(Disclaimer: This article is for general informational purposes only and should not be considered legal advice.)
Picture a 60-person HVAC company in Sacramento in the middle of August. A new technician shows up to a rooftop job in running shoes. Another tech is grumbling because his manager told him to buy his own logo shirts. And at the front desk, a supervisor has just told a coordinator that her braids look “too casual” for greeting customers.
The owner goes looking for the dress code and finds one written rule about clothing, in the 2019 holiday party invitation: “Festive attire encouraged.”
Festive, sure. Helpful, not so much. That line can’t tell a new tech what to wear on a roof. It can’t settle who pays for the logo shirts, a question California law has already settled: when a uniform is required, the employer pays. And it gave that supervisor no warning that a comment about an employee’s natural hairstyle can turn into a discrimination complaint.
So what should a dress code policy actually say? Here’s the short answer. A good dress code policy template spells out what employees should wear at work and why, covering the dress standard (business professional, business casual, casual or uniform), safety gear, grooming, accommodations and how the rules are enforced. Dress codes are legal when they’re tied to real business needs like safety, hygiene and customer expectations, as long as they allow for religious and disability accommodations and don’t discriminate based on race-related hairstyles or sex stereotypes.
Below, you’ll find the main types of dress codes, examples by role, the legal limits that trip employers up and a free dress code policy template you can copy into your handbook.
What is a dress code policy?
A dress code policy is the section of your employee handbook that sets attire, grooming and safety standards for your workplace. It tells employees what to wear, what not to wear and why, whether the reason is safety on a job site, hygiene in a kitchen or the impression you want to make on clients.
Employers can generally require a dress code, and a clear one keeps managers from inventing rules on the spot. The limits come from anti-discrimination, wage, safety and labor laws, which we’ll cover below.
Types of workplace dress codes
Most dress codes fall into one of five types:
| Type | Typical expectations | Common in |
|---|---|---|
| Business professional | Suits or tailored separates; dress shoes | Law, finance, client-facing roles |
| Business casual | Collared shirts, blouses, slacks, skirts, neat shoes; no athletic wear | Most offices |
| Casual | Clean, neat clothing; no offensive graphics | Tech, startups, remote teams on video |
| Uniform | Company-provided shirts, aprons or full uniforms | Restaurants, retail, hospitality, home services |
| Safety | PPE, closed-toe or steel-toe shoes, no loose clothing or jewelry near machinery | Construction, manufacturing, healthcare, food service |
Safety rules are the least negotiable of the five, because they protect people from injury. And casual doesn’t mean anything goes: even a relaxed dress code should ask for clean, neat clothing with no offensive graphics, including on video calls.
Dress code examples by role
Many companies need more than one standard, because an office team, a field crew and a kitchen staff can’t all follow the same rules. Here’s an example of a dress code tiered by role:
| Role | Standard | Safety and grooming add-ons | Watch for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Office and administrative | Business casual | Clean clothing in good repair, free of offensive words or images | Gender-neutral wording; room for religious dress |
| Client-facing (sales, legal, finance) | Business professional | The same grooming rules for every gender | Tattoo-cover rules need room for religious accommodation |
| Field and trades (construction, home services, manufacturing) | Uniform shirts or work clothes suited to the job | PPE and closed-toe or steel-toe shoes; no loose clothing, long jewelry or untied long hair near equipment | OSHA generally requires you to pay for required PPE |
| Food service | Company-provided shirts, aprons or uniforms | Hair secured or covered for food handling; closed-toe shoes | Uniform costs can’t push non-exempt pay below minimum wage |
| Remote and hybrid | Casual, including on video calls | Usually none | Separate expectations for client calls |
For industry-specific examples, see our restaurant employee handbook and construction employee handbook pages. If part of your team works from home, your remote work policy is a natural place for video call expectations.
How to write a dress code policy in 5 steps
These five steps turn those choices into a written policy. Work through them in order, and the template below will practically fill itself in.
- Choose your standard: Pick business professional, business casual, casual or uniform for each group, and write down why. “We meet clients in person most days” beats “we like to look sharp.”
- Add safety requirements by role: List the protective equipment and footwear each job needs, and ban loose clothing, long jewelry and untied long hair near operating equipment.
- Keep grooming rules neutral: Tie them to safety and hygiene, apply them to everyone regardless of gender, and don’t ban natural hair textures or protective hairstyles.
