OSHA penalty amounts for contractors
Safety line items are easy targets when a bid needs to come down. The penalty schedule in OSHA's regulations shows what a citation can cost, and the amounts are adjusted often. The regulation's amendment history shows changes published every January from 2017 through 2025.
- For penalties proposed after January 15, 2025, a serious or other-than-serious violation can be up to $16,550.
- A willful violation is at least $11,823 and up to $165,514; a repeated violation is up to $165,514.
- Failure to correct a violation can be up to $16,550 per day.
- A proposed penalty becomes final unless you notify the Area Director in writing within 15 working days that you intend to contest it.
The current maximums
Under 29 CFR 1903.15, proposed penalties, the adjusted penalties "for penalties proposed after January 15, 2025" are:
| Violation type | Penalty |
|---|---|
| Willful | Not less than $11,823 and not more than $165,514 per violation |
| Repeated | Up to $165,514 per violation |
| Serious | Up to $16,550 |
| Other-than-serious | Up to $16,550 |
| Failure to correct | Up to $16,550 per day |
| Posting requirement | Up to $16,550 |
How OSHA sets the amount
The Area Director gives "due consideration" to the size of the business, the gravity of the violation, the employer's good faith and its history of previous violations. Penalties can be proposed even if you fix the problem as soon as the inspector points it out. Penalties are not proposed for de minimis violations that have no direct or immediate relationship to safety or health.
The 15-working-day clock
The notice of proposed penalty states that it will be the final order of the Review Commission "unless, within 15 working days from the date of receipt of such notice," you notify the Area Director in writing that you intend to contest. Put the receipt date on your calendar the day the notice arrives.
What it means for bidding
- One serious citation's maximum can exceed the cost of the guardrail, fall protection or trench box you were thinking about cutting.
- Repeat violations carry a much higher ceiling, so a citation on one job raises the stakes on the next.
- The amounts change every year, so check the current table before you use these numbers in a safety budget.
Related: what happens during an OSHA inspection and OSHA's top cited standards. General information, not legal advice.
Published November 9, 2026. We do not use affiliate links on this page; see our Affiliate Disclosure.