How Much Are OSHA Penalties? Maximum Fines and What Employers Pay
Two different things are described here. The maximum penalties are the statutory ceilings OSHA may assess per violation, adjusted annually for inflation. The averages are what was actually recorded in the public OSHA enforcement data for violations from inspections opened in calendar year 2024, across federal and state-plan programs. Average amounts are well below the maximums because OSHA applies reductions. Current penalty amounts may differ from initial assessments after settlements and other proceedings. Data queried June 5, 2026.
Key Findings
- The maximum penalty for a serious or other-than-serious violation is $16,550 per violation. The maximum for a willful or repeat violation is $165,514 per violation.
- In 2024, the average current penalty for a serious violation was $2,793, well below the $16,550 maximum.
- Average current penalties by type in 2024 were $769 for other-than-serious, $2,793 for serious, $10,719 for repeat, and $50,695 for willful violations.
- Penalties on record are typically lower than the amount initially assessed. The average serious violation was initially assessed at $3,810 and stood at $2,793 on record.
Maximum OSHA penalties
These are the statutory maximums per violation, effective January 15, 2025. OSHA adjusts them annually for inflation.
| Violation type | Maximum penalty |
|---|---|
| Serious | $16,550 per violation |
| Other-than-serious | $16,550 per violation |
| Failure to abate | $16,550 per day |
| Repeat | $165,514 per violation |
| Willful | $11,823 to $165,514 per violation |
The minimum penalty for a serious violation after reductions is $1,221. These January 15, 2025 amounts remain the current maximums: the 2026 annual adjustment made no change because the inflation index needed to set new amounts was unavailable (Federal Register, 91 FR 31358). Source: OSHA, 2025 annual penalty adjustments (osha.gov/penalties).
What employers actually paid in 2024
Average penalties recorded are far below the maximums. The table shows the average penalty per violation for violations from inspections opened in calendar year 2024.
| Violation type | Violations | Avg. initial | Avg. current |
|---|---|---|---|
| Serious | 79,199 | $3,810 | $2,793 |
| Other-than-serious | 49,057 | $1,175 | $769 |
| Repeat | 4,775 | $13,463 | $10,719 |
| Willful | 633 | $56,467 | $50,695 |
Counts and averages are from the OSHA violation data, by inspection open date, federal and state-plan programs combined.
Why current penalties are usually lower than the maximum
OSHA reduces proposed penalties using factors set in its Field Operations Manual. An employer may receive a reduction of up to 25 percent for good faith, up to 20 percent for a clean history (no serious, willful, repeat, or failure-to-abate citations in the prior five years), and a size-based reduction of up to 70 percent for the smallest employers (1 to 25 employees). Penalties can also change after the citation is issued, through informal conferences, settlements, or contest proceedings before the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission. For 2024 serious violations, the average moved from $3,810 initially to $2,793 on record. See OSHA penalty reductions for the full breakdown.
Methodology and sources
Maximum penalty amounts are the federal OSHA civil penalty maximums effective January 15, 2025, maintained in the site's central facts file and sourced to OSHA (osha.gov/penalties and the 2025 annual adjustment memo). Average penalties are computed from the OSHA violation table in the U.S. DOL enforcement data API, for violations linked by activity number to inspections opened in calendar year 2024, federal and state-plan programs combined, delete-flagged records excluded. Initial penalty is the amount first assessed; current penalty is the latest amount on record. No amounts are estimated. State-plan programs set their own penalty structures that must be at least as effective as federal OSHA.
The maximum is $16,550 per serious or other-than-serious violation and $165,514 per willful or repeat violation, effective January 15, 2025.
In 2024, the average current penalty was $2,793 for a serious violation and $769 for an other-than-serious violation.
The maximum is $165,514 per willful violation. The average current penalty for a willful violation in 2024 was $50,695.
OSHA reduces penalties for good faith, clean history, and small employer size, and amounts can change further after informal conferences, settlements, or contest proceedings.
Yes. OSHA adjusts the maximum penalty amounts annually for inflation. The amounts above are effective January 15, 2025.
Data Source and Methodology
Data synced dailyData on this page comes from the U.S. Department of Labor's OSHA enforcement database, accessed via the DOL public data API. Records are updated daily. We strive for accuracy, but errors in data processing or establishment grouping are possible. Penalty amounts reflect the latest penalty amounts on record in the DOL database and may differ from initial assessments or final amounts after informal conference, settlement, or judicial review. Company pages group inspection records by normalized employer name, city, and state as reported in OSHA records. That grouping is deterministic and non-fuzzy, but it is not a universal legal-entity identifier. If you believe any record is inaccurate, please report it and we will investigate. This product uses the DOL Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the DOL. For official and authoritative records, visit osha.gov.