No, there is no OSHA regulation that specifically requires employers to provide air conditioning. However, that doesn’t mean your employer can let the workplace get dangerously hot. Under federal law, employers must keep workplaces free from “recognized hazards” likely to cause death or serious physical harm, and excessive heat qualifies. Several states go further with specific temperature thresholds that trigger mandatory protections. So while the absence of AC alone isn’t a violation, the conditions that result from not having it can be.
What Federal OSHA Actually Requires
OSHA’s General Duty Clause, Section 5(a)(1) of the Occupational Safety and Health Act, requires every employer to provide a workplace “free from recognized hazards that are causing or are likely to cause death or serious physical harm.” Courts have interpreted this to include heat-related hazards whenever a feasible way to reduce the danger exists. In practice, this means an employer doesn’t need AC specifically, but they do need to control heat exposure through some combination of cooling measures, rest breaks, water, and shade.
OSHA’s National Emphasis Program on heat hazards designates any day with a heat index at or above 80°F as a “heat priority day.” On those days, OSHA ramps up compliance checks in high-risk industries. If inspectors find workers exposed to dangerous heat with no mitigation plan in place, the employer can be cited under the General Duty Clause, even without a specific AC requirement on the books.
OSHA also recommends that indoor workplaces maintain temperatures between 68°F and 76°F with humidity between 20% and 60%. These aren’t enforceable limits, but they serve as a benchmark. If your office sits well above that range for extended periods and your employer is doing nothing about it, the gap between recommended conditions and actual conditions strengthens a complaint.
A New Federal Rule Could Change Everything
In August 2024, OSHA proposed its first-ever dedicated heat standard for both indoor and outdoor work. If finalized, this rule would create two clear trigger points. The first kicks in at a heat index of 80°F: employers would need to provide break areas with air conditioning or increased airflow and, where appropriate, dehumidification. The second kicks in at 90°F, adding more aggressive protections.
The proposed rule also carves out an exemption: indoor work areas where air conditioning consistently keeps the temperature below 80°F would not be subject to the standard at all. In other words, the rule essentially treats AC as the simplest way to comply. Workplaces that hit 120°F or higher indoors would be required to post warning signs. This rule has not been finalized, so it is not yet enforceable, but it signals where federal regulation is heading.
States With Stricter Heat Rules
If you work in a state with its own occupational safety agency, you may already be covered by specific indoor heat standards that go beyond federal OSHA.
California
California’s indoor heat illness prevention standard applies to any indoor work area where the temperature reaches 82°F. Once temperatures hit 87°F (or the heat index reaches 87°F), employers must use engineering controls like ventilation, cooling fans, or AC to bring conditions back below that threshold. If those controls aren’t feasible, the employer has to demonstrate why and then use administrative controls like adjusted schedules and mandatory rest breaks to reduce the risk. Workers who wear heavy protective clothing or work near heat-radiating equipment trigger the full set of requirements at 82°F rather than 87°F. Brief exposures under 15 minutes in any hour are exempt.
Oregon
Oregon’s heat illness prevention rules apply to both indoor and outdoor work whenever the heat index hits 80°F. If your building’s AC breaks and the indoor heat index climbs to that level, the rules immediately take effect. Employers must then provide access to shade for rest and meal breaks, at least 32 ounces of drinking water per employee per hour, a written heat illness prevention plan, and documented training on risk factors and employee rights. Buildings with mechanical ventilation that keeps the heat index below 80°F are fully exempt.
What Counts as a “Recognized Hazard”
The key legal question isn’t whether your workplace has AC. It’s whether the heat in your workplace is a recognized hazard likely to cause serious harm. OSHA uses a measurement called the wet bulb globe temperature (WBGT), which accounts for heat, humidity, air movement, and radiant heat from equipment or sunlight, to determine whether a heat hazard exists during inspections. A simple thermometer reading alone won’t tell the full story.
Heat stroke is the most severe outcome OSHA looks for. It shows up as confusion, slurred speech, disorientation, or loss of consciousness. But employers are expected to intervene well before anyone reaches that point. If workers are showing signs of heat exhaustion, cramping, or heavy fatigue in a hot indoor environment, those conditions support a finding that the workplace poses a recognized hazard.
How to File a Complaint
You can file a complaint with OSHA if you believe your workplace heat conditions are dangerous. Complaints can be submitted online, by phone, by fax, or by mail. You have the right to file confidentially, and your employer cannot legally retaliate against you for reporting unsafe conditions. When you file, be specific: note the indoor temperature, how long you’re exposed, what kind of work you’re doing, and what (if anything) the employer has done to address the heat. The more concrete your description, the more likely OSHA is to prioritize an inspection.
If you’re in a state like California or Oregon, you can also file with your state occupational safety agency, which may have more specific authority to act based on the temperature thresholds described above.
What Employers Should Provide Instead of AC
When air conditioning isn’t practical, such as in warehouses, kitchens, or manufacturing facilities, employers are still expected to control heat exposure. Acceptable alternatives include industrial fans and ventilation systems, cool drinking water readily available throughout the shift, shaded or cooled rest areas, adjusted work-rest schedules during the hottest parts of the day, and gradual acclimatization plans for new or returning workers. Training is also a consistent requirement across both federal guidance and state rules: workers need to know the signs of heat illness, how to respond, and what their rights are.
The bottom line is straightforward. No law says your employer must install air conditioning. But if your workplace is dangerously hot and your employer is doing nothing to address it, that is a violation of the law as it stands today.