Edgewater Passes Minimum Wage Ordinance

July 24, 2023

For twenty years Colorado law prevented cities from establishing minimum wages higher than the state minimum wage. That law was repealed in 2019 and Denver promptly passed an ordinance setting a minimum wage that is currently 26% higher than the state minimum. Edgewater is now the second Colorado municipality to set its own minimum wage. Edgewater’s new ordinance goes into effect January 1, 2024. The city’s website has a table showing the minimum wage for the next six years. The table is here.

The reach of the ordinance is not limited to employers with offices in Edgewater. The ordinance applies to any person, group, or entity that employs one or more employees. The ordinance defines “employee” as “an individual performing, or expected to perform, four (4) or more hours of work for an employer in any given week within the geographic boundaries of the City.”

Thus, employers not located in Edgewater will need to keep track of any time spent by their employees working in Edgewater.

The ordinance requires employers to post, in English and Spanish, a notice that includes the following language: IT IS AGAINST THE LAW TO PAY WAGES BELOW THE EDGEWATER MINIMUM WAGE. COMPLAINTS THAT A VIOLATION OF THIS LAW HAVE OCCURRED MAY BE FILED WITH THE CITY OF EDGEWATER BY CALLING (720) 763-3002; EMAILING CITYCLERK@EDGEWATERCO.COM; OR COMING TO THE EDGEWATER CIVIC CENTER AT 1800 HARLAN STREET TO REQUEST AN APPOINTMENT.

If it is not practical to post the notice in a prominent place, easily accessible to all employees, the employer can provide the information to employees individually, in each employee's primary language.

The ordinance also includes enforcement provisions, penalties, and record retention requirements. The relevant article of the municipal code can be found here.