State harassment-prevention mandates
A growing set of US states require private employers to train employees on sexual harassment prevention, and several also require a written anti-harassment policy with specific contents.
New York requires every employer, regardless of size, to adopt a written sexual harassment prevention policy that meets or exceeds the state model (including a complaint form and an explanation of the complaint and investigation process) and to deliver interactive training every year.
California requires employers with five or more employees to provide one hour of training to nonsupervisory staff and two hours to supervisors every two years and within six months of hire or promotion, and separately requires a written harassment, discrimination, and retaliation prevention policy under Civil Rights Department regulations.
Illinois requires annual training for all employees, with a written policy mandate for restaurants and bars. Connecticut, Delaware, and Maine have their own training mandates, and Washington covers isolated workers in hospitality, retail, security, and property services, with coverage expanded January 1, 2026. Chicago and New York City add local rules.
In writing, the common thread is a policy that defines prohibited conduct, gives examples, explains how to complain internally and to state and federal agencies, commits to investigation, and prohibits retaliation, plus records showing who was trained, when, and with what content.
States enforce through their civil rights or labor agencies and, more often in practice, through litigation where a missing policy or training record weakens an employer's defense.
Who has to comply
Depends on the state: every employer in New York; five or more employees in California; all employers in Illinois for training (with restaurant and bar policy rules); three or more employees in Connecticut for training (policy notice for all); 50 or more in Delaware; 15 or more in Maine; specified industries in Washington.
Employers with staff in multiple states typically adopt the strictest common denominator. Check each state's current thresholds before relying on this summary.
What you have to write
Documents on this site that State harassment-prevention mandates requires or expects, each with who must have it, the review cycle and the obligations that cite it.
- Harassment Prevention Policy Workplace
What the assessor asks to see
Written harassment prevention policy meeting the state's minimum contents (definitions, examples, complaint procedure and form, investigation commitment, retaliation prohibition, agency contact information); proof of distribution and employee acknowledgment; training content showing it meets the state's interactive and content requirements; training completion records with names, dates, duration, provider, and materials; new hire and new supervisor training timing records; posted notices required by the state; complaint and investigation records showing the policy was followed; for multi-state employers, a matrix of which state rules apply to which locations.
Where the requirement sits: CA Gov Code 12950.1 + 2 CCR 11023 (written policy, distribution); NY Labor Law 201-g; 775 ILCS 5/2-109; CGS 46a-54
State snapshot
New York: written policy and annual interactive training for all employers; model policy last updated April 2023. California: training every two years for employers with five or more employees (one hour nonsupervisory, two hours supervisory), plus a written prevention policy under CRD regulations; CRD offers free online training.
Illinois: annual training for all employees using the IDHR model or equivalent; restaurants and bars must also have a written policy. Connecticut: two hours of training for all employees of employers with three or more employees. Delaware: interactive training every two years for employers with 50 or more employees.
Maine: training within one year of hire for employers with 15 or more employees. Washington: training and policy requirements for isolated workers in hotels, motels, retail, security, and property services, expanded effective January 1, 2026. Local rules in New York City and Chicago layer on top.
Every internal policy in one place
AllyMatter is a full system for every internal policy your company keeps, including the ones State harassment-prevention mandates turns on. Build the whole library in one place, across every department, and prove who has read what.
Policies you can run here
How it works
Every document is approved by someone other than its author, versioned, distributed to the people it covers and acknowledged by name. Sign it where a signature is what the standard wants, send a set out together as a package, and export a dated record of who read which version when an assessor asks.
Most of what an assessor reads for this standard is written policy and proof that people acknowledged it. That is the layer AllyMatter owns.
Who helps with State harassment-prevention mandates
A broad ecosystem exists: employment law firms, HR consultancies, PEOs, and compliance training vendors who supply state-specific interactive courses and track completions. Typical engagement is a policy drafting or review project plus an annual or biennial training rollout with completion records.
Several states (New York, California, Illinois) publish free model policies and training that satisfy the minimum.
Firms that name this framework in their own material. A listing is not a recommendation. Each firm can confirm its own.
Consultants
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Who assesses State harassment-prevention mandates
State civil rights or labor agencies on complaint or investigation (government enforcement); no certification. Training and policy records are most often tested in litigation and agency charge responses.
Assessors
Be the first State harassment-prevention mandates assessor listed here
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Tools for State harassment-prevention mandates
Tools that name this framework in their own material.
Grouped by type. Inside each group the order is random, reshuffled each time the page loads. AllyMatter, the publisher of this site, is always first.
AllyMatterPolicy management tool, the policy and acknowledgment layerPublisher of this sitePolicy management tools1 tool
Approve, distribute and acknowledge written policies.
HR handbooks and HR compliance1 tool
Handbook builders, HR-policy features and employment-law tracking.
Related reading
- Racing against the clock: New York State issues final guidance on sexual harassment policies and trainingDetails what New York's written policy must contain and how far an employer may depart from the state model.Ogletree Deakins
- Complying with California sexual harassment training requirementsToolkit covering the SB 1343 hour counts, the two-year cycle, and the training records California expects employers to retain.SHRM
- New York State revises sexual harassment prevention guidanceTracks the 2023 model policy revision, a useful example of how these mandates keep moving under employers.SHRM
Independent third-party explainers, chosen by hand. Not affiliated with this site and not paid placements. All links are nofollow.
Sources
New York State: sexual harassment prevention model policy and trainingNew York DOL: strengthened sexual harassment prevention policy announcementCalifornia Civil Rights Department: sexual harassment prevention training FAQ for employers (PDF)California SB 1343 bill textPaychex: state sexual harassment training requirements 2026
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From the publisher
Run the Policy Side of State Harassment-prevention Mandates in AllyMatter
Approve the policies State harassment-prevention mandates asks for, keep every version, and record a named acknowledgment from each person who has to read them.