IA · agricultural-work rules for minors
Iowa agricultural work rules for minors
Federal FLSA § 213(c) lets minors work in agriculture at younger ages than in other industries, with no federal hour cap outside school hours. Iowa layers state-specific rules on top of that framework — whichever is stricter binds the employer (FLSA § 218(a)). This page covers the Iowa ag-work floor: minimum ages on and off the family farm, hazardous-occupation cutoffs, school-hours rules, the parental-farm exemption as Iowa treats it, and the exact state-code citation.
Quick facts
- Min age off-parent farm
- 14+
- Min age for ag-hazardous work
- 16+
- Parent-owned farm exemption
- Mirrors federal § 213(c)
- State daily / weekly hour cap
- Yes
- State statute
- Iowa Code Chapter 92 (Employment of Minors)
- Last verified
Iowa vs the federal FLSA floor
Each row compares Iowa's rule to the federal floor under 29 USC § 213(c) and 29 CFR §§ 570.70 – 570.72. When the state is stricter, the state rule binds the employer; when the state is looser or silent, the federal floor still applies (§ 218(a)).
| Dimension | Federal floor | Iowa | Delta |
|---|---|---|---|
| Min age off parent farm | 12 with parental consent / 14 without | 14+ | Stricter than FLSA |
| Min age for Ag HO work | 16+ (Ag HO-1 to Ag HO-11) | 16+ | Matches FLSA |
| Parent-owned farm exemption | No min age; preempts Ag HOs | Mirrors federal | Matches FLSA |
| Daily / weekly hour cap | No cap outside school hours | State cap applies | Stricter than FLSA |
How Iowa actually regulates farm work
Iowa Code Chapter 92 covers minors in both agricultural and non-agricultural employment, with ag-specific tiers. The off-family-farm minimum age for agricultural work outside school hours is 14, dropping to 12 for migratory agricultural labor (with a separate migratory-labor permit). Family-farm work for the minor's own parent or guardian is exempt — federal § 213(c)(1) mirrors. Hour caps for under-16 ag work follow § 92.7: no more than 6 hours per day on a school day, 28 hours per school week, 8 hours per day on a non-school day, 40 hours per week overall. Night-work restrictions apply: 7:30 PM (9:00 PM during summer, June 1 through Labor Day) to 7:00 AM under 16. Iowa adopts the federal Ag HO list by reference (§ 92.8 prohibited-occupation framework cross-references federal Hazardous Orders), so 16+ is the minimum for tractors over 20 PTO HP, harvesters, and similar Ag HO-1 to Ag HO-11 tasks; the student-learner / 4-H tractor-certificate exemption (29 CFR § 570.72(b)) carries through.
Citation
Iowa Code Chapter 92 (Youth Employment and Permissible Work Activities) — §§ 92.6A, 92.7, 92.8
Where to verify Iowa's ag-work enforcement
Ag-work rulemaking is an active area at both the US DOL Wage & Hour Division and state labor agencies. Before relying on these rules for hiring, scheduling, or harvest-season planning, confirm with the primary sources below.
Other states with distinctive ag-work rules
- California ag-work rules →
- Hawaii ag-work rules →
- Washington ag-work rules →
- Oregon ag-work rules →
- Minnesota ag-work rules →
- Massachusetts ag-work rules →
- New York ag-work rules →
- Florida ag-work rules →
- Michigan ag-work rules →
- Wisconsin ag-work rules →
- Texas ag-work rules →
- North Carolina ag-work rules →
- Illinois ag-work rules →