California
California harassment training for small employers
Last updated 2026-09-29
Short answer: if your business has five or more employees in total, anywhere, you must give every employee in California sexual harassment prevention training: one hour for staff, two hours for supervisors, every two years, and within six months of hire. Contractors, part-timers, temps, unpaid interns and volunteers count toward the five. Staff outside California count toward the five but do not need the training themselves.
Everything on this page is quoted from Government Code 12950.1, its regulation 2 CCR 11024, or the Civil Rights Department’s employer FAQ (October 2025). It is not legal advice.
Who counts toward the five
The statute applies to an employer “regularly employing five or more persons or regularly receiving the services of five or more persons providing services pursuant to a contract.” The regulation adds that there is “no requirement that the 5 employees or contractors work at the same location or all work or reside in California,” and that the count includes full-time, part-time and temporary workers, unpaid interns, unpaid volunteers and contractors. The CRD’s own example: two full-time employees and six unpaid interns meet the threshold.
One thing the law does not spell out is the period over which you count. It says “regularly employing” and leaves it there. If your headcount hovers around five, ask the CRD or your counsel rather than picking a counting window yourself.
Who has to be trained
Employees in California. The CRD’s FAQ is direct about the others: “employees located outside of California are not themselves required to be trained,” even though they count toward the threshold. The regulation also says minors aged 14 to 17 must be trained. The law does not separately address remote workers who live in California; the requirement is written around employees in California.
Length, deadlines and format
At least two hours for supervisors and one hour for everyone else, once every two years. New employees within six months of hire, new supervisors within six months of promotion, and businesses created after January 1, 2021 within six months of opening. Seasonal and temporary workers are due within 30 calendar days or 100 hours worked, whichever comes first.
The training has to be interactive. When the CRD FAQ asks whether text-only training is allowed, the answer is “No.” The regulation expects questions that assess learning, skill-building activities and hypothetical scenarios, and the content has to include abusive conduct and harassment based on gender identity, gender expression and sexual orientation. Bystander intervention is not required by law at this time, according to the CRD.
Free training, paid training, and what the state approves
The CRD publishes free online courses, and the statute says directing employees to them satisfies the requirement. For a very small employer with a tight budget, that is a real option. The trade-offs are practical: the CRD cannot reissue a lost certificate, and its e-learning cannot be watched as a group, so record-keeping falls to you.
The state does not approve anyone. The CRD says it “does not approve training providers” and “cannot offer recommendations or approvals for other training providers.” A paid course earns its place by meeting the content and interactivity rules and giving you a record you can produce later, not by a state badge that does not exist.
Records: keep them two years
The regulation requires documentation of training “for a minimum of two years”: names of the employees trained, the date, a sign-in sheet, certificates, the type of training, the materials and the provider’s name. The records stay with you; nothing is filed with the state.
If your employer has not trained anyone
The statute gives the CRD the power to seek an order requiring the employer to comply, and a court can order compliance. Neither the statute nor the regulation sets a fine for missing training. Missing training does not by itself make an employer liable in a harassment claim, but an employer that cannot show training has one less piece of evidence that it tried to prevent harassment.
Common questions
We have 3 employees in California. Do we have to train them?
It depends on your total headcount, not your California headcount. The law covers employers with five or more employees, and the regulation says those five do not all have to work or live in California. Contractors, part-time and temporary workers, unpaid interns and volunteers count too. If that total reaches five, your 3 California employees must be trained. Staff outside California count toward the five but do not themselves need the training.
How long does the training have to be, and how often?
At least one hour for nonsupervisory employees and at least two hours for supervisors, repeated once every two years. New employees must be trained within six months of hire, and new supervisors within six months of taking the role.
Does training from a previous employer count?
It can. Training completed in the prior two years with a current, prior, alternate or joint employer can count, but the employee still has to read and acknowledge your own anti-harassment policy within six months, and you carry the burden of showing the earlier training met the law.
What about seasonal and temporary workers?
Workers hired for less than six months must be trained within 30 calendar days or 100 hours worked, whichever comes first. Someone hired for both less than 30 days and less than 100 hours does not need it. For staffing-agency temps, the agency trains them, not the client business.
Is there a free option?
Yes. The Civil Rights Department publishes free online courses, and the statute says directing employees to them satisfies the requirement. They are available in several languages. The CRD will not reissue a lost certificate, and its e-learning cannot be watched as a group, so keep your own records.
Does the state approve training providers?
No. The CRD says it does not approve training providers and cannot recommend or approve them. Any provider claiming to be "state approved" for California harassment training is claiming something the state does not do. What matters is whether the training meets the content and interactivity rules in the regulation.
What happens if an employer does not train?
The statute lets the Civil Rights Department seek an order requiring the employer to comply, and a court can order compliance. The statute and regulation do not set a fine for missing training. Separately, missing training does not by itself make an employer liable for a harassment claim, but it removes evidence that the employer took reasonable steps to prevent harassment.
How long do we keep the records?
At least two years. The regulation lists what to keep: the names of employees trained, the date, a sign-in sheet, copies of certificates, the type of training, the materials used and the name of the provider.
See also the California requirements hub and requirements in every state.
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