Child Labor Working Hour Restrictions by State

Author: Brightmine Editorial Team

This chart covers federal and state restrictions on the hours during which minors may work: the maximum number of hours and/or days a minor may work per week; the maximum number of hours a minor may work per day; and certain timing restrictions such as the times of day during which minors may work and any restrictions forbidding a minor from working while school is in session.

This chart also covers exemptions, but only those exemptions that apply specifically to the hours of work rules covered in this chart. It does not cover more general exemptions that may apply to all child labor rules.

This chart does not cover hours of work restrictions that apply only to children employed in the entertainment industry. This chart also does not cover other topics related to child labor such as prohibited and permitted occupations, work certificates or meal and rest break requirements for minors.

Except in rare cases in which an employer is not covered by the federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), or if a minor is exempt from the FLSA but not from state child labor laws, an employer must comply with the federal requirements if they are more favorable to the employee than state requirements.