Colorado labor law, encoded as policies you can deploy.
Every wage, hour, and leave rule a Colorado employer must follow — from the COMPS Order's daily 12-hour overtime trigger to HFWA paid sick leave — built into Teambridge as a working policy with the right enforcement level applied automatically.
Last updated: April 29, 202618 policies coveredReviewed against CDLE 2026 rulings
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HFWA Sick Leave Balance & Carryover
Accrues 1 hr per 30 worked, caps annual usage at 48 hrs, carries over unused balance up to 48 hrs. Surfaces real-time balance in the worker app.
Show balance on every paystub
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Daily Overtime — 12-Hour Trigger
Applies COMPS Order daily overtime: 1.5× regular rate for any hours over 12 in a single workday, regardless of weekly total.
Warn at 11hr, require ack past 12hrAuto-tag timesheet as daily OT
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Denver Minimum Wage Routing
Auto-applies Denver's $19.29 minimum to any shift located inside Denver city & county, regardless of worker home base.
Block pay rate below local minimum
Compliance, on autopilot.
Every Colorado rule below runs as a live policy in Teambridge. A 12.5-hour shift isn't illegal — you just owe overtime, and Teambridge calculates it. A Denver shift below local minimum wage is illegal — Teambridge stops it at save. Each rule gets the right severity, applied automatically.
Optimize
Silently routes around the issue.
Flag
Surfaces a note. Action proceeds.
Avoid
Warns and discourages. Allows override.
Critical
Strong warning. Requires acknowledgment.
Block
Hard stop. Cannot proceed.
SofterHarder
Your Colorado Policy Library
Day one in Teambridge, with Colorado pre-configured
This is what your Policy Builder looks like the moment you turn on Colorado coverage. Every policy here is editable — change severity, scope by location or role, or extend with your own client-specific rules.
on a card means the policy surfaces in the worker app. Cards without it run silently in the background.
18 Colorado policies, configured by default. Add your own — by client, role, or site — at any time.
01Minimum wage
Colorado's statewide minimum wage is $15.16/hour as of January 1, 2026 — adjusted annually for inflation under Article XVIII, Section 15 of the Colorado Constitution. The tipped minimum wage is $12.14/hour, with a maximum tip credit of $3.02. Tips received plus cash wage must always equal at least the full minimum wage.
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Tipped Wage Shortfall Reconciliation
Validates that tips received plus cash wage meet or exceed the applicable minimum wage every pay period. Auto-flags shortfalls for makeup pay before payroll closes.
Block payroll close if shortfall unresolvedAuto-generate makeup pay line item
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Why Critical, not Block
A tipped employee can have a slow shift and miss minimum wage on a single day — that's normal. The violation only crystallizes at pay period end. Critical fires at the right moment (payroll close) and won't fire spuriously during a Tuesday lunch lull.
Under HB 19-1210, Colorado local governments may set minimum wages above the state floor. As of January 2026, three jurisdictions have done so: Denver ($19.29), Edgewater ($18.17), and unincorporated Boulder County. Employers must pay the local rate for any hours worked inside the jurisdiction — regardless of where the worker lives.
Active Worker app
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Denver Minimum Wage Routing
Auto-applies Denver's local minimum wage to any shift located inside Denver city & county. Geofenced clock-ins inherit the local rate. Edgewater and Boulder County route the same way.
Block save if pay rate below local minimumNote local rate on every Denver shift
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Why Block, not Critical
Paying below the local minimum is illegal the moment the shift saves — there's no grace period, no edge case, no override that makes it acceptable. Block is the only correct severity for "this state of the world cannot exist."
The single most important Colorado rule for out-of-state employers: this state has daily overtime. Under the COMPS Order (7 CCR 1103-1), non-exempt employees earn 1.5× their regular rate for any hours over 40 in a workweek, over 12 in a single workday, or over 12 consecutive hours regardless of when the workday begins — whichever calculation produces the higher pay. Hours from two or more weeks cannot be averaged. Comp time in lieu of OT pay is illegal in the private sector.
