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WA · Employer compliance

Hire a minor in Washington: 6-step compliance checklist

The federal Fair Labor Standards Act sets a floor; Washington adds its own rules. The stricter of the two always wins. This page walks through the six checks every Washington employer must complete before a 14-, 15-, 16-, or 17-year-old starts work — sourced from the US DOL Washington state page and Washington Administrative Code WAC 296-125 (Child Labor Rules).

Last verified:

Minimum work age

14

State work permit

Required (14–17)

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 Washington the state work permit (Parent/School Authorization for a Minor to Work) doubles as the age certificate — the issuing authority verifies the birth date when the permit is issued.

  2. Apply the stricter of federal or Washington hour caps

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

    Ages 14–15

    School in session

    3 hr / day · 16 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 · 20 hr / week

    07:00 – 22:00

    School out (summer)

    8 hr / day · 48 hr / week

    05:00 – 00:00

  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.

    Washington 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
    • Logging, sawmilling, and timber processing for minors under 18

  4. Obtain the Washington work permit

    Washington does not issue a state work permit to the minor. Instead, the employer must register as a minor-work employer with the WA Department of Labor & Industries and obtain a signed Parent/School Authorization form from the minor's parent or guardian (and school, if school is in session). The form must be kept on file at the worksite.

    Form
    Parent/School Authorization for a Minor to Work
    Issued by
    Employer (registers as a minor-work employer with WA L&I) plus parent/school authorization
    Applies to ages
    14–17
    Washington permit info page →Download Washington work permit (PDF)

    How to apply for the Washington work permit →

  5. Post the required notices

    Display the federal FLSA Youth Employment poster and the Washington state child-labor poster where employees can see them. Both are free downloads from the US DOL Wage & Hour Division and the Washington 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 Washington 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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