IA · Employer compliance
Hire a minor in Iowa: 6-step compliance checklist
The federal Fair Labor Standards Act sets a floor; Iowa adds its own rules. The stricter of the two always wins. This page walks through the six checks every Iowa employer must complete before a 14-, 15-, 16-, or 17-year-old starts work — sourced from the US DOL Iowa state page and Iowa Code Chapter 92 (Employment of Minors).
Last verified:
Minimum work age
14
State work permit
Required (14–15)
Restricted occupations on file
5
Stricter than federal?
Mirrors federal
Verify the minor's age
Before scheduling the first shift, get documentary proof of the employee’s date of birth. In Iowa the state work permit (Iowa Work Permit) doubles as the age certificate — the issuing authority verifies the birth date when the permit is issued.Apply the stricter of federal or Iowa hour caps
Use the stricter rule for the employee’s age band and school-in-session status. Below are Iowa’s state-specific caps for the two main age bands.
Ages 14–15
School in session
4 hr / day · 28 hr / week
07:00 – 21:00
School out (summer)
8 hr / day · 40 hr / week
07:00 – 23:00
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.
Iowa 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)
- Door-to-door sales for minors under 16 without adult supervision
- Sale or service of alcohol for minors under 18
Obtain the Iowa work permit
Minors 14-15 apply online through Iowa Workforce Development with proof of age, an employer's offer letter, and a parent or guardian's electronic signature. The permit is electronic and job-specific. 16- and 17-year-olds do not need a permit but the employer keeps age verification on file.
- Form
- Iowa Work Permit
- Issued by
- Iowa Workforce Development (online)
- Applies to ages
- 14–15
Post the required notices
Display the federal FLSA Youth Employment poster and the Iowa state child-labor poster where employees can see them. Both are free downloads from the US DOL Wage & Hour Division and the Iowa 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 Iowa 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.