Find Out Which California Wage Orders You Need to Post

California has 17 different wage orders covering different industries, job types, and work activities. Figuring out which one (or ones) apply to your business can feel overwhelming, especially when you’re trying to stay compliant and protect your people.

To make this easier, we built a short quiz that helps you quickly identify which California wage order(s) you need to display on your labor law posters. This is based on the official guidance from the California Department of Industrial Relations, and you can view the original document they publish here:
https://www.dir.ca.gov/dlse/whichiwcorderclassifications.pdf

Take the quiz below to determine which wage order applies to your situation. When you’re done, we’ll give you clear next steps so you can make sure your labor law posters are complete and up to date.

Which California Wage Order Does Your Business Need to Post?

California requires employers to post the correct IWC Wage Order for their industry. Answer a few quick questions to find yours.

Question 1 of 3

What best describes your business's primary activity?

Choose the category that represents your MAIN business activity, not side activities.

Manufacturing or Processing Making products, food processing, printing, assembly Personal Services Salons, spas, gyms, fitness studios, funeral services Food Service, Lodging, or Care Facilities Restaurants, hotels, hospitals, nursing homes, property management Office, Professional, or Technical Work Accounting, law, consulting, IT services, staffing agencies Retail or Wholesale Sales Stores, gas stations, pharmacies, equipment rental Laundry, Dry Cleaning, or Linen Services Laundromats, dry cleaners, uniform/linen rental with cleaning Transportation or Vehicle Services Trucking, delivery, moving, car rental, auto repair shops Entertainment or Recreation Theaters, casinos, amusement parks, sports facilities Broadcasting or Film Production Radio, TV stations, movie/video production Agriculture, Farming, or Food Packing Farms, dairies, packing houses, wineries Construction, Mining, Drilling, or Logging Contractors, builders, pool construction, oil drilling, mining Household/Domestic Work Nannies, housekeepers, personal attendants in private homes I'm not sure / None of these fit Help me figure out where I belong

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Question 2 of 3

What type of manufacturing or processing?

Select the option that best matches your operation.

General Manufacturing Making products, assembly, printing, bottling, bakeries (wholesale) Canning, Freezing, or Preserving Food Canning fruits/vegetables/meat, freezing food, making preserves Other Food Processing Candy, chips, pizza manufacturing, dehydrated foods, pet food (dry) Not sure which applies Help me narrow it down

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Question 2 of 3

What type of personal service?

This helps distinguish between personal care (Order 2) and recreation (Order 10).

Beauty, Grooming, or Wellness Hair salons, barber shops, nail salons, massage, spas Fitness or Body Building Gyms, personal training, health clubs, weight loss centers Funeral or Mortuary Services Funeral homes, mortuaries, cremation services Sports or Recreation Facility Tennis clubs, golf courses, skating rinks, bowling alleys Not sure which applies Help me narrow it down

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Question 2 of 3

What type of hospitality or care business?

All of these fall under Order 5 - Public Housekeeping.

Restaurant, Bar, or Food Service Restaurants, cafes, bars, catering, cafeterias Hotel, Motel, or Lodging Hotels, motels, B&Bs, boarding houses, resorts Healthcare or Care Facility Hospitals, nursing homes, assisted living, child care centers Building or Property Management Janitorial, landscaping (maintenance), property management Bakery, Donut Shop, Ice Cream, or Pizza Need to check if you have tables for customers Not sure which applies Help me narrow it down

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Question 2 of 3

What type of office or professional work?

Most office/professional work falls under Order 4.

Professional Services Accounting, law firms, consulting, engineering, architecture Financial Services Banks, credit unions, insurance, investment firms Tech or IT Services Software companies, IT consulting, web development, SaaS Staffing, HR, or Employment Services Staffing agencies, employment agencies, HR consulting Schools or Education (no boarding) Private schools, tutoring, dance studios, training centers We have both office AND field workers Construction, farming, mining with office support staff Not sure which applies Help me narrow it down

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Question 2 of 3

What type of retail or wholesale business?

Most retail/wholesale falls under Order 7 - Mercantile.

