Columbus, Ohio, is the latest city to join the pay transparency wave. A new ordinance taking effect in 2027 will require many city employers to include a salary range in job postings.
The ordinance applies to businesses that employ 15 or more employees within the City of Columbus. Covered employers must comply starting January 1, 2027.
“Working toward pay equity is a key part of ensuring that businesses want to come to Columbus and their employees can afford to stay,” said Columbus City Councilmember Lourdes Barroso de Padilla. “When job seekers know their potential salary range, they know in advance if a position will allow them to take care of themselves and their loved ones.”
Under the ordinance, any job posting intended to recruit applicants to a specific available position will be required to contain a reasonable salary range or pay scale. Both electronic and printed postings are covered, although postings that are replicated and published without an employer’s consent are excluded. Also excluded are postings for internal transfers or promotions within an organization.
The reasonableness of a salary range is based on factors specific to the position, including:
- The flexibility of the employer’s budget;
- The anticipated range of job applicants’ experience;
- The potential variation in the position’s responsibilities;
- The opportunities for growth;
- The cost of living in the locations where an applicant may work; and
- Market research on comparable positions and salaries.
Job applicants may file complaints alleging violations of the ordinance with the Columbus Community Relations Commission, which may issue civil penalties and order other remedies.
Fifteen states and the District of Columbia, along with a number of localities, have enacted pay transparency laws. The new ordinance makes Columbus the fourth Ohio city to do so. A pay transparency law took effect in Cleveland in October, and Toledo and Cincinnati have had similar requirements in place since 2019.
