San Francisco paid sick leave
Local ordinance, in effect since February 5, 2007
1 hour for every 30 hours worked
All employers with employees who work in San Francisco in San Francisco must let employees accrue and use up to 72 hours a year. Fewer than 10 persons working per week: 40-hour balance cap. California's state law also applies; employers follow whichever rule is more generous to the employee.
| San Francisco | California | |
|---|---|---|
| Accrual | 1 hour for every 30 hours worked | 1 hour for every 30 hours worked (or front-loaded) |
| Annual cap | 72 hours Balance cap: 72 hours (10+ employees) or 40 hours (small business, fewer than 10) at any time. | 40 hours |
| Who must provide it | All employers with employees who work in San Francisco | All employers |
| Carryover | Accrued sick leave carries over year to year, up to the 72- or 40-hour balance cap. | Accrued leave carries over, up to the employer's accrual cap (at least 80 hours or 10 days). |
Details and exceptions
- The first U.S. city paid sick leave law. Voters amended it in 2016 to parallel California law.
- SFO and the Presidio are not covered.
- sf.gov pages return a bot challenge to plain HTTP. The OLSE info page was read in a browser today.
Law: San Francisco Administrative Code ch. 12W / L.E.C. Article 11 (Paid Sick Leave Ordinance)
Running payroll in San Francisco, California?
Recent changes
Last verified against the official source on October 9, 2026.
No changes recorded since we started tracking this page.
Sources
- San Francisco Office of Labor Standards Enforcement (OLSE) · data as of October 8, 2026 · last checked October 9, 2026
We copy figures from official sources and re-check them against the source before every update. See our methodology. This is general information, not legal advice.