Skip to main content
Teenwork
Español

WA · agricultural-work rules for minors

Washington 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. Washington layers state-specific rules on top of that framework — whichever is stricter binds the employer (FLSA § 218(a)). This page covers the Washington ag-work floor: minimum ages on and off the family farm, hazardous-occupation cutoffs, school-hours rules, the parental-farm exemption as Washington 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
Washington Administrative Code WAC 296-125 (Child Labor Rules)
Last verified

Washington vs the federal FLSA floor

Each row compares Washington'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)).

Washington agricultural-work rules compared to the federal FLSA floor.
DimensionFederal floorWashingtonDelta
Min age off parent farm12 with parental consent / 14 without14+Stricter than FLSA
Min age for Ag HO work16+ (Ag HO-1 to Ag HO-11)16+Matches FLSA
Parent-owned farm exemptionNo min age; preempts Ag HOsMirrors federalMatches FLSA
Daily / weekly hour capNo cap outside school hoursState cap appliesStricter than FLSA

How Washington actually regulates farm work

Washington runs a separate agricultural child-labor rule set (WAC 296-131) from its general one (WAC 296-125). The general rule is no employment in agriculture under 14, but minors 12 and 13 may be hand-harvest berries, bulbs, and cucumbers — and hand-cultivate spinach — during weeks when school is not in session (WAC 296-131-115). Daily and weekly caps apply to ag work: under-16 minors may work up to 3 hours on a school day / 21 hours per school week, and up to 8 hours per day / 40 hours per week during weeks when school is not in session; 16–17-year-olds may work up to 4 hours per school day / 28 hours per school week, and up to 10 hours per day / 50 hours per week when school is out (60 hours during mechanical harvest of peas, wheat, and hay) — WAC 296-131-120. Hazardous ag occupations follow the federal Ag HO floor at 16+, with a vocational-agriculture student-learner carve-out (WAC 296-131-125). The federal parent-owned-farm exemption applies in WA; the state does not separately restrict it.

Citation

WAC 296-131-115 (age), 296-131-120 (hours), 296-131-125 (hazardous)

Where to verify Washington'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

Related