KS · Employer compliance
Hire a minor in Kansas: 6-step compliance checklist
The federal Fair Labor Standards Act sets a floor; Kansas adds its own rules. The stricter of the two always wins. This page walks through the six checks every Kansas employer must complete before a 14-, 15-, 16-, or 17-year-old starts work — sourced from the US DOL Kansas state page and Kansas Statutes Annotated §§ 38-601 to 38-614 (Child Labor).
Last verified:
Minimum work age
14
State work permit
Not required
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. Because Kansas does not require a state work permit for minors in this age range, the employer is responsible for age verification directly — collect a copy of a birth certificate, state ID, driver’s license, or US passport, and retain it with payroll records.Apply the stricter of federal or Kansas hour caps
Use the stricter rule for the employee’s age band and school-in-session status. Below are Kansas’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
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.
Kansas 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 21
No work permit required in Kansas
Kansas does not require a state-issued work permit for minors in the standard non-ag age range covered here. The employer is still responsible for verifying age and applying the federal FLSA + state hour caps in steps 1–2. Confirm against the state DOL page if hiring outside the standard 14–17 band (e.g. agricultural work or under 14).
Post the required notices
Display the federal FLSA Youth Employment poster and the Kansas state child-labor poster where employees can see them. Both are free downloads from the US DOL Wage & Hour Division and the Kansas 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 Kansas 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.