Boise cannot set a local minimum wage above the federal floor of 7.25 dollars per hour because Idaho Code 44-1502 explicitly preempts cities and counties from enacting higher local minimum wage ordinances.
Idaho Code 44-1502 fixes the state minimum wage to the federal Fair Labor Standards Act minimum, currently 7.25 dollars per hour, and Idaho Code 44-1502(3) added in 2016 expressly preempts any county, city, or political subdivision from establishing a higher local minimum wage. Boise therefore cannot mirror Seattle, Denver, or Portland with a 15-dollar floor. Tipped workers receive 3.35 dollars per hour cash wage if tips bring them to 7.25 dollars under Idaho Code 44-1502(2). The legislature has rejected multiple bills to raise the state floor since 2016. Federal contractors fall under separate higher Executive Order minimums.
Cities passing local minimum wage ordinances would face state-court preemption challenges; employers paying below 7.25 dollars per hour face federal Department of Labor and Idaho Department of Labor wage-claim actions.
See how Boise's minimum wage preemption rules stack up against other locations.
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