Requiring doctor’s notes under sick leave ordinances

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Ten municipalities in New Jersey currently require employers provide paid sick leave for most employees.  A frequent question arises as to whether an employer can require documentation from the employee as to the reason they were out- in other words, can the company require a doctor's note.  All of the ordinances allow for an employer to require documentation after an employee has been out for 3 consecutive days.  In all cases, the documentation cannot explain the nature of the illness, only that the time off was necessary and in accordance with the ordinance.

The 10 municipalities with paid sick leave ordinances in NJ, to date, are: Bloomfield, East Orange, Elizabeth, Irvington, Jersey City, Montclair, Newark, Paterson, Passaic and Trenton.

For information and resources on specific ordinances, click here to visit EANJ's Member's Only Page.