Do Florida Nurse Registries Need Labor Law Posters?

By Scott Strachan, RN BSN. Last reviewed October 2026. Statutes cited are from the 2026 Florida Statutes.

Yes, if your nurse registry has even one employee, and that employee can be you. If you pay yourself through payroll, you’re an employee too, and these labor law posters are required. Referred caregivers are independent contractors, so the posters aren’t for them, but your office staff usually are employees. Every required poster is free from the agency that issues it, and you can print them yourself. Here are the details.

This post is for registry owners and applicants setting up an office, whether it’s a suite or a spare room at home. It covers which federal and Florida posters apply, where to get them free, how they fit with the independent contractor model, and what to do if you operate from home or have remote office staff.

Are labor law posters required for a nurse registry?

What the law says. Each poster comes from its own law, and each law has its own trigger. Most are triggered by having employees. A few only apply once you reach a certain headcount, use E-Verify, carry workers’ compensation, or employ minors. There is no single “nurse registry poster” requirement.

What that doesn’t mean. Your AHCA license doesn’t create a poster requirement. AHCA’s nurse registry surveyor workbooks for both initial and standard surveys don’t include labor law posters. What the surveyor does look for at the entrance conference is your current license on display (ZZ803). Labor posters are enforced by the agencies that issue them: the U.S. Department of Labor, EEOC, OSHA, FloridaCommerce, the Florida Department of Revenue, and the Division of Workers’ Compensation.

If you’re a single-owner registry and you take owner draws rather than a paycheck, most of these posters don’t apply yet. If you pay yourself through payroll, for example as an S corporation, you’re an employee and the posters apply. Either way, the day you bring on an office employee, they do. Posting anyway costs nothing.

Which posters apply to a Florida nurse registry?

Here’s the working list for a typical Florida registry with office employees. Confirm your own list with the U.S. Department of Labor’s free elaws Poster Advisor.

Federal posters

A note on E-Verify: Section 448.095, F.S. requires Florida private employers with 25 or more employees to use E-Verify. Most registries are well under that number for office staff. If you enroll voluntarily, the two E-Verify posters come with it.

Florida posters

What the law says. Section 448.109, F.S. requires employers who must pay Florida minimum wage to display a poster substantially similar to the state’s in a conspicuous and accessible place. Florida’s minimum wage reached $15.00 an hour on September 30, 2026, so make sure your poster shows that rate. Section 443.151(1), F.S. is the basis for the RT-83 reemployment notice. Section 440.40, F.S. requires every employer that has secured workers’ compensation to post a notice with the carrier’s name, address, and policy expiration date. Section 450.045(2), F.S. covers the child labor poster.

What that doesn’t mean. Workers’ compensation coverage is generally required for non-construction employers with four or more employees under Section 440.02, F.S. The posting requirement follows the coverage, not the headcount. If you carry a policy with fewer than four employees, post the notice. How owners and LLC members count toward that number is a question for your insurance agent.

Can I print my own posters?

Yes. Every poster above is a free PDF from the issuing agency, and printing it yourself is fine. A few details matter:

• OSHA: a printed copy must be at least 8.5 by 14 inches with 10-point type. Print it on legal paper, not letter.
• Workers’ compensation: the notice isn’t complete until your carrier’s name, address, and policy expiration date are filled in. Many carriers send a completed copy with the policy. Update it when the policy renews.
• Florida minimum wage: it changes every year on September 30. Replace it when the new one comes out.
• Language: Spanish versions are available for most posters. If a significant part of your office staff reads Spanish more comfortably, post both.

All-in-one laminated posters from commercial vendors are convenient and perfectly fine to use, but not required. The thing to avoid is paying for a “compliance” subscription you didn’t ask for.

Where to get them free (and the sales pitches you’ll get)

Go straight to the agency links in the tables above. OSHA’s own poster page says it plainly: the poster is free, so don’t pay a third-party vendor for it.

From the registry office: If you’re a new business owner, you will be approached routinely with scary emails and letters trying to sell you posters and information you can print for free. Not all of them are scams, but they’re written to make you think you’re already out of compliance. Trust me. I have my own poster up, and yes, I bought it.

What we see in practice. The pitches start as soon as your business registration becomes public. Some are legitimate vendors selling convenience. Others cross the line. In 2018 the FTC and the Florida Attorney General went after a Florida operation that did exactly this, and the 2019 settlement noted that these posters are available free from government agencies. If a letter looks like a government notice and asks you to pay for posters, it isn’t from the government. Buy a laminated poster if you like the convenience. Just don’t buy it out of fear.