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Daily Overtime — 12-Hour Trigger
Tracks single-workday hours toward Colorado's 12-hour daily overtime threshold. Calculates 1.5× pay automatically and surfaces the controlling computation when daily, weekly, and consecutive triggers all apply.
Warn manager at 11-hour scheduling thresholdRequire explicit acknowledgment past 12 hoursAuto-tag timesheet entries as daily OT
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Why a ladder, not a single level
A nurse working a 13-hour ER shift isn't a violation — it's an operational reality you owe overtime on. Avoid at 11hr nudges the manager to consider alternatives. Critical at 12hr forces conscious sign-off. Flag tags the timesheet so payroll never miscomputes. Three levels, one policy.
Customer variations we've seen
Healthcare staffing firms typically configure this as Avoid → Critical (overtime is normal). Construction GCs configure it as Critical → Block past 13 hours (fatigue/safety). Events & venues set it to Flag-only on game days where 14-hour shifts are planned and budgeted.
Employers must provide a 30-minute uninterrupted, duty-free meal period for shifts longer than 5 hours, and a paid 10-minute rest break for every 4 hours worked (or major fraction thereof — meaning more than 2 hours). Meal periods must fall at least 1 hour after start and 1 hour before end of shift to the extent practical.
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30-Min Meal Break — Shifts > 5 Hours
Ensures every shift exceeding 5 hours includes a scheduled 30-minute uninterrupted meal period, ideally 1 hour after start and 1 hour before end.
Block publish if no meal break scheduledWarn if break falls outside ideal window
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Paid 10-Min Rest Break Coverage
One paid 10-minute rest break per 4 hours worked (or major fraction). Working through a missed rest break is treated as 10 unpaid minutes owed.
Warn manager when rest break missedAuto-add 10 min compensable time
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Why meal break is Critical but rest break is Avoid
A 6-hour shift scheduled with no meal slot is a planning failure you should never publish — Critical catches it before workers ever see it. Rest breaks happen in real time and routinely get skipped during busy stretches. The correct response isn't to block work, it's to pay the worker for the missed time. Avoid + Flag does both.
The Healthy Families and Workplaces Act requires every Colorado employer — regardless of size — to provide paid sick leave. Employees accrue 1 hour per 30 hours worked, capped at 48 hours per year, with up to 48 unused hours carrying over annually. HFWA leave can be used for illness, care of a family member, domestic abuse needs, public health emergencies, bereavement, or evacuation due to inclement weather.
As of February 1, 2026, employers must maintain per-employee records of HFWA hours accrued, used, and available — accessible to workers on request up to once per month.
Active Worker app
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HFWA Sick Leave Balance & Carryover
Accrues 1 hr per 30 worked, caps annual usage at 48 hrs, carries over unused balance up to 48 hrs. Surfaces real-time balance to every Colorado worker in the mobile app.
Show balance in worker app paystubAuto-respond to balance requestsBlock manager from denying valid HFWA
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Why a single policy spans Flag and Block
Most of HFWA is calculation and disclosure — Flag handles that. But denying a valid HFWA request is a statutory violation with retaliation exposure. Block protects the manager from accidentally tripping the wire when approving time-off requests.
Colorado allows employers to pay non-emancipated minors under 18 at 85% of the state minimum wage ($12.89/hr in 2026). Emancipated minors must receive the full minimum wage. Reduced rates and hour limits are also subject to the Colorado Youth Employment Standards (YES) Rules.
Active Worker app
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Minor Weekly Hour Limit
Workers under 18 cannot accept shifts that would push them over Colorado's youth weekly hour limits. Disqualifying shifts are hidden from their app entirely.
Block shift acceptance over weekly capNotify worker which shifts are unavailable & why
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Why this lives on the worker surface
Manager-side blocks alone fail when you have a marketplace where workers self-claim shifts. The right place to enforce a youth hour limit is the moment the minor taps "claim" — before any commitment exists. Hidden shifts also avoid the awkward "you can't take this" rejection flow.
