OR · agricultural-work rules for minors
Oregon 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. Oregon layers state-specific rules on top of that framework — whichever is stricter binds the employer (FLSA § 218(a)). This page covers the Oregon ag-work floor: minimum ages on and off the family farm, hazardous-occupation cutoffs, school-hours rules, the parental-farm exemption as Oregon treats it, and the exact state-code citation.
Quick facts
- Min age off-parent farm
- 12+
- Min age for ag-hazardous work
- 16+
- Parent-owned farm exemption
- Mirrors federal § 213(c)
- State daily / weekly hour cap
- Yes
- State statute
- Oregon Revised Statutes §§ 653.305-653.370 (Employment of Minors)
- Last verified
Oregon vs the federal FLSA floor
Each row compares Oregon'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 | Oregon | Delta |
|---|---|---|---|
| Min age off parent farm | 12 with parental consent / 14 without | 12+ | Matches 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 Oregon actually regulates farm work
Oregon allows farm work for minors at younger ages than the general 14-year minimum: 12–13-year-olds may work in non-hazardous ag jobs with written parental consent (or if a parent works the same farm), and 9–11-year-olds may hand-harvest berries or beans on small-farm operations with parental consent. A federal U.S. DOL waiver is available for 10–11-year-olds to hand-harvest short-season crops (June 1 – October 15, max 8 weeks). Hour caps apply: under-16 in agriculture are limited to 3 hours per school day / 25 hours per school week, and up to 10 hours per day during school vacations. Hazardous agricultural occupations (operating tractors above 20 PTO horsepower, feed mills, flour mills, grain warehouses, power-driven machinery) require minimum age 16, mirroring the federal Ag HO floor. Minors of any age may work in any occupation on a farm owned or operated by their parents (parental exemption mirrors the federal § 213(c) carve-out).
Citation
Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries (BOLI) minor-worker rules; ORS Chapter 653
Where to verify Oregon'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 →
- 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 →
- Iowa ag-work rules →
- Illinois ag-work rules →