How posters relate to independent contractor caregivers

A Florida nurse registry refers independent contractor caregivers to clients. Those caregivers aren’t your employees, so employment posters aren’t written for them. Your office staff are a different story. The person who answers the phone, handles caregiver registration, or covers the front desk is usually a W-2 employee, and the posters exist for them.

What that doesn’t mean. A caregiver seeing the FLSA poster on your office wall doesn’t make them an employee, and leaving the posters down doesn’t turn your office staff into contractors. Classification depends on the actual relationship, not on what’s hanging in the hallway. Post where your employees will see it and don’t overthink it.

Our recommendation. Where the independent contractor model can get muddy is in paperwork, not on the wall. Keep caregiver registration materials completely separate from office employee onboarding. Don’t hand caregivers employee rights notices, your workers’ compensation notice, or an employee handbook as part of registration. And don’t tell caregivers they’re covered by your workers’ compensation policy. Your policy covers your employees.

What if I operate my nurse registry from home?

The same rules apply. Posters follow employees, not the type of building.

• No employees: you generally don’t need labor posters. You still need your AHCA license displayed.
• Employees work in your home office: post in the workspace where they’ll actually see them, not in a hallway they never use.
• Employees work entirely remotely: the Department of Labor’s Field Assistance Bulletin 2020-7 allows electronic posting of FLSA, FMLA, and EPPA notices when employees work exclusively remotely, customarily receive information electronically, and have ready access to it. The EEOC says the same for its poster. Put the PDFs in a shared folder or onboarding portal, tell staff where they are, and keep a record that you did. This only works for fully remote staff. Anyone who works in your office needs the paper posters on the wall.

What the law says. Separately from labor posters, Section 408.804(2), F.S. requires your AHCA license to be displayed in a conspicuous place readily visible to clients who enter at the address on the license. That includes a home office. For the rest of what a home-based registry needs, see Can a Nurse Registry Operate From Home in Florida?

The notice AHCA does check

AHCA doesn’t survey for labor posters, but it does check a client notice that people sometimes confuse with one. Section 408.810(5), F.S. requires you to give clients, before services start, the statewide toll-free numbers for AHCA complaints, the abuse hotline, and Medicaid fraud, in the exact wording the statute specifies. Surveyors ask how clients receive it (ZZ818).

Because registry clients receive services at home, that notice belongs in your client admission paperwork, not only on your office wall. If you’re preparing for a survey, our post on AHCA omission letters and citations covers the most common problems we see.

Your poster checklist

1. Display your AHCA license where clients entering your office will see it.
2. Run the DOL elaws Poster Advisor once you have an office employee.
3. Print the federal posters that apply: FLSA, EPPA, OSHA (legal size), and USERRA, plus EEOC at 15 employees and FMLA at 50.
4. Print the Florida posters: minimum wage (current rate), RT-83, and your completed workers’ compensation notice if you carry coverage.
5. Post them where employees see them. For remote staff, provide them electronically and document it.
6. Put a reminder on your calendar for September 30 to replace the minimum wage poster, and another for your workers’ comp renewal.
7. Make sure your client admission packet includes the 408.810(5) toll-free numbers.

Getting your office ready for licensure is part of the Path to Licensure.

Frequently asked questions

Do nurse registries need labor law posters for independent contractor caregivers?

No. Labor law posters are for employees. Referred caregivers are independent contractors, but your office employees are covered, so post for them.

Are labor law posters free in Florida?

Yes. Every required federal and Florida poster is a free download from the issuing agency. Mailers asking you to pay for required posters are not from the government.

Can I print my own labor law posters?

Yes. Print the agency PDFs yourself. The OSHA poster must be at least 8.5 by 14 inches, and the workers’ compensation notice needs your carrier’s information filled in.

Does AHCA check for labor law posters during a nurse registry survey?

AHCA’s nurse registry surveyor workbooks don’t include labor posters. Surveyors do look for your current license on display and ask how clients receive the required toll-free numbers.

Do I need posters if I run my nurse registry from home?

Only if you have employees. Post where they work, or provide the posters electronically if they work fully remotely. Your AHCA license still has to be displayed at the licensed address.

Can I post labor law posters electronically instead of on the wall?

Only for employees who work entirely remotely. If anyone works in your office, even part-time, the posters must be physically posted there. Electronic copies supplement wall posters; they don’t replace them.

Book a free 15-minute consultation

Setting up your office or getting ready for your survey? Book a free 15-minute consultation on Google Meet and we’ll go over what applies to your registry.

This article provides general regulatory information. It is not legal, tax, or insurance advice.