General Retail Store Clothing, electronics, furniture, department stores, thrift shops Gas Station or Convenience Store Gas stations, convenience stores (even with car wash or garage) Pharmacy or Drug Store Pharmacies, drug stores, medical supply retail Wholesale or Distribution Wholesale, import/export, florists, building materials Equipment or Goods Rental Equipment rental, commodity rental (NOT vehicles) Vehicle Rental Car rental, truck rental, boat rental, RV rental We sell products AND do installation/construction Pool stores, HVAC supply + install, building materials + contracting Bakery, Donut Shop, Ice Cream, or Pizza Need to check if you have tables for customers Linen or Uniform Rental Need to check if laundering is included Not sure which applies Help me narrow it down

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Question 2 of 3

Does your business include laundering or dry cleaning services?

This determines if you're Order 6 (laundry) or Order 7 (rental only).

Yes - We clean/launder items Laundromats, dry cleaners, linen/uniform service with cleaning No - Rental only, no cleaning Linen/uniform rental where cleaning is done elsewhere Not sure which applies Help me narrow it down

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Question 2 of 3

What type of transportation or vehicle service?

Most transportation falls under Order 9.

Moving People or Goods Trucking, delivery, moving companies, taxi/limo, airlines, buses Vehicle Rental Car, truck, boat, aircraft rental Independent Auto Repair or Service Auto repair shops, body shops (NOT at gas station or dealer) Storage or Warehousing Warehousing, storage (connected to transportation) Repair at Gas Station or Vehicle Dealer Service center at gas station or car dealership Mini-Storage (standalone, not transport-related) Self-storage facilities not connected to moving/transport Not sure which applies Help me narrow it down

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Question 2 of 3

What type of entertainment or recreation?

Most entertainment falls under Order 10 - Amusement and Recreation.

Amusement Parks or Attractions Theme parks, carnivals, arcades, museums Sports or Recreation Facilities Golf courses, bowling alleys, skating rinks, pools, tennis Casinos or Gaming Casinos, card rooms, bingo halls, gaming facilities Theaters or Performance Venues Movie theaters, concert venues, theatrical companies Charter Boats or Recreation Tours Charter fishing, boat tours, party boats Not sure which applies Help me narrow it down

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Question 2 of 3

Broadcasting or Film/Video Production?

Broadcasting (Order 11) is different from production (Order 12).

Radio or TV Broadcasting Radio stations, TV stations, broadcast networks Film or Video Production Movie studios, video production, commercials, casting Film Distribution Distributing films to theaters, streaming services Not sure which applies Help me narrow it down

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Question 2 of 3

What type of agricultural operation?

The location and type of work determines your order.

Growing, Raising, or Harvesting Farms, ranches, orchards, nurseries (growing), dairies (no processing) Processing ON the Farm Winery on the farm, dairy processing own products on-site Commercial Packing/Processing (off-farm) Packing houses, commercial dairies, fruit drying facilities Nursery (primarily selling plants) Garden centers, plant retail where selling is primary Not sure which applies Help me narrow it down

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Question 2 of 3

What role in construction, mining, drilling, or logging?

On-site work is Order 16; office support is Order 4.

On-Site Construction Work Contractors, builders, electricians, plumbers, roofers, pool builders Mining or Drilling Operations Mining, oil/gas drilling, well drilling (on-site workers) Logging Operations Logging, timber operations (on-site workers) Office/Support Personnel Only We only have office staff, estimators, admin - no field workers We have BOTH office AND field workers Need clarification on how this works Not sure which applies Help me narrow it down

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Question 2 of 3

Where is the household work performed?

Order 15 only applies to work in private homes.

In a Private Household Nannies, housekeepers, personal attendants in someone's home For a Facility or Business Cleaning service company, janitorial business, care facility Not sure which applies Help me narrow it down

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Question 2 of 3

Let's narrow it down. What does your business primarily DO?

Think about where most of your revenue comes from.