- Build in accommodations: Cover religious beliefs and practices, disabilities, pregnancy and other legally protected reasons, and name who employees should contact.
- Plan enforcement: Start with a private conversation, pay non-exempt employees sent home to change as required by law, and use corrective action for repeated violations.
Then share the policy with every employee, explain the reasoning behind it and collect signed acknowledgments.
Legal limits on dress codes
Dress codes are legal when they’re based on legitimate business needs and applied consistently. Trouble starts when a rule, or the way a manager enforces it, runs into one of the six areas below. The EEOC’s overview of prohibited employment policies and practices is a good starting point for the federal rules, and state and city laws add their own layers.
Race and natural hair (CROWN Act laws)
More than two dozen states and many cities have adopted CROWN Act laws that prohibit discrimination based on hair texture and protective hairstyles such as braids, locs and twists. Even where no CROWN Act applies, grooming rules that disproportionately affect one racial group can raise Title VII concerns.
So don’t ban natural or protective hairstyles, and limit hair rules to real safety or food handling needs. A vague rule like “hair must look professional” invites trouble, because every manager gets to decide what “professional” means.
Religious dress and grooming
Title VII requires employers to accommodate religious dress and grooming, such as head coverings, beards and modest clothing, unless the accommodation would cause substantial costs in relation to the business. That’s the undue hardship standard the Supreme Court set in Groff v. DeJoy (2023).
You don’t need a formal request to be on notice if you suspect a practice is religious (EEOC v. Abercrombie & Fitch, 2015). So if an applicant wears a headscarf to an interview and your policy bans hats, treat it as a possible accommodation, not a reason to pass. The EEOC’s page on religious discrimination has more on religious dress and grooming.
Sex, gender identity and gender expression
Under Bostock v. Clayton County (2020), Title VII protects employees from discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity, and many states explicitly protect gender expression. Use gender-neutral rules that let employees dress consistently with their gender identity.
In practice, that means one standard for everyone: “business professional attire, such as suits or tailored separates,” not “men wear ties; women wear skirts.” Starting January 1, 2027, California’s AB 2563 also clarifies that requiring conformity to sex stereotypes is sex discrimination (see CalChamber’s list of new 2027 employment laws).
Disability and medical needs
Employees may need accommodations for medical conditions, such as different footwear or clothing. Talk with the employee, find an option that still meets the safety or business need, and document what you agree on.
Uniform and PPE costs
Under the FLSA, uniform costs can’t reduce a non-exempt employee’s pay below minimum wage or cut into required overtime. That means making a minimum-wage employee buy a required uniform can push that week’s pay below the legal floor.
Several states, including California, go further and require employers to pay for required uniforms. OSHA generally requires employers to pay for required personal protective equipment, with limited exceptions such as ordinary safety-toe shoes worn off the job. The simplest approach: if you require it, you provide it.
Union buttons and insignia
Employees generally have the right to wear union buttons and insignia under the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA), and restrictions require special circumstances, such as safety. Don’t ban all pins or logos without a specific reason.
If you’re reviewing the rest of your handbook at the same time, note that in Tesla, Inc., 375 NLRB No. 63 (October 2026), the NLRB said rules on company IT and email systems are judged under Caesars Entertainment, not Stericycle, while Stericycle still governs other work rules.
Free dress code policy template
Copy and adapt this sample dress code policy. Replace the bracketed text, delete the options that don’t apply to your company, and have an employment attorney review the final version.
Dress Code and Personal Appearance
Purpose. How we present ourselves affects our safety, our customers’ experience and our reputation. This policy sets expectations for appearance at work.
Standard. [Choose one: Employees should dress in business casual attire, such as collared shirts, blouses, sweaters, slacks, skirts or dresses, and neat shoes. / Employees must wear the company-provided uniform during working hours. / Employees may dress casually, in clean, neat clothing appropriate for a professional environment.] Clothing should be clean, in good repair and free of offensive words or images.
Safety. Employees in [roles/areas] must wear required protective equipment, including [closed-toe or safety footwear, eye protection, gloves, hairnets]. Loose clothing, long jewelry and untied long hair are not permitted near operating equipment. [Company Name] provides required protective equipment at no cost, except as allowed by law.
Uniforms. [Company Name] will provide [number] uniforms at no cost and [will replace them / maintain them] as needed. Uniforms remain company property.
