January 1, 2013
| State 1 | Minimum age for employment | Certificate required to age: | Maximum daily and weekly hours and days per week for minors under 16 unless other age indicated | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| during school hours | outside school hours | Employment certificate | Age certificate | Daily/Weekly | Days per week | |
| Federal: Fair Labor Standards Act (FSLA) applies to migrants and local residents regardless of farm size or number of man-days of farm labor used on that farm. | 16 | 14, 12 with written parental consent or on farm where parent is employed. Under 12 with written parental consent on farms exempt from Federal minimum wage provisions * | proof of age not required | --- | --- | |
| Alaska | 16 | 14 | --- | 18 | schoolday or week: 9 for work and school combined /23 | 6 under 18 |
| Arizona | 16 | 14 | proof of age not required | 8/40 non school period. schoolday or week: 3/18 | --- | |
| Arkansas | 16 | 14 | 16 | --- | 8/48 10/54; 16 and 17 | 6 under 18 |
| California | 18, 16 if not required to attend school | 12 | 18 | --- | 8/40, only on non-schoolday, 12 and 13 8/40 schoolday/week: 3/18 8/48, 16 and 17 4 schoolday, (8 on a schoolday that precedes a non-schoolday) 16 and 17 if required to attend school 2 | 6 |
| Colorado | 16 | 12 | --- | 18 on request | 8/40, under 18. 6 on schoolday under 16. In seasonal employment involving perishable products where paid by piece-work, minors 14 or older may work up to 12 hours in a 24-hour period and up to 30 hours in a 72-hour period (not more than 8 hours a day for more than 10 days in any 30-day period). | --- |
| Connecticut (separate agriculture child labor law) | 16 | 14 | proof of age or agriculture permit required to age 16. | 8/48 | 6 | |
| Delaware (farm work exempt unless performed in hazardous occupations) | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Florida | --- | 14 | --- | 18 (proof of age) | 8/40 schoolday or week: 3 when followed by schoolday /15. 8/30 when school is in session, 16 and 17. Minors under 16 can work 8-40 during non-school day or week. | 6 |
| Hawaii | 18, 16 if not legally required to attend school | 14, 15 in pineapple harvesting 10 in coffee harvesting | 16 | 18 applies only to 16 and 17 | 6/30 no more than 5 consecutive days, under 14 in coffee harvest in non-school period. 8/40; schoolday or week: 3/18, 14 and 15. 8/48 in pineapple harvesting from June 1 through the day before Labor Day. | 6 |
| Idaho | 16 | --- | proof of age not required | 9-54 | --- | |
| Illinois (minimum age only) | 12 | 10 | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Indiana (Exempt except for minimum age or when school is in session) | --- | 12 | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Iowa (law exempts part-time work in agriculture (less than 20 hours a week when school is not in session and less than 14 hours a week while school is in session) It covers all migratory labor. Law exempts work in the production of seed, limited to removal of off-type plants, corn tassels and hand-pollinating during June, July and August for children 14 and over.) | 16 | 14, 12 migratory labor (younger with permit from Labor Commissioner upon court order) | 16 | --- | 8/40 Schoolday or week: 4/28 | --- |
| Maine (exempt if not in direct contact with hazardous machinery or substances) | 16 unless excused by superintendant of schools | --- except 14 if in direct contact with hazardous machinery or substances | Exempt unless in direct contact with hazardous machinery or substances | --- | Exempt | Exempt |
| Massachusetts | 16 | --- | 16 | --- | Schoolday or week: 4/24, under 14 8/48 | 6 |
| Michigan (exempt except for operations involving detasseling, roguing, hoeing, or similar in production of seed) | 16 | 13 | Exempt | --- | 10/48 in non-school/week, (11/62 during a school vacation with parental consent) 16 and 17 48 combined hours of work and school in schoolweek, under 18 | 6 under 18 |
| Minnesota | 16 | 12 | 16 for work during school hours | 18 | Exempt | --- |
| Missouri | 16 | 14 | 16 during school term | 18 on request | 8/40 schoolday: 3 | 6 |
| Nevada (exempt except for minimum age when school in session) | 14 | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| New Hampshire | 18, 16 if not enrolled in school | 12 | exempt | --- | 8 on non-schoolday/48 during vacation. Schoolday/week: 3/23 if enrolled in school. 30 in schoolweek/48 during vacation, 16 and 17 if enrolled in school. | 6 16 and 17 if enrolled in school |
| New Jersey | 16 | 12 | 16 | --- | 10 a day | 6 |
| New Mexico | 16, 14 hardship cases | --- | 16 | 18 on request | 8/44 (special cases (8/48) under 14, | --- |