Colorado has some of the strictest final paycheck rules in the U.S. (C.R.S. § 8-4-109). On involuntary termination, the final paycheck is due immediately — within 6 hours of the next regular workday if accounting is unavailable, 24 hours if off-site. On voluntary resignation, by the next regular payday. Final pay must include earned wages, accrued vacation (treated as wages), earned bonuses, and earned commissions. Late payments can trigger penalties up to 300% of wages owed.
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Final Paycheck — Immediate on Involuntary Termination
Triggered on involuntary termination workflow. Computes final pay including accrued vacation, earned commissions, and any pending OT. Routes to payroll with same-day or next-6-hour deadline.
Block termination close until final pay issuedRequire accrued vacation payout calculation
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Why Block on the workflow, not the employee
You're not preventing a termination — you're preventing the incomplete termination. The HR workflow can't be marked complete until final pay clears. That converts a 300%-penalty risk into an unmissable checklist step.
If you're updating handbooks or pay engines, these are the changes that triggered policy updates in Teambridge for 2026:
State minimum wage increased to $15.16/hr (from $14.81)
Tipped minimum wage increased to $12.14/hr (from $11.79)
Exempt salary threshold increased to $57,784/yr ($1,111.23/week)
Highly compensated threshold increased to $130,014/yr
Denver raised its minimum to $19.29; Edgewater to $18.17
HB 25-1208 (Jan 1, 2026): local governments may set higher tip credits — Edgewater raised theirs to $4.67
HB 25-1001 (Aug 6, 2025): "employer" definition expanded to include 25%+ owners actively managing day-to-day operations
COMPS Order #40 / Wage Protection Rule (Feb 1, 2026): per-employee records of vacation and HFWA hours accrued, used, and available now mandatory
Frequently asked questions
What is the minimum wage in Colorado in 2026?
Colorado's statewide minimum wage is $15.16/hour as of January 1, 2026. The tipped minimum wage is $12.14/hour with a maximum tip credit of $3.02. Local rates are higher: Denver $19.29, Edgewater $18.17, and unincorporated Boulder County has its own ordinance. Employers must always pay the highest applicable rate among federal, state, and local.
Does Colorado have daily overtime?
Yes. Under the COMPS Order, non-exempt employees must be paid 1.5× their regular rate for any hours over 40 in a workweek, over 12 in a single workday, or over 12 consecutive hours regardless of when the workday begins — whichever calculation produces the higher pay. This is stricter than the federal FLSA.
What meal and rest breaks are required in Colorado?
Employers must provide a 30-minute uninterrupted, duty-free meal period for shifts longer than 5 hours, and a paid 10-minute rest break for every 4 hours worked or major fraction thereof. Meal periods must fall at least 1 hour after start and 1 hour before end of shift to the extent practical.
How much paid sick leave do Colorado employees earn?
Under HFWA, employees accrue 1 hour of paid sick leave for every 30 hours worked, capped at 48 hours per year. All Colorado employers — regardless of size — must provide HFWA leave. Up to 48 unused hours carry over each year. Employers may instead frontload 48 hours at the start of the benefit year.
When must Colorado employers issue a final paycheck?
If an employee is involuntarily terminated, the final paycheck is due immediately. If the accounting unit is unavailable, payment is due within 6 hours of the start of the next regular workday — extended to 24 hours if accounting is off-site. If an employee resigns voluntarily, final wages are due on the next regular payday. Late payments can trigger penalties up to 300% of wages owed plus attorney's fees.
Does Colorado have a predictive scheduling law?
No. Colorado does not currently have a statewide predictive scheduling or "fair workweek" law. However, the COMPS Order's 12-hour daily and 12-consecutive-hour overtime triggers functionally constrain back-to-back scheduling. Predictive scheduling has been introduced in recent legislative sessions; employers should monitor each session.
What's the difference between Critical and Block in Policy Builder?
Block is a hard stop — no override, no exception. Use it for things that are flat-out illegal (paying below local minimum, denying valid HFWA leave). Critical is a strong warning that requires explicit acknowledgment but allows the action to proceed — use it for things that are operationally normal but compliance-sensitive (a 13-hour shift that triggers daily OT, or a final paycheck workflow that needs vacation payout calculated).