Beginning January 1, 2017, employees in Colorado will now have a right to inspect and copy their personnel files.  Prior to this law, Colorado had no law granting private-sector employees access to their personnel records.

Under the new law, upon a current employee’s request, an employer must allow that employee to inspect and obtain a copy of any part of the employee’s personnel file at least once annually. A former employee, however, may make only one inspection of his or her personnel file after termination of employment.  The new law also permits an employer to restrict an employee’s review of his or her personnel file to be only in the presence of an individual designated by the employer and the employer may require the employee or former employee to pay the reasonable cost of duplication of documents.

The new law does not require employers to create, maintain, or retain a personnel file on an employee or former employee nor does it require an employer to retain for a specific period of time documents that are or were contained in an employee’s personnel file.  Importantly, the law also does not create a private right of action for employees alleging violations of the law.