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 a citizen-led effort that voters approved in 2022 and became law July 1, 2025. As an employer, ensure that your appropriate department (HR, Compliance or Payroll) is notified.

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.

Employers covered by Tukwila Labor Standards are Large Employers and Mid-Size Employers, per Ordinance requirements.

The City’s Finance Department was made responsible for administering the Ordinance which includes monitoring employer compliance and processing employee complaints.

Questions? Contact us at MinimumWage@TukwilaWa.gov or 206-552-6873.

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WHO SETS THE MINIMUM WAGE FOR MY BUSINESS?

Use King County’s Minimum Wage Lookup Tool to confirm Tukwila is the correct jurisdiction to set minimum wage and other labor standard requirements for your business.  It’s also helpful for finding the minimum wage for any place in King County.

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UPDATE: 2025 Minimum Wage Hourly Rates Announced!

Effective January 1^st, 2025, Tukwila Minimum Wage hourly rates will be:

Large Employers – $21.10
Mid-size Employers – $20.10

(On July 1^st, 2025, mid-size employers are required to increase their minimum wage rate to equal the large employer rate of $21.10. )

Going forward, mid-size employer minimum wage will be the same as the large employer rate.

Notifying your employees is required by law.

• 2025 Notice to Employees & Workplace Poster
• Tukwila Labor Standards (contains FAQs & examples)

2025 rates were calculated per Tukwila Municipal Code (TMC) 5.63.  For more information about the calculations, please reference the Tukwila Labor Standards and TMC 5.63 documents on this page. Questions may be directed to MinimumWage@TukwilaWa.gov.

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Complaint Form (for employees) Certificate of Compliance (for employers)   WHAT THIS MEANS FOR EMPLOYERS & EMPLOYEES All employers in Tukwila are required to determine if they are an affected employer for this Ordinance.

For More Information Regarding this Law: Email questions to MinimumWage@TukwilaWa.Gov. Sign up here to receive email notifications and updates.

This Ordinance and Tukwila Labor Standards include five main requirements for affected employers:

1. Minimum Wage: If applicable, pay Tukwila’s minimum wage to certain employees. This requirement started on July 1, 2023.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. Records: Retain specified records to confirm compliance with the Ordinance and allow the City to inspect the records.
5. Certification: Certify compliance with the Ordinance by January 31st for the previous calendar year.

Employees working in Tukwila are encouraged to use this page to learn about their rights, to access the required Notices and Posters, and to access the Complaint Form if they believe their rights have been violated.

WHICH EMPLOYERS ARE AFFECTED BY THIS ORDINANCE?

Requirements for minimum wage and fair access to additional hours of work apply to affected employers and are phased in by employer size as defined in TMC 5.63.

Use this table to identify if you are an affected employer. Then continue reading for minimum wage rates, effective dates, deadlines, enforcement, printable Notices and Posters, and historical milestones.

Affected Employers
Large	More than 500 employees worldwide and certain franchisees.
Mid-Size	At least 15 but no more than 500 employees worldwide or over $2 million of annual gross revenue in Tukwila.
Ordinance Does not Apply	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.

We encourage you to review the Tukwila Labor Standards (contains FAQs & examples) because they include frequently asked questions that can assist you with compliance.

FAIR ACCESS TO ADDITIONAL HOURS OF WORK

Affected 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 Tukwila Labor Standards (contains FAQs & 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.”

 

ENFORCEMENT & PENALTIES FOR NON-COMPLIANCE

Persons alleging a violation of TMC 5.63, including retaliatory conduct, may bring a civil action against the employer or other person violating the ordinance. The statute of limitations for civil actions is 5 years.

Additionally, complaints can be presented in writing to the City Attorney, who has the discretion to initiate an investigation and, if they deem appropriate, to initiate legal or other action to remedy any violation of the ordinance.  For details, see Tukwila Labor Standards (contains FAQs & examples) (TLS 05-020) and TMC 5.63 (5.63.090, Subpart E).

The City of Tukwila’s Finance Director may deny, suspend, or revoke any license for violations of TMC 5.63. Additional penalties may apply.

 

SUBMITTING A COMPLAINT

Anyone may submit a written complaint to the City if a labor standards violation is thought to have occurred. Alleged violations may include financial injury related to minimum wage and/or fair access to additional hours of work requirements, as well as adverse actions and/or prohibited retaliation by an employer or other person.

Use this Complaint Form to notify the City of alleged violations. Step-by-step instructions are included to complete and submit the form.  Please enter contact information for yourself and the employer, details and timeframes of the alleged harm, and any supporting documentation. Representatives of employees may also submit a completed form.

 

2025 SCHEDULE OF DEADLINES

Use this schedule to comply with Tukwila labor standards requirements, per TMC 5.63. Please calendar the applicable deadlines and check back for updates. View all current, printable documents in the Compliance section.

1/1/2025	Tukwila’s 2025 minimum wage goes into effect.
6/1/2025	Deadline for midsize employees to give notice to employees of the July 1 minimum wage increase.
7/1/2025	Minimum wage for midsize employers increases to equal the rate for large employers.