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CA · Employer compliance

Hire a minor in California: 6-step compliance checklist

The federal Fair Labor Standards Act sets a floor; California adds its own rules. The stricter of the two always wins. This page walks through the six checks every California employer must complete before a 14-, 15-, 16-, or 17-year-old starts work — sourced from the US DOL California state page and CA Labor Code §§ 1285-1312; Education Code §§ 49100-49183.

Last verified:

Minimum work age

12

State work permit

Required (12–17)

Restricted occupations on file

5

Stricter than federal?

Yes

  1. Verify the minor's age

    Before scheduling the first shift, get documentary proof of the employee’s date of birth. In California the state work permit (B1-1 Statement of Intent to Employ Minor) doubles as the age certificate — the issuing authority verifies the birth date when the permit is issued.

  2. Apply the stricter of federal or California hour caps

    Use the stricter rule for the employee’s age band and school-in-session status. Below are California’s state-specific caps for the two main age bands.

    Ages 14–15

    School in session

    3 hr / day · 18 hr / week

    07:00 – 19:00

    School out (summer)

    8 hr / day · 40 hr / week

    07:00 – 21:00

    Ages 16–17

    School in session

    4 hr / day · 48 hr / week

    05:00 – 22:00

    School out (summer)

    8 hr / day · 48 hr / week

    05:00 – 00:30

  3. 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.

    California adds the following restrictions on top of the federal floor:

    • All federal hazardous orders HO-1 through HO-17(29 CFR Part 570)
    • Door-to-door sales for minors under 16
    • Operating power-driven meat-processing machines(HO-10)
    • Roofing operations and work on or about a roof(HO-16)
    • Excavation operations(HO-17)

  4. Obtain the California work permit

    Employer signs the Statement of Intent; the minor's school issues the Permit to Work. Required every school year and for each new job.

    Form
    B1-1 Statement of Intent to Employ Minor
    Issued by
    School district (Statement of Intent to Employ Minor + Permit to Work)
    Applies to ages
    12–17
    California permit info page →Download California work permit (PDF)

    How to apply for the California work permit →

  5. Post the required notices

    Display the federal FLSA Youth Employment poster and the California state child-labor poster where employees can see them. Both are free downloads from the US DOL Wage & Hour Division and the California labor agency. Failure to post is one of the most common citations issued during WHD audits.

  6. 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 California 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.

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