DLI Seeks Public Feedback on Proposed Earned Sick and Safe Time Rules

The Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry requests that employers and employees submit input by April 2.

In 2023, the Minnesota Legislature passed a state leave mandate requiring employers to provide earned sick and safe time (ESST) to qualified employees. The law also granted the Department of Labor and Industry (DLI) the authority to adopt rules to effectively guide its implementation.

The DLI has now released proposed rule changes aimed at clarifying several aspects of the ESST law, including:

• Accrual years.
• How in-state and out-of-state hours affect ESST accrual.
• Misuse of ESST.
• How employer policies offering more generous leave interact with the law.

View the DLI’s proposed rules related to the ESST law (pdf).

Your next step

The public comment period is now open for cities interested in providing feedback on the proposed rules. The DLI is particularly requesting input on:

• Compliance costs: Will complying with any particular rule cost more than $25,000 in the first year for a statutory or home rule charter city with fewer than 10 full-time employees?
• Ordinance impact: Would any rule require local governments to adopt or amend ordinances or other regulations?
• Cumulative effects: How might these rules interact with other federal and state regulations?
• Alternative solutions: Are there less costly methods or less intrusive ways to achieve the goals of any rule?

Cities that are interested in submitting comments on the proposed rules must do so before April 2 by 4:30 p.m. Comments can be submitted to DLI by emailing [email protected] or sending by mail to:

Krystle Conley
Office of General Counsel
443 Lafayette Road North
St. Paul, MN, 55155

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