What a Pennsylvania business has to have in writing
Pennsylvania has no comprehensive consumer privacy law, no state harassment-policy mandate and no statewide paid sick leave, so the written-document load falls mostly on posting, licensing and sector rules.
The two heaviest items are the 2023 Insurance Data Security Act, which makes insurance licensees keep a written security program and file an annual certification, and the amended breach notification act, which routes reports to the Attorney General once more than 500 Pennsylvanians are affected.
Federal OSHA covers private workplaces here; the state's own safety lever is a voluntary certified safety committee that earns a workers' compensation discount.
Two absences are worth stating precisely: Pennsylvania has no statewide paid sick leave and no statewide pay range posting duty, and the Philadelphia and Pittsburgh sick leave and wage history ordinances are city ordinances the Department of Labor and Industry does not enforce, so they do not make either a state-level obligation.
The breach act's list of personal information also stops short of biometric data, and its encryption duty falls on Commonwealth agencies, counties, municipalities and school districts rather than on private employers.
Pennsylvania has a rule of its own in 6 of the 14 areas, listed below. In 8 more we searched the state's own site and found nothing beyond the federal rule, but we have not finished writing up where we looked, so those are not shown yet.
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Pennsylvania rules for a 15–19 person general business
We check the same 14 areas of state law on every state page: breach notification, data security program, consumer privacy law, biometric and health data, harassment prevention, workplace safety programs, workplace violence prevention, insurance data security, state vendor security program, paid leave policies, required postings, pay transparency, licensing and certifications, and other written policies. Federal rules apply in most of these already. What this page adds is whether Pennsylvania has a rule of its own on top. The federal rules every employer carries follow the Pennsylvania rules. Each row names what you must write, post, file or certify, who enforces it, and links to the authority.
Breach Notification 1Who you must tell after a data breach, and how fast
Workplace Safety Programs 2Written programs the state safety agency requires beyond federal OSHA
Required Postings 1The notices every workplace in the state must display
Licensing and Certifications 2Registrations, licenses and certifications a business or its staff must hold
Other Written Policies 2Any other document the state makes an employer write or hand out
Because You Are in Construction 2Industry layer
Because You Are in Food & Beverage 1Industry layer
Because You Are in Financial & Tax 1Industry layer
Federal rules for a 15–19 person general business
Federal rules apply in every state, on top of the Pennsylvania rules above.
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Sources
Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General - Breach of Personal Information Notification ActPennsylvania General Assembly - Act 151 of 2022Pennsylvania Insurance Department - Act 2 of 2023 Insurance Data SecurityPennsylvania Insurance Department - Data Security for licenseesPennsylvania General Assembly - Act 2 of 2023Pennsylvania L&I - Workplace Safety Committee Certification FAQsPennsylvania - Apply for a Workplace Safety Committee CertificationPennsylvania L&I - LIBC-55 Workplace Safety Committee technical assistancePennsylvania L&I - Bureau of Occupational and Industrial SafetyOSHA - State PlansPennsylvania L&I - Mandatory PostingsPennsylvania L&I - For Employers and EducatorsPennsylvania L&I - Labor Law compliancePennsylvania Department of State - BusinessPennsylvania - Register a BusinessPA Business One-Stop ShopPennsylvania Department of State - Professional LicensingPennsylvania Department of State - Business ResourcesPennsylvania Office of Attorney General - Home Improvement Contractor RegistrationPennsylvania Office of Attorney General - Contractor FAQsPennsylvania Department of Agriculture - Food Employee CertificationPennsylvania Department of Agriculture - Retail FoodPennsylvania Department of Agriculture - Food SafetyPennsylvania L&I - Child Labor ActPennsylvania L&I - Child Labor Law FormsPennsylvania L&I - Act 72Pennsylvania L&I - Misclassified WorkersPennsylvania L&I - 2025 Act 72 annual report