Why do some pay-transparency laws require pay information in job postings?

Short answer

The official Washington materials reviewed say the legislature wanted to address wage and advancement gaps, promote equitable compensation, and provide wage and salary information to applicants and employees. Colorado’s 2019 enacted bill stated that it sought to help close the pay gap and prevent pay disparities, and Colorado’s labor agency describes its pay-transparency part as requiring compensation information in job postings and notices. These are examples of stated policy purposes, not a nationwide rule or a decision about whether a particular employer or posting is covered. [1] [2] [3]

How one state puts that policy into a posting rule

As retrieved on October 25, 2026, Washington’s official statute says a covered employer must include a wage scale or salary range in each job-opening posting, or a fixed wage if that is the only amount offered, along with a general description of benefits and other compensation. That section says it applies to employers with 15 or more employees. A posted range makes specified pay information available; it does not by itself establish whether pay is fair in any particular workplace. [4]

Scope

The governing rule can differ by state, city, or other jurisdiction. Coverage can also turn on the job and work location, remote-work arrangement, employer size or type, posting format, timing, compensation structure, and any applicable exception. The Washington and Colorado sources here are illustrations only; they do not decide a specific employer’s obligations or whether a particular range complies with a law.

Practical source-checking step

For a particular posting, preserve the posting and its date, identify the job’s location and the employer’s size, then check the current legislature or labor-agency materials for the jurisdiction involved. A question about a specific posting, agreement, deadline, complaint, or alleged violation needs qualified human review of the actual facts and current governing law.