Child labor laws in the United States set 14 as the earliest age a young person can hold most non-farm jobs, 16 as the age for unrestricted non-hazardous work, and 18 as the age required for hazardous occupations. Violations carry civil penalties of up to $16,035 per minor for standard cases and up to $145,752 where a willful or repeated violation causes serious injury or death. The Fair Labor Standards Act is the federal statute behind these rules, and states routinely add stricter requirements on top.
Federal Minimum Age Requirements
The FLSA does not name one age at which all young people can start working. It builds tiers instead. The statute defines “oppressive child labor” as employing anyone under 16 in most occupations, which makes 16 the general minimum age for non-hazardous jobs.1Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 29 U.S. Code 203 – Definitions Federal regulations then carve out a narrow list of lighter jobs open to 14- and 15-year-olds under tight conditions.2eCFR. 29 CFR 570.34 – Occupations That May Be Performed by Minors 14 and 15 Years of Age Hazardous occupations, listed separately, are off-limits until 18.
Farm work runs on a different schedule. On farms that also employ a parent, children as young as 12 can work outside school hours in non-hazardous tasks, and 12- and 13-year-olds can work on any farm with written parental consent. On small farms that did not use more than 500 “man-days” of labor in any quarter of the prior year, children under 12 can work with parental permission in non-hazardous tasks.3U.S. Department of Labor. Agricultural – FLSA Advisor – Hazardous Occupations
What 14- and 15-Year-Olds Can and Cannot Do
This age group has the shortest list of permitted jobs. Approved work includes office and clerical tasks, cashiering, retail sales, bagging groceries, shelving stock, errands on foot or bicycle, and some kitchen duties. Fifteen-year-olds may also work as lifeguards with proper certification.2eCFR. 29 CFR 570.34 – Occupations That May Be Performed by Minors 14 and 15 Years of Age
The prohibited list is long and specific: manufacturing, mining, construction, warehousing, any power-driven machinery (including lawn mowers and food slicers), ladders and scaffolds, loading or unloading trucks, public messenger service, work in freezers or meat coolers, and all baking.4eCFR. 29 CFR 570.33 – Prohibited Occupations for 14 and 15 Year Olds In food service, cooking is allowed only on electric or gas grills without open flames and on deep fryers with automatic basket-lowering devices.5U.S. Department of Labor. Fact Sheet 58: Cooking and Baking Under the Federal Youth Employment Provisions of Fair Labor Standards Act
Hazardous Jobs Banned Until Age 18
Once a worker turns 16, most non-hazardous jobs open up. Seventeen specific Hazardous Occupations declared by the Secretary of Labor remain closed until 18. These include mining, logging, roofing, work involving explosives, and operating power-driven circular saws, band saws, guillotine shears, chain saws, metal-forming machines, and meat-processing equipment.6U.S. Department of Labor. FLSA – Child Labor Rules – Hazardous Occupations
Agriculture has its own 11 hazardous occupation orders for workers under 16, covering large tractors, breeding livestock, toxic pesticides, timber felling, and work from ladders above 20 feet.3U.S. Department of Labor. Agricultural – FLSA Advisor – Hazardous Occupations
Apprentice and Student-Learner Exceptions
Seven of the 17 non-agricultural hazardous orders allow limited exemptions for 16- and 17-year-olds in registered apprenticeship or vocational education programs. The covered categories are power-driven woodworking machines, metal-forming machines, meat-processing machines, balers and compactors, power saws, roofing operations, and trenching work.7U.S. Department of Labor. Frequently Asked Questions About Youth Employment (Non-Agricultural) The training program must meet regulatory requirements, and compliance is checked during investigations rather than pre-approved.
Driving on the Job at 17
Driving for work is normally hazardous for anyone under 18, but 17-year-olds may drive under narrow conditions. The driving must be limited to daylight hours, the vehicle cannot exceed 6,000 pounds gross weight, and the worker must hold a valid state license with a clean record and completed driver education. Driving must stay occasional and incidental to the job: no more than one-third of any workday and no more than 20 percent of weekly work time.8United States Department of Labor. Fact Sheet 34: Hazardous Occupations Order No. 2 – Youth Employment Provision and Driving Automobiles and Trucks Under the FLSA
Even within the exception, a 17-year-old cannot make route deliveries, transport passengers for hire, tow vehicles, make urgent time-sensitive deliveries like pizza runs, carry more than three passengers, or drive beyond a 30-mile radius of the workplace.8United States Department of Labor. Fact Sheet 34: Hazardous Occupations Order No. 2 – Youth Employment Provision and Driving Automobiles and Trucks Under the FLSA
Federal Hour Limits
Federal hour caps apply only to 14- and 15-year-olds. On a school day they cannot work more than 3 hours, and they cannot exceed 18 hours in a school week, with all work falling outside school hours. When school is out, the limits rise to 8 hours per day and 40 hours per week.9eCFR. 29 CFR Part 570 – Child Labor Regulations, Orders and Statements of Interpretation
Permitted hours run from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. most of the year, extending to 9:00 p.m. from June 1 through Labor Day. Once a worker turns 16, federal law imposes no daily or weekly hour caps and no time-of-day restrictions for non-hazardous work. Many states do restrict hours for 16- and 17-year-olds, so federal silence at that age does not mean no rules apply.
