the language(s) in which you will post the notice; if a significant portion of your workforce is not proficient in English, you must provide the poster in the language they understand.
COMMON MISTAKE: Posting only in English when you have a Spanish-speaking workforce, which is a common violation cited during NLRB investigations in linguistically diverse workplaces.
Indicate 'Yes' if your business operates from a physical location (e.g., restaurant, office, warehouse) where employees report to work, as this triggers the requirement for a physical poster.
COMMON MISTAKE: Selecting 'No' if you have a central office or kitchen staff location, incorrectly assuming remote-only operations, which omits a required posting site.
List all physical locations where the poster will be displayed, such as 'employee break room,' 'time clock area,' 'main kitchen bulletin board,' or 'near the staff entrance,' ensuring they are conspicuous to all employees.
COMMON MISTAKE: Vaguely listing 'break room' without specifying which one in a multi-location business, or posting in a manager's office not frequented by staff, which fails the 'conspicuous place' requirement.
Indicate 'Yes' if you employ any workers who do not regularly report to a physical workplace, as this triggers the additional requirement to distribute the poster electronically.
COMMON MISTAKE: Selecting 'No' for delivery drivers, catering staff, or telecommuters, which excludes a covered employee group and creates a compliance gap for electronic posting.
Describe how you will provide the poster to remote employees, such as 'via company intranet,' 'email attachment,' 'shared drive link,' or 'HR portal,' as required by NLRB rules for off-site staff.
COMMON MISTAKE: Leaving blank if you have remote employees, or stating 'company website' without ensuring all employees can reliably access it, which does not fulfill the 'customary means of communication' standard.
Confirm 'Yes' only after the physical poster is actually displayed in all required conspicuous locations, completing the tangible posting obligation.
COMMON MISTAKE: Marking 'Yes' prematurely before the poster is up, which creates a false record of compliance that offers no protection during an inspection.
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Printing the poster from an unofficial source or using an old version that doesn't reflect current NLRB rules. The NLRB periodically updates the poster's text, and using a non-compliant version is a direct violation. To avoid this, always download the latest "Employee Rights Under the NLRA" poster (NLRB Form 14775) directly from the NLRB.gov website, not a third-party site. This mistake can lead to a formal unfair labor practice charge and potential back-pay orders from the NLRB.
Placing the poster in a break room or back office that only some staff visit, or posting it behind other notices. The NLRB requires it to be posted where other workplace notices are customarily placed, in a location all employees frequent. For Colorado Springs restaurants, this means the main kitchen entrance, near time clocks, or the primary employee bulletin board—not just the manager's office. Failure here can invalidate your compliance defense if a labor issue arises, adding weeks to any NLRB investigation timeline.
Assuming a physical poster satisfies all obligations when you have staff who work remotely or primarily use an intranet. If your restaurant uses an employee handbook, staff scheduling app, or internal website to communicate policies, the NLRB may require you to also post the notice electronically. For example, if servers check schedules via an app like Homebase or Toast, the poster should be accessible there. Neglecting this can be cited as a failure to notify employees of their rights.
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| City | Fee Range | Timeline |
|---|---|---|
| Aurora | ||
| Colorado Springs | ||
| Denver |
Review the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) to confirm your business is covered (most private-sector employers are). Download the official "Employee Rights Under the National Labor Relations Act" poster (Form NLRB-1478A) directly from the NLRB.gov website. You must use the official version from 2023 or later; outdated or modified versions are non-compliant.
Print the poster on standard letter-size paper. Post it in a conspicuous place where you customarily post notices to employees, such as a break room, bulletin board, or near time clocks. The poster must be easily seen and readable by all employees. In Colorado Springs, the Colorado Anti-Discrimination Notice must also be posted alongside it.
Take a dated photograph of the posted notice in its location. Maintain this photo and a record of the posting date in your compliance files. This documentation is your primary defense if an employee or the NLRB raises a question about compliance. Keep records for at least the duration of the applicable statute of limitations.
This is one of 13 requirements for opening a restaurant in Colorado.
federal
local
federal
state
See all co-required forms and how they connect to your compliance dossier.
See All RequirementsThere is no application or processing timeline for obtaining the poster. It is not a permit that requires issuance by a local agency. The required federal poster must be downloaded and printed as soon as you open for business. You cannot delay obtaining it, just as you cannot delay obtaining your Colorado Employer Withholding Tax Registration or other mandatory employment documents.
The government filing fee is $0. The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) provides the official poster for free download from its website. You only incur costs if you choose to print it yourself or order a professional copy from a vendor. Not legal advice — verify with the NLRB.
No, you cannot 'transfer' the poster itself. The federal requirement is that a compliant poster must be physically displayed at each of your business locations where employees can see it. When you open a new location in Colorado Springs, you must download and post a fresh copy there immediately, similar to the process for a City Business License/Registration, which also requires a separate application per location.
The poster does not have a renewal process. It is a continuous posting requirement. However, you are responsible for checking the NLRB website periodically for updated versions. If the NLRB revises the poster, you must replace the old one with the current version promptly to remain compliant.
There is no scheduled local 'inspection' for this poster in Colorado Springs. Compliance is typically verified during a U.S. Department of Labor wage-and-hour audit or an investigation prompted by an employee complaint. An agent will check that the current version of the poster is conspicuously posted alongside other required notices, such as the Colorado COMPS Order Poster. Failure to post can lead to fines and extended liability in labor disputes.
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 Colorado specifically, we have analyzed compliance dossiers for 3 cities (Aurora, Colorado Springs, Denver), generating Rich FILs (Form Intelligence Layers) with 13 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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