Hair and grooming. Hair should be clean and, where required for safety or food handling, secured or covered. This policy does not prohibit natural hair textures or protective hairstyles such as braids, locs and twists.
Gender expression. Employees may dress in accordance with their gender identity and expression within the standards of this policy.
Accommodations. [Company Name] will make reasonable accommodations for religious beliefs and practices, disabilities, pregnancy and other legally protected reasons. Contact [HR contact] to request an accommodation.
Special occasions. Managers may set different expectations for client meetings, events or [casual Fridays].
Enforcement. If your attire doesn’t meet this policy, your manager may ask you to change. Non-exempt employees sent home to change will be paid as required by law. Repeated violations may result in corrective action.
Common dress code policy mistakes to avoid
- Leaving no room for religious accommodation: Title VII requires you to accommodate religious dress and grooming unless it causes undue hardship, so a blanket “no hats, no beards” rule needs a way to request an exception.
- Writing hair rules that target natural hairstyles: Many states and cities have CROWN Act laws banning hairstyle discrimination. Keep hair rules to safety and food handling.
- Making employees pay for required uniforms: Uniform costs can’t push non-exempt pay below minimum wage, and states such as California require employers to pay for them.
- Writing separate rules for men and women: Rules like ties for men and skirts for women rest on sex stereotypes and can lead to discrimination claims. Use one gender-neutral standard.
- Banning all pins and logos: The NLRA generally protects union buttons and insignia, so restrict them only for a specific reason, such as safety.
- Enforcing the rules unevenly: If one manager lets jeans slide for some employees and writes up others, that inconsistency can look like discrimination.
Dress code policy FAQs
What should a dress code policy template include?
A complete template covers the policy’s purpose, the dress standard, safety equipment, uniforms, hair and grooming, gender expression, accommodations, special occasions and enforcement. It should also tell employees who to contact to request an accommodation.
Is a dress code legal?
Yes, as long as it’s based on legitimate business reasons, applies consistently, accommodates religious practices and disabilities, and doesn’t discriminate based on race-related hairstyles, sex stereotypes, gender identity or other protected characteristics. State and city laws, such as CROWN Act laws, can add more protections.
Can an employer require a dress code?
Yes. Employers can set reasonable dress and grooming standards for professionalism and safety, as long as the rules are applied consistently, accommodate religious and disability needs, and comply with state laws such as CROWN Act protections.
Can employers require employees to cover tattoos?
Generally yes, for business reasons such as customer-facing roles, unless the tattoo has religious significance that requires accommodation. Apply the rule consistently.
Who pays for work uniforms?
Under federal law, uniform costs can’t reduce non-exempt employees’ pay below minimum wage or cut into required overtime. Some states, including California, require employers to pay for required uniforms, and OSHA generally requires employers to pay for required protective equipment.
What is the CROWN Act?
The CROWN Act is a law adopted by many states and cities that prohibits discrimination based on hair texture and protective hairstyles commonly associated with race, such as braids, locs, twists and Afros. More than two dozen states have one, so check the rules wherever you have employees.
Can a dress code ban certain hairstyles?
Be careful. Many states and cities prohibit discrimination based on natural hair texture and protective styles such as braids, locs and twists. Limit hair rules to genuine safety needs and apply them neutrally.
Can a dress code have different rules for men and women?
It’s safest not to. Dress codes shouldn’t discriminate based on sex stereotypes or gender identity, and many states also protect gender expression. Write one gender-neutral standard that lets employees dress consistently with their gender identity.
Can you send an employee home for a dress code violation?
A manager can ask an employee to change when their attire doesn’t meet the policy. If a non-exempt employee is sent home to change, pay them as required by law, and handle repeat violations through corrective action.
How can Handbooks.io help you create a dress code policy?
Handbooks.io includes a ready-to-use dress code policy, adapted for each state where you have employees, inside a complete employee handbook developed and reviewed by U.S. labor attorneys. So you’re not left guessing whether your hair, accommodation or uniform rules hold up where your team works.
If you have employees in more than one state, you get a multi-state employee handbook with federal, state and local policies for every location. When the law changes, your policies get updated, and built-in e-signatures make it easy to collect a signed employee handbook acknowledgment form from everyone.
Your dress code also sits alongside related rules, like your employee code of conduct, in one handbook. Handbooks.io is trusted by 25,000+ companies, and you can start for free, no credit card required.