Provide professional services or office work Consulting, accounting, legal, tech services, marketing Serve food or provide lodging/care Restaurants, hotels, care facilities, property management Sell or rent products to customers Retail stores, wholesale, equipment rental Transport people or goods Delivery, trucking, rideshare, moving Make or produce physical products Manufacturing, assembly, printing, food production Build, construct, or extract resources Construction, mining, drilling, logging Still not sure - none of these fit My business is truly unique

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Question 3 of 3

Do you have tables where customers sit and eat on-site?

This determines if you're food SERVICE (Order 5) or food RETAIL (Order 7).

Yes - Customers eat here We have tables, booths, or seating for dining No - Takeout/pickup only No seating, customers take food to go

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Question 3 of 3

Does your service include laundering or cleaning?

This determines if you're Order 6 (laundry) or Order 7 (rental only).

Yes - We wash/clean the items We launder uniforms, clean linens, dry clean items No - Rental only We just rent items; cleaning done elsewhere or by customer

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Question 3 of 3

Which generates MORE of your business revenue?

Your primary activity determines your wage order. Be honest about where most of your money comes from.

Selling products is our main revenue We're primarily a retail store; installation is secondary Installation/construction is our main revenue We're primarily contractors; retail sales support our construction work It's truly 50/50 - I need help deciding Revenue is split evenly between retail and construction

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Question 3 of 3

Which generates MORE of your business revenue?

Your primary activity determines your wage order. One order covers ALL employees.

Field work is our main revenue Construction, drilling, mining, or logging is our primary business Farming/agriculture is our main revenue Growing, harvesting, or raising animals is our primary business Office/professional services is our main revenue We're primarily a professional services firm with some field operations It's truly 50/50 - I need help deciding Revenue is split evenly between office and field work

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Question 3 of 3

Let's try one more approach...

Which of these activities takes up most of your employees' time?

Working at desks or computers Office work, professional services → Order 4 Serving customers food or providing care Hospitality, healthcare → Order 5 Selling products to customers Retail, wholesale → Order 7 Making or assembling products Manufacturing → Order 1 Driving or transporting things Transportation → Order 9 Physical labor at job sites Construction, mining → Order 16 Still doesn't fit - truly unique business None of these describe what we do

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Final Step

Are you absolutely certain none of the other categories apply?

⚠️ Important Warning

Order 17 (Miscellaneous Employees) is extremely rare. The California DLSE has stated they have not identified ANY occupations that qualify for this order. If you select this, you should strongly consider consulting with a labor law attorney to verify your classification.

Let me go back and try again I'll look more carefully at the categories We're mostly office/professional work Default to Order 4 - Professional, Technical, Clerical I understand - show me Order 17 anyway I accept this is unusual and will verify with an expert

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Your Required Wage Order

Wage Order 4

Professional, Technical, Clerical

What This Order Covers

Description will appear here.

One Wage Order Covers All Your Employees

Per California DLSE guidelines, this wage order covers ALL employees in your business - including office staff, bookkeepers, drivers, and anyone else who works for you. You do not need to post multiple wage orders.

Verify This Classification

You've selected Order 17 - Miscellaneous Employees. The California DLSE has stated they have not identified any occupations that currently qualify for this order. We strongly recommend consulting with a California labor law attorney or contacting the DLSE at (844) 522-6734 to verify this is the correct classification for your business.

Disclaimer: This quiz provides general guidance only and is not legal advice. Wage order classification can be complex and may depend on specific circumstances. We recommend consulting with an employment attorney or the California Division of Labor Standards Enforcement (DLSE) if you are unsure which wage order applies to your business.

Stay Updated on Posting Changes

California labor law poster requirements change frequently. Get notified when state or federal posting laws are updated.

Get Your Wage Order

Download the official wage order poster for your industry directly from the California Department of Industrial Relations.

Official source from CA DIR

Free PDF download

All 17 wage orders available

Get Your Wage Order

Take Quiz Again

If you’d like to review or download the individual California wage orders directly, you can access them from the California Department of Industrial Relations here:
https://www.dir.ca.gov/IWC/WageOrderIndustries.htm

This is the same source the quiz is based on and can be helpful if you want to double-check classifications or keep a copy for your records.