Model Crime Victims Notice (AB 2499) Now Available

On July 1, 2025, California published the Model Crime Victims Notice, “Survivors of Violence and Family Members of Victims Right to Leave and Accommodations,” which is available on the Civil Rights Department Website. Now that the notice is officially published, this triggers the obligation for employers to distribute this notice to employees at specific times. Keep reading to make sure your business stays compliant.

Crime Victims (AB 2499) Refresher

California has long protected employees who are crime victims and may need time off for court proceedings, or a reasonable accommodation to ensure their safety at work. However, under AB 2499, which went into effect on January 1, 2025, the law increased protections, including by expanding who qualifies as a crime victim, requiring reasonable accommodations to ensure safety when the employee or their family member is a crime victim, as well as providing additional time off protections for employers with 25 or more employees. You can read more about these changes in CEA’s previous article here.

New Notice Requirement

Another key component of the new law is that the Civil Rights Department (CRD) was tasked with publishing a model crime victims’ notice by July 1, 2025, which outlines rights and obligations for employers and employees. The law requires that, once posted on CRD’s website, employers must distribute the notice as follows:

• To new employees upon hire
• To all employees annually
• When an employee requests the notice
• Any time an employee informs you that they or their family member is a crime victim

While employers are not required to use the CRD’s model notice, it is highly recommended. Otherwise, the employer is on the hook for ensuring any notice they use meets the law’s requirements and is “substantially similar in content and clarity” to the CRD notice.

Pro Tips

Now that the notice is published, CEA recommends that employers:

• Distribute it to all employees now
• Mark your calendar to distribute it annually
• Add the form to your onboarding process
• Ensure your handbook is updated regarding crime victims’ rights, especially if you have 25 or more employees
• Train your HR/management team on how to handle leave and reasonable accommodation requests for crime victims

Employers can access the Model Crime Victims Notice here in English and here in Spanish, as well as many other languages! CEA members can call us with any questions at 800.399.5331.