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FINANCE DEPT. HOURS
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Monday – Friday, 8:30 am – 4:00 pm.
In-person assistance hours
Monday – Thursday, 8:30 am – 4:00 pm.
Address
6200 Southcenter Blvd.
Tukwila, WA 98188
CONTACT US
☏ (206) 433-1835
Fax: (206) 433-1833
Labor Standards – Minimum Wage Ordinance
Introduction to Tukwila Labor Standards Law
Tukwila Labor Standards – Minimum Wage & Fair Access to Additional Work Hours Ordinance is the result of citizen-led Initiative Measure No.1 that voters approved in 2022 and became law on July 1, 2023.
ALL Tukwila employers are affected by Tukwila Labor Standards and must determine their legal responsibilities per Tukwila Municipal Code (TMC) 5.63 – Labor Standards for Certain Employees.
If you’re an employer doing business in Tukwila city limits you may be covered by more than one jurisdiction such as Tukwila Labor Standards for the minimum wage rate, and Washington State and/or federal laws for other labor requirements. Clarification is provided in the Administrative Rule to Tukwila Labor Standards (which contains FAQs and examples).
Questions? Contact us at MinimumWage@TukwilaWa.gov.
CONFIRM YOUR MINIMUM WAGE JURISDICTION
Use King County’s Minimum Wage Lookup Tool to confirm Tukwila is the correct jurisdiction to set the minimum wage for your business.
WHAT IS THE MINIMUM WAGE?
The 2026 minimum wage is $21.65 for all employers covered by Tukwila’s Ordinance. This applies to workers under age 18, temporary, seasonal, and part time.
Notifying your employees is required by law:
- Notice to Employees Flyer & Workplace Poster
- Employer must provide employee a copy upon hire & annually by December 2nd to notify workers of the next calendar year minimum wage rate.
Minimum wage updates are calculated per Tukwila Municipal Code (TMC) 5.63. Questions may be directed to MinimumWage@TukwilaWa.gov.
NOTE: Employers covered by the Ordinance were originally categorized as Large or Mid-Size. This distinction allowed for a scheduled phase-in period of minimum wage incremental rate increases for Mid-Size Employers. On July 1, 2025, the Mid-Size Employer minimum wage increased by $1 and became equal to the Large Employer rate of $21.10. As of July 1, 2025, and going forward, Tukwila only has one minimum wage.
WHAT THIS MEANS FOR EMPLOYERS
DETERMINING IF COVERED
Tukwila Labor Standards apply to a variety of employer types doing business in the City of Tukwila. As of July 1, 2025, Tukwila has a single minimum wage making the process for employers to determine if they are covered by the Ordinance much simpler.
Clarification is provided in the Administrative Rule to Tukwila Labor Standards (which contains FAQs and examples).
| Employers covered by Ordinance have:
|
15 or more employees in aggregate worldwide
(not just in Tukwila; includes total employee counts worldwide for network of franchises, chain stores, and similar businesses under a single entity) OR over $2 million annual gross revenue (generated in Tukwila) |
| Ordinance does not apply if:
(all three must be true) |
Fewer than 15 employees worldwide
AND $2 million or less in gross revenue AND are not associated with a franchisor or network of franchisees that employ more than 500 employees in aggregate. These employers may still be subject to State minimum wage and other laws. |
On July 1, 2025, a Minimum Wage Ordinance milestone was reached. The City no longer needs to classify covered employers as Large vs. Mid-Size. The minimum wage incremental rate increases for Mid-Size Employers ended as planned on July 1st when their minimum wage increased by $1 and became equal to the Large Employer rate.
COVERED EMPLOYER REQUIREMENTS
Tukwila Labor Standards include five main requirements for covered employers. For clarification, see Administrative Rule to Tukwila Labor Standards (which contains FAQs and examples).
- Minimum Wage: If applicable, pay Tukwila’s minimum wage to certain employees. This requirement started on July 1, 2023.
- Additional Hours: If applicable, provide fair access to qualified part-time employees to additional hours of work before hiring additional employees, subcontractors, and temporary agencies.
- Notification: Provide notification to employees by distributing the Notice of Tukwila Labor Standards to specified employees on or before they begin working in Tukwila and at least 30 days before any change to the minimum wage, and by displaying the Tukwila Labor Standards poster in the workplace.
- Records: Retain specified records to confirm compliance with the Ordinance and allow the City to inspect the records. There are 21 types of document records employers are required to retain which are listed in the Administrative Rule to Tukwila Labor Standards (which contains FAQs and examples).
- Certification: Certify compliance with the Ordinance by January 31st for the previous calendar year.
Employees working in Tukwila may use this information to learn about their rights, view Notices, and options if they believe their rights have been violated.
EMPLOYER DEADLINES CALENDAR
Covered employers are required to comply with City requirements even when they do not receive a courtesy reminder from the City. Please calendar these deadlines and go to the Employer-Required Forms dropdown menu below.
| January 1 | Updated minimum wage rate for the calendar year goes into effect. |
| January 31 | Annual, required Compliance Certification due from employers covered by the Ordinance. |
| October 15 | Minimum wage rate for next calendar year, adjusted based on inflation, is published on this web page.
