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Teenwork

All 50 states · Federal + state rules

Teen labor law lookup by state

Pick a state, your teen's age, and whether school is in session — get an instant answer on legal work hours, work permits, and restricted jobs. Built for parents, working teens, and small employers who need a state-stricter answer the federal site doesn't give.

Quick lookup

Pick a state, age, and school status to see whether your teen can work, the legal hour caps, work-permit requirement, and top restricted occupations.

California · 15-year-old · school in session

Allowed
Max hrs / school day
3 hr
Max hrs / non-school day
8 hr
Max hrs / week
18 hr
Legal time window
07:00 – 19:00

Note: No work during school hours.

Work permit: Required

Top restricted occupations

  • All federal hazardous orders HO-1 through HO-17
  • Door-to-door sales for minors under 16
  • Operating power-driven meat-processing machines

Read full Californiarules →

What you get per state

  • Hours per day & per week

    Caps for 14, 15, 16, and 17-year-olds — split by school-in-session vs. summer.

  • Work permit requirements

    Whether your state requires a work permit, who issues it, and what age it applies to.

  • Restricted occupations

    The federal hazardous-orders list plus any state-specific additions a minor cannot legally do.

  • State code + DOL citation

    Direct links to your state's labor statute and the US DOL Wage & Hour Division reference.