Youth Minimum Wage
Employers may pay workers under 20 a reduced wage of $4.25 per hour during their first 90 consecutive calendar days of employment. After those 90 days, or when the worker turns 20 (whichever comes first), the standard federal minimum wage of $7.25 per hour applies. Employers cannot displace an existing worker to hire a teenager at the lower rate. Tip credit rules apply to minors the same way they apply to adults.10U.S. Department of Labor. Fact Sheet 15: Tipped Employees Under the Fair Labor Standards Act Where a state sets a higher minimum wage or bars the youth subminimum, the state rule controls.
Exemptions from Federal Child Labor Rules
A few categories fall outside the FLSA’s child labor framework. Children of any age may work for a business entirely owned by their parents, without hour or age restrictions, except in manufacturing, mining, or any of the 17 hazardous occupations.11U.S. Department of Labor. FLSA – Child Labor Rules Advisor – Exemptions Other exempt work includes acting in film, television, radio, or theater; delivering newspapers directly to consumers; and homemade wreath-making using natural materials like evergreens and holly.
How State and Federal Rules Interact
Both federal and state laws govern youth employment, and the stricter standard wins.12U.S. Department of Labor. Fact Sheet 43: Child Labor Provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) for Nonagricultural Occupations If your state requires work permits for all minors and federal law does not, the permit is still required. If federal law bans a job for a 15-year-old and state law is silent, the federal ban applies.
State variation is significant. Some states set the minimum non-agricultural working age at 16 rather than 14. Many restrict hours for 16- and 17-year-olds. Others require an employment certificate or work permit through the school district before any minor starts work. Check with your state’s department of labor to confirm which additional rules apply before hiring or starting a job.
Employer Records and Age Certificates
Employers who hire anyone under 19 must keep records for each young worker: date of birth, daily start and stop times, total daily and weekly hours, and the worker’s occupation.13U.S. Department of Labor. Employment Law Guide – Child Labor Protections (Nonagricultural Work) Investigators check these records first during a compliance review.
Keeping an unexpired age or employment certificate on file provides a legal shield. An employer with documentation showing a minor meets the minimum age requirement is protected from child labor liability even if the certificate later proves incorrect.13U.S. Department of Labor. Employment Law Guide – Child Labor Protections (Nonagricultural Work) Certificates issued under state law generally satisfy this requirement.
Penalties for Violations
The Wage and Hour Division of the Department of Labor enforces child labor rules through unannounced site visits, payroll record reviews, and a complaint process open to workers and the public.14U.S. Department of Labor. Child Labor Enforcement: Keeping Young Workers Safe In fiscal year 2025, the Division found 5,272 minors employed in violation of federal law across 976 cases, resulting in over $37 million in civil penalties.15U.S. Department of Labor. Child Labor Data Charts
Civil money penalties adjust annually for inflation. Effective January 15, 2025, the maximums are:
- Up to $16,035 per minor for a standard child labor violation.
- Up to $72,876 per violation that causes serious injury or death of a minor.
- Up to $145,752 per willful or repeated violation that causes serious injury or death.
These figures adjust again in January 2026.16U.S. Department of Labor. Civil Money Penalty Inflation Adjustments
Criminal prosecution is also available. A willful violation of the FLSA can carry a fine of up to $10,000. Imprisonment of up to six months is available only for a second offense committed after a prior conviction under the same provision.17Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 29 U.S. Code 216 – Penalties First-time offenders face fines but not jail time.
Retaliation Is Prohibited
The FLSA makes it illegal for an employer to fire, demote, cut hours, or otherwise punish an employee for filing a complaint, cooperating with a Department of Labor investigation, or testifying in an FLSA proceeding.18Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 29 U.S. Code 215 – Prohibited Acts The protection covers minor employees and their parents, and it applies to informal complaints made directly to a manager, not just formal government reports. An employer cannot legally respond to such a complaint by reducing shifts or terminating employment.