| New York | 16 | 14, 12 hand harvest berries, fruits and vegetables | 16 | --- | 4 a day, 12 and 13 | --- |
| North Dakota | 14 | --- | --- | --- | Exempt | Exempt |
| Ohio | 16 | 14 | 18 if residing in agriculture labor camp | --- | 8/40 schoolday/week: 3/18 | --- |
| Oregon | 16 | 12, 9 picking berries or beans for intrastate use with parental permission | Required only for under 18 employed in connection with power-driven farm machinery | --- | 10/40 (more than 10 hours a day with special permit) schoolday/week: 3/18 | 6 |
| Pennsylvania (exempt from child labor law. Separate law covers seasonal farm workers). | --- | --- seasonal farm worker under 14 not to be required to work | --- | --- | Employment prohibited from 7 a.m. to 1 hour after end of schoolday of school district where employed, under 18 whether or not registered in such school district. | --- |
| South Carolina | 16 | 14, 12 with parental approval | proof of age not required | Exempt | --- | |
| South Dakota | --- | --- | --- | --- | 8/40 schoolday/week: 4/20 | --- |
| Utah | 16 | 12, no limit with parental consent | --- | 18 on request | 8/40, schoolday: 4 (waived with parental consent) | --- |
| Vermont | 16, 14 with cert. | --- | 16 during school hours | --- | 8/day and 40/week | 6/week |
| Virginia | 16 | 14, 12 with parental consent | Exempt | 16 on request | --- | --- |
| Washington | 18 | 14, 12 hand-harvesting or cult. berries, bulbs, cucumbers and spinach during non-school week. | 18 | --- | 8/40, 12 and 13 during non-schoolweek. 8/40 when school not in session, 14 and 15. 10/50 (60 for wheat, hay and pea harvest) when school not in session; 4/28 when school in session, 16 and 17. | 6 7 in dairy, livestock, hay and irrigation, with one day off every two weeks, under 18 |
| Wisconsin | 18 | 12 | Exempt | Exempt | 8/40 schoolday/week: 4 (8 before non-schoolday) /18 (24 school in session lass than 5 days) under 16. 5 (8 before non-schoolday) /26 (32 school in session less than 5 days) 16 and 17. Minors 14 through 17 may be employed outside of school hours in excess of permitted weeky hours during peak periods. Time and one-half regular rate of pay must be paid after 50 hours per week. | 6 12 and 13 |
* Local minors (permanent residents) 10 and 11 years old may be employed outside school hours under prescribed conditions to hand harvest short season crops for no more than 8 weeks between June 1 and October 15 in any calendar year, upon approval by the Secretary of Labor of an employer's application for a waiver from the child labor provisions for such employment. The Secretary of Labor has not issued such waivers.
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| State 1 | Nightwork prohibited for minors under 16 unless other age indicated | Prohibited hazardous occupations (HOs) in agriculture to age: |
|---|---|---|
| Federal: Fair Labor Standards Act (FSLA) applies to migrants and local residents regardless of farm size or number of man-days of farm labor used on that farm. | --- | 16. Numerous occupations have been declared hazardous in 11 categories of employment including, among others, operating tractors of over 20 PTO horsepower; operating or assisting to operate corn pickers, grain combines, hay movers, potato diggers, trenchers or earthmoving equipment, or power-driven circular, hand or chain saws; working in a yard, pen or stall occupied by a stud animal or a sow with suckling pigs; working inside a silo or manure pit; handling or applying certain agricultural chemicals; and handling or using a blasting agent such as dynamite or black powder. |
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1 Agricultural employment is exempted from or is not listed among the covered sectors in the child labor laws of 17 states: Alabama, Delaware (non-hazardous employment), Georgia, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland (non-hazardous employment), Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska (covers only work in detasseling and beet fields), North Carolina, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Texas, West Virginia (non-hazardous employment) and Wyoming. Laws generally exclude minors employed by parents on family farms.
2 California. Until January 1, 2005, 16- and 17-year olds in Lake County who were employed in agricultural packing plants were permitted to work more than 48 hours, but no more than 60, in any 1 week with written approval of the Lake County Board of Education.
Prepared By:
Division of Communications
Wage and Hour Division
U.S. Department of Labor
This document was last revised in December 2012.