Local requirement
Chicago sexual harassment prevention training requirements
Last updated 2026-09-04
Chicago Municipal Code §6-10-040 layers a real, separate set of obligations on top of Illinois's own state-wide harassment-prevention mandate. An employer that completes only the state training has not satisfied Chicago's ordinance — three distinct hours are required, not one.
The three obligations
- One hour of harassment-prevention training for every employee, annually.
- One additional hour of supervisor-specific training — two hours total — for anyone with authority to direct, discipline, hire, or effectively recommend action about other employees.
- One hour of bystander-intervention training, separate from the harassment-prevention hour, for every employee regardless of supervisor status.
The compliance year is not the calendar year
Chicago's training year runs July 1 to June 30. An employer tracking training on a January-to-December schedule can find a gap without realizing the cycle itself is offset from the calendar year.
Our courses for this ordinance
Common questions
Does completing the Illinois state training satisfy Chicago's requirement?
No. Illinois requires one hour of harassment-prevention training a year. Chicago requires that same hour, PLUS a separate bystander-intervention hour for everyone, PLUS an additional hour for supervisors specifically. Completing only the state-level course leaves the bystander hour and the supervisor hour outstanding for anyone working in Chicago.
Who counts as a supervisor for the extra hour?
Chicago's ordinance applies the supervisor tier to anyone with authority to direct, discipline, hire, or effectively recommend action regarding other employees, not just a formal manager title. If someone approves time off, assigns work, or has input on discipline, treat them as a supervisor for training purposes rather than assuming the title decides it.
When does the annual training cycle run?
Chicago's compliance year runs July 1 to June 30, not the calendar year. An employer tracking training on a January-to-December cycle can end up out of compliance for part of the year without realizing the cycle itself is offset.
Does this apply if our office is outside Chicago but some staff work there?
The obligation generally follows where work is actually performed, not where the company is headquartered. An employer based elsewhere with staff who work in Chicago — even occasionally — should not assume the ordinance doesn't reach them without checking.
This is not legal advice. For the current ordinance text, see the City of Chicago's own published municipal code. See also Illinois's state-wide requirement, which this ordinance sits on top of.