The City of Bloomington, Minnesota has enacted Ordinance No. 2026‑09, repealing its local Earned Sick and Safe Time (ESST) ordinance in light of Minnesota’s comprehensive statewide ESST law, which is now fully in effect. The ordinance amendment reflects the City’s determination that maintaining a separate municipal ESST framework is no longer necessary and may create unnecessary complexity for employers navigating overlapping requirements.
Bloomington originally adopted its ESST ordinance in 2022 to ensure workers had access to paid leave for health, safety, and family‑related needs. In the years that followed, Minnesota enacted a statewide ESST law establishing uniform minimum standards, and the City amended its ordinance to align with those statewide requirements. According to the City, the statewide regime has largely supplanted the need for local enforcement, as reflected by a significant decline in ESST‑related complaints handled at the municipal level.
Under Ordinance No. 2026‑09, Bloomington concluded that the benefits of a dual compliance system no longer outweigh the administrative burden on employers. Maintaining a separate ordinance required ongoing monitoring and updates to stay consistent with evolving state law, while providing limited additional enforcement value. By repealing the local ordinance, the City aims to streamline compliance obligations and reduce confusion for employers operating within Bloomington.
Importantly, the repeal does not eliminate earned sick and safe time protections for employees working in Bloomington. Instead, all covered workers remain fully protected under Minnesota’s statewide ESST law, which continues to guarantee paid leave rights at the state level. Employees will no longer have the option to file complaints with the City, but they retain the ability to pursue enforcement through applicable state agencies. As a result, the change represents an administrative consolidation rather than a rollback of employee rights.
Employer takeaway: Employers operating in Bloomington should shift their compliance focus exclusively to Minnesota’s statewide ESST requirements, rather than maintaining compliance systems tailored to both city and state laws. While this change simplifies administration, employers should ensure that policies, handbooks, and leave practices remain fully aligned with state ESST standards, which continue to govern employee entitlements and enforcement.