California Expands Workplace Violence Restraining Orders to Protect Entire Worksites

Beginning January 1, 2027, California employers will have greater flexibility to seek restraining orders when violence or threats are directed at an entire workplace rather than a particular employee. AB 1961 amends California Code of Civil Procedure section 527.8 to allow employers to seek protection for all employees at an affected workplace or jobsite without identifying an individual employee as the protected party. The law was signed on September 30, 2026.

What Is Changing

Existing law allows an employer or an employee’s collective bargaining representative to seek a temporary restraining order and an order after hearing when an employee has suffered workplace harassment, unlawful violence, or a credible threat of violence. Although a court may extend protection to other employees, a petition generally has been tied to one or more specifically identified employees.

AB 1961 addresses situations in which a threat is directed more broadly at a workplace, worksite, or workforce. Under the amended law, an employer may seek a workplace violence restraining order on behalf of all employees at:

• the employer’s workplace; or
• another location where a group of employees performs its primary job duties.

This relief will be available when harassment, unlawful violence, or a credible threat of violence is directed at the workplace or location itself. In those circumstances, the employer will not be required to identify or name an individual employee as a protected person.

For example, the expanded law may assist an employer that receives a threat directed at an office, store, school, facility, construction site, or other work location, but cannot establish that the threat targets one particular employee. The employer may be able to seek an order protecting the entire affected workforce and restricting the threatening individual from contacting employees or approaching the location. This closes a practical gap in the existing statute for worksite-wide threats.

AB 1961 does not change the underlying standard for obtaining a workplace violence restraining order. The employer still must present evidence of harassment, unlawful violence, or a credible threat of violence within the meaning of Section 527.8. The new law instead expands whose protection an employer may request when the conduct is directed at a workplace as a whole.

The Judicial Council must adopt or modify the necessary court forms by January 1, 2028.

What Employers Should Do Now

• Review workplace violence response protocols. Confirm that Human Resources, Security, Legal, and management know when a threat should be escalated and who is responsible for evaluating legal remedies.
• Update workplace violence prevention materials. Policies and plans should reflect that the employer may seek a protective or restraining order for an individual employee, a group of employees, or an entire workplace when permitted by law.
• Preserve evidence promptly. Establish procedures for retaining threatening emails, text messages, social media posts, voicemails, surveillance footage, witness accounts, access records, and reports to law enforcement. This evidence may be critical when seeking emergency relief.
• Identify worksite-specific risks. Employers with multiple offices, retail locations, schools, facilities, construction sites, or remote project locations should determine how a threat affecting one location will be reported and escalated.
• Coordinate internal decision-making. Employers should identify in advance who may authorize a restraining-order petition and how Human Resources, Security, Legal, and law enforcement will coordinate when immediate action is needed.
• Train responsible personnel. Managers and employees responsible for receiving reports of threats should understand that remedial options may be available even when a threat does not identify a particular employee.

AB 1961 does not create a new employee notice, acknowledgment, payroll, or recordkeeping requirement. Nevertheless, employers should consider updating their Workplace Violence Prevention Plans, workplace safety policies, and internal escalation procedures so they can use the expanded protections effectively when a threat arises.

Employers should consult with their Payne & Fears LLP attorney when evaluating workplace threats, seeking emergency protective relief, or updating workplace violence prevention policies and response procedures.