District of Columbia Parental Leave Act Poster Mandatory

Parental Leave Act Workplace Poster
Updated: May 17, 2024

Know Your Rights in the District of Columbia
Work Leave for Parenting Purpose
The District of Columbia Parental Leave Act allows employees who are parents or guardians to
take 24 hours of leave (paid or unpaid) during a 12-month period to attend school-related
activities. School events include but are not limited to: parent-teacher conferences, concerts,
plays, rehearsals, sporting events, and other activities where the child is a participant or the
subject of the event, not a spectator.
The employee must notify the employer 10 days before the requested leave unless the schoolrelated activity was not reasonably foreseeable (e.g., the child’s teacher has requested an
emergency parent-teacher conference). The leave can be unpaid or paid family, vacation,
personal, compensatory or leave bank leave.
The employer may deny the leave if granting the leave would disrupt the employer’s business
and make the achievement of production or service unusually difficult.

Definition of Parent or Guardian
An employee is considered a parent or guardian for purposes of this Act if he, she or they is:
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biological mother or father of a child;
person who has legal custody of a child;
person who acts as a guardian of a child;
aunt, uncle, or grandparent of a child; or is
a person married or in a domestic partnership to a person listed above.

Employer Posting Requirements
The employer must post and maintain this notice in a conspicuous place. An employer that
willfully fails to post this notice may be ordered to pay a fine of up to $100 for each day the
employer fails to post the notice.
This document is a factsheet and guidance provided by the D.C. Office of Human Rights (OHR)
regarding legislative changes made to the D.C. Human Rights Act of 1977 (DCHRA) and the
Office of Human Rights Establishment Act of 1999 (HREA). This document may be used for
educational purposes only and not as legal advice to apply to a particular situation. Any person
or entity in need of legal advice should consult an attorney.

Filing a Complaint of a Violation
If you believe an employer has wrongfully denied you parental leave under this statute, you can
file a complaint within one year of the incident with the Office of Human Rights (OHR). To file a
complaint, visit: Questions about the OHR process can also be answered by phone at (202) 7274559
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Online at ohr.dc.gov; or
In-Person at 441 4th Street NW, Suite 570N, Washington, DC 20001.

Questions about the OHR process can also be answered by phone at (202) 727-4559

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