OH · Employer compliance
Hire a minor in Ohio: 6-step compliance checklist
The federal Fair Labor Standards Act sets a floor; Ohio adds its own rules. The stricter of the two always wins. This page walks through the six checks every Ohio employer must complete before a 14-, 15-, 16-, or 17-year-old starts work — sourced from the US DOL Ohio state page and Ohio Revised Code Chapter 4109 (§§ 4109.01-4109.99).
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 Ohio the state work permit (Age and Schooling Certificate (Form 1-IM-2)) doubles as the age certificate — the issuing authority verifies the birth date when the permit is issued.Apply the stricter of federal or Ohio hour caps
Use the stricter rule for the employee’s age band and school-in-session status. Below are Ohio’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
07:00 – 23:00
School out (summer)
No state limit / day · No state limit / week
06:00 – 01:00
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.
Ohio 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)
- Door-to-door sales for minors under 16 without adult supervision
- Roofing operations and work on or about a roof(HO-16)
- Working in or around freezers and meat coolers
Obtain the Ohio work permit
The minor obtains a Pledge of Employment from the prospective employer, then applies at their school's administrative office with proof of age, a physician's certificate of physical fitness, and parent or guardian consent. The certificate is job-specific and must be reissued for each new employer.
- Form
- Age and Schooling Certificate (Form 1-IM-2)
- Issued by
- School superintendent (Age and Schooling Certificate)
- Applies to ages
- 14–17
Post the required notices
Display the federal FLSA Youth Employment poster and the Ohio state child-labor poster where employees can see them. Both are free downloads from the US DOL Wage & Hour Division and the Ohio 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 Ohio 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.