Child Labor Laws by State: Work Hours for Teens

Teen work hours by state

What federal law allows

The federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) sets 16 as the basic minimum age for work outside farming, and 18 for jobs the Secretary of Labor has declared hazardous. Young people aged 14 and 15 may work outside school hours in many non-manufacturing, non-hazardous jobs, within limits set by federal rule 29 CFR 570.35: no more than 3 hours on a school day, including Fridays, 18 hours in a school week, 8 hours on a day without school and 40 hours in a week without school, and only between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m., or 9 p.m. from June 1 through Labor Day. At 16 and 17, federal law sets no limit on hours: teens may work unlimited hours in any job not declared hazardous. From 18, the federal youth employment rules no longer apply.

States add their own rules, and the stricter rule wins. The U.S. Department of Labor puts it this way: where a state child labor law is less restrictive than the federal law, the federal law applies, and where a state law is more restrictive, the state law applies. The FLSA does not limit the hours of workers 16 and older, but many states do, and many states also require work permits, which federal law does not.

How the teen work hours checker works

Choose the state, the age and whether it is a school week or a summer or vacation week. For ages 14 and 15 the checker compares the state limits with the federal ones and shows the stricter number for each item, as long as the employer is covered by the FLSA; clear the box for an employer that the FLSA does not cover, and only state law is used. The default example is a 15-year-old in Texas during a school week: 18 hours (federal limit; the Texas limit is 48 hours), and 3 hours a day. With the box cleared the answer becomes 48 hours (Texas limit), and in a summer week the limit is 40 hours (federal limit; the Texas limit is 48 hours). Night work rules are shown for the state and, for 14 and 15-year-olds, for federal law.

Where state limits for 14 and 15-year-olds are looser

Several states allow more hours in a school week than federal law: Arkansas, Colorado, District of Columbia, Georgia, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, South Dakota and Texas. For employers covered by the FLSA, which is most employers, the federal limits of 3 hours on a school day and 18 hours in a school week still apply there. A few states are stricter than federal law instead: Florida and Washington set a lower school-week total, and in Connecticut 14 and 15-year-olds in the jobs its law covers, such as retail and restaurants, may work only during school vacations of 5 days or more.

Hour limits at 16 and 17

Because federal law sets no hour limits at 16 and 17, the state rule is the only one. 19 states and DC set daily, weekly or days-per-week limits for this age group, usually only for students while school is in session. Examples: California allows 4 hours on a school day and 8 on other days, up to 48 hours a week; New York allows enrolled students 4 hours on a day before a school day, 8 on Fridays, weekends and holidays and 28 hours in a school week (48 in other weeks); Pennsylvania allows 8 hours a day and 28 a week during the school term and 10 a day and 48 a week in vacations; Washington allows 4 hours on a school day before another school day and 20 hours in a school week (8 and 48 in other weeks); Michigan allows 10 hours a day and 24 hours in a school week (48 in other weeks); Oregon caps every week at 44 hours; and Delaware and Maryland cap school and work time together at 12 hours a day. In Arkansas the limits apply at 16 but not at 17, and in Rhode Island they apply only while school is in session. Other states set only a night limit for this age group, such as Alabama, Louisiana, Minnesota, North Carolina and Tennessee, and many set none at all, including Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Missouri and Texas.

Night work

For 14 and 15-year-olds the federal window of 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. (9 p.m. in summer) is stricter than many state rules, so it decides for most employers. Some states set later limits for 16 and 17-year-olds before a school day: 10 p.m. in California, 10:15 p.m. in Maine, 10:30 p.m. in Michigan, 10:30 p.m. in Kentucky (11 p.m. with a parent's written permission) and 11 p.m. in Minnesota. The table lists each state's rule for both age groups.

Child labor hour limits for all 50 states and DC

As of September 28, 2026. Rows marked State law were checked against the state's statute, rule or labor department on September 28, 2026; rows marked DOL table use the U.S. Department of Labor table of state child labor standards dated July 15, 2025. Limits are for students enrolled in school in non-farm jobs. Scroll the table sideways on a phone.

50 rows were checked against state law or the state labor department; the Mississippi row relies on the U.S. Department of Labor table because no official state text could be read. State hour limits usually apply only to students enrolled in school, and several states exempt high school graduates. Federal limits for ages 14 and 15 apply on top of every row for employers covered by the FLSA.

Where the federal table and state law differ

The Department of Labor's table of state child labor standards carries a July 15, 2025 date and does not match current state law in several places. California's code allows 16 and 17-year-olds 4 hours on a school day and has no 18-hour school-week limit for them, while the table shows 3 and 18. Florida's 6-day limit applies only to workers 15 and younger. Michigan's night limit for 16 and 17-year-olds ends at 6 a.m., not 6:30 a.m., and Michigan also caps them at 6 days a week. New Hampshire allows enrolled 16 and 17-year-olds 35 hours in a week with 5 school days, not 30. Oregon's rule on hours for 14 and 15-year-olds lists no 6-day limit. Washington replaced its rules on July 1, 2026, and now allows 8 hours on any day not followed by a school day. Arkansas caps 16-year-olds at 54 hours and 6 days a week, and Kentucky's current rule ends work at 10:30 p.m. before a school day for 16 and 17-year-olds. This page follows the state source wherever one could be read; only the Mississippi row relies on the federal table.

Work permits, breaks and pay

This page covers hours and night work only. Many states require a work permit or age certificate, and several set meal breaks for minors; check your state labor department before a first job starts. Adult break rules by state are on our meal and rest break laws page, and pay frequency requirements by state shows how often wages must be paid.