(An updated Notice to Employees flyer, for the next calendar year, will be available before December 2.) |
| December 2 | Notify your employees of next calendar year minimum wage rate using updated Notice to Employees flyer.
(You must provide flyer to each employee as electronic or physical copy AND display it as poster in the workplace.) |
Note: The citizen-led group who authored Initiative Measure No. 1 – passed by voters in 2022 and became law effective in May 2023 – included a provision to ease the financial burden of a higher minimum wage rate on Mid-Size Employers by scheduling minimum wage increases over a two-year period. This phase-in period for Mid-Size Employers ended on July 1, 2025, with Tukwila having a single minimum wage going forward.
Employer-Required Forms
These documents are required to prove covered employer compliance to Tukwila Labor Standards TMC 5.63.
1. EMPLOYEE NOTICE FORMS (Due upon hire and by December 2nd each year)
Covered employers are required to give each employee their own current copy of the notification, which can be provided by email or physical paper (mailed or handed out). You must provide the Notice upon hire and annually by December 2nd before the next calendar year minimum wage hourly rate goes into effect.
Employers must also print the flyer to display as a poster in common workplace areas at all Tukwila locations.
2. EMPLOYER-REQUIRED ANNUAL CERTIFICATIONS (Due January 31st each year)
Covered employers are required to certify compliance with Tukwila’s Minimum Wage Ordinance each year by January 31st (for the prior calendar year they operated or did business in Tukwila, even if only a partial year).
Use our secure online portal. It’s free and quick to complete your annual certification. You will be asked to register, then follow instructions to complete and submit your certification. Your data is kept private and retained only by the Labor Standards Office.
- Access Certification Portal (a new window will open)
Paper forms, which had to be physically mailed or emailed to our office, are no longer required.
EMPLOYEE COMPLAINTS AND ENFORCEMENT
Employee Legal Options
Anyone may notify the city if a Tukwila Labor Standards violation is thought to have been committed by an employer doing business in Tukwila city limits (after July 1, 2023, when Tukwila’s Ordinance became law). Not all Tukwila employers and employee positions are covered by our Labor Standards Ordinance.
Please review the WHAT THIS MEANS FOR EMPLOYERS section to determine whether the employer is covered by the Ordinance.
Alleged financial injury includes not being paid Tukwila’s minimum wage hourly rate and/or not having fair access to additional hours of work, as well as adverse actions and/or prohibited retaliation by an employer or other person.
Alleging personal financial injury or harm for yourself (i.e. lost wages, lost work hours, or retaliation) have three options per the Ordinance:
- Civil Action with statute of limitations 5 years (City does not need to be notified.)
- WA State Labor & Industries Claim (minimum wage rate complaints only) (City does not need to be notified.)
- Complaint Form submitted to City (Note: Submitting a Complaint Form does not guarantee the City will investigate or pursue legal action.)
Those without personal financial injury or harm may notify the City at MinimumWage@TukwilaWa.gov.
ENFORCEMENT & PENALTIES FOR NON-COMPLIANCE
The City of Tukwila’s Finance Director may deny, suspend, or revoke any license for violations of TMC 5.63. Additional penalties may apply.
For details, see Administrative Rule to Tukwila Labor Standards (which contains FAQs and examples) (TLS 05-020) and TMC 5.63 (5.63.090, Subpart E).
FAIR ACCESS TO ADDITIONAL HOURS OF WORK
Covered employers must offer additional hours of work to qualified, part-time employees, per TMC 5.63, before hiring new employees or subcontractors (including temporary agencies).
Please review Administrative Rule to Tukwila Labor Standards (which contains FAQs and examples) which contains frequently asked questions for additional information, plus the definition of “qualified part-time employee,” applicability to seasonal workers, the process for distributing additional hours of work, exceptions to the requirement to offer additional hours of work to existing employees, and types of positions are that considered exempt from the definition of “employee.”
You can also review Washington State RCW 49.46.010 (Subpart 3C) for additional information on which employees are not included in the definition of “employee.”
RESOURCES AND BACKGROUND
ORDINANCE LINKS
As previously noted, please refer to the complete text of Tukwila Municipal Code (TMC) Chapter 5.63 and 5.04.113 (Business Licenses) for City of Tukwila requirements for minimum wage and fair access to additional hours of work.
The Administrative Rule to Tukwila Labor Standards (which contains FAQs and examples) document has additional definitions, requirements, and many helpful answers to frequently asked questions.
HISTORIC INFORMATION
The initiative required the City to adopt rules and procedures to implement and ensure compliance with TMC 5.63 by May 28, 2023. The draft rules were published on this webpage on March 14, 2023, and the City began accepting comments on the draft rules.
The City hosted information sessions on March 22, 2023, and April 20, 2023. The adopted rules were posted on the webpage on May 25, 2023. The City hosted a final online information session on Tuesday, June 20, 2023, at 3:00 p.m. (See 6/20/23 Information Session Presentation).
The City’s Finance Department was made responsible for administering the Ordinance which includes monitoring employer compliance and processing employee complaints.