AK · Employer compliance
Hire a minor in Alaska: 6-step compliance checklist
The federal Fair Labor Standards Act sets a floor; Alaska adds its own rules. The stricter of the two always wins. This page walks through the six checks every Alaska employer must complete before a 14-, 15-, 16-, or 17-year-old starts work — sourced from the US DOL Alaska state page and Alaska Statutes §§ 23.10.325-23.10.370 (Employment of Minors).
Last verified:
Minimum work age
14
State work permit
Required (14–17)
Restricted occupations on file
5
Stricter than federal?
Yes
Verify the minor's age
Before scheduling the first shift, get documentary proof of the employee’s date of birth. In Alaska the state work permit (Alaska Work Permit (Form 09-1206)) doubles as the age certificate — the issuing authority verifies the birth date when the permit is issued.Apply the stricter of federal or Alaska hour caps
Use the stricter rule for the employee’s age band and school-in-session status. Below are Alaska’s state-specific caps for the two main age bands.
Ages 14–15
School in session
9 hr / day · 23 hr / week
05:00 – 21:00
School out (summer)
9 hr / day · 40 hr / week
05:00 – 21:00
Ages 16–17
School in session
No state limit / day · No state limit / week
No state limit
School out (summer)
No state limit / day · No state limit / week
No state limit
Block hazardous and restricted occupations
The 17 federal Hazardous Orders (HO-1 to HO-17) prohibit minors under 18 from specific non-agricultural occupations — meat processing, power tools, roofing, mining, certain driving roles, and more. See the full federal HO list.
Alaska adds the following restrictions on top of the federal floor:
- All federal hazardous orders HO-1 through HO-17(29 CFR Part 570)
- Operating power-driven meat-processing machines(HO-10)
- Roofing operations and work on or about a roof(HO-16)
- Commercial fishing and crab-pot retrieval for minors under 16
- Sale or service of alcohol for minors under 21
Obtain the Alaska work permit
Every minor under 18 must obtain a Work Permit from the Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development before starting work. The minor's parent or guardian completes the application along with the employer's signed offer. Permits are job-specific and reissued for each new employer.
- Form
- Alaska Work Permit (Form 09-1206)
- Issued by
- Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development
- Applies to ages
- 14–17
Post the required notices
Display the federal FLSA Youth Employment poster and the Alaska state child-labor poster where employees can see them. Both are free downloads from the US DOL Wage & Hour Division and the Alaska labor agency. Failure to post is one of the most common citations issued during WHD audits.Keep records for at least 3 years
Federal FLSA §11(c) sets a 3-year minimum for payroll, hours, age verification, and (where applicable) the Alaska work permit. Many states require longer retention specifically for minor-employment documents — typically until 3 years after the minor turns 18. Keep: payroll + hours, age verification, the state permit, parental consent forms (where applicable), and any time-off / training records.