The Cleveland City Council has passed Ordinance No. 104-2025, which requires employers with 15 or more employees within the City of Cleveland to provide the salary range or scale in notifications, advertisements, or other formal postings for employment.
The ordinance applies to jobs “to be performed within the geographic boundaries of the City of Cleveland, and whose application, in whole or in part, will be solicited, received, processed, or considered in the City of Cleveland, regardless of whether the person is interviewed.”
Additionally, the ordinance makes it an unlawful discriminatory practice for an employer to do the following:
- Inquire about the salary history of an applicant;
- Screen an applicant based on their current or prior salary history, including requiring that an applicant’s prior salary history satisfy minimum or maximum criteria;
- Rely solely on the salary history of an applicant (with limited exceptions) in deciding whether to offer employment to an applicant, or in determining the salary for such applicant during the hiring process, including the negotiation of an employment contract; and
- Refuse to hire or otherwise disfavor, injure, or retaliate against an applicant for not disclosing their salary history.
The ordinance is effective October 27, 2025.
