IA · age-by-state job guide
What jobs can a 14 year old do in Iowa?
Quick answer for 14-year-olds in Iowa — what hours are legal, whether a work permit is required, and the most common allowed jobs. Built directly from Iowa state labor code.
Updated:
Quick answer
- Can a 14-year-old work?
- Yes
- Minimum work age
- 14+
In Iowa
Legal work hours
Iowa sets different hour caps depending on whether school is in session.
During the school year
- Hours per school day
- 4 hr
- Hours per non-school day
- 8 hr
- Hours per week
- 28 hr
- Time window
- 07:00 – 21:00
Under the 2023 expansion (SF 542), Iowa allows up to 4 hours on a school day and 28 hours per school week — more than the federal 3-hour / 18-hour caps. No work during school hours.
Summer / school breaks
- Hours per day
- 8 hr
- Hours per week
- 40 hr
- Time window
- 07:00 – 23:00
Summer hours apply June 1 through Labor Day; evening cutoff extends to 11:00 PM (looser than federal 9:00 PM).
Common allowed jobs for a 14-year-old
General age-appropriate jobs under federal FLSA. Iowa adds its own restricted-occupations list below — check that before accepting any job.
- Retail cashier or sales clerk (with Iowa Work Permit)
Iowa requires an electronic, job-specific Work Permit for 14-15-year-olds, applied for online through Iowa Workforce Development with proof of age, an employer's offer letter, and a parent or guardian's electronic signature. 16- and 17-year-olds do not need a permit.
- Counter food-service or drive-thru (no flame cooking)
Distinctive Iowa rule: SF 542 (2023) expanded the 14-15 school-week cap to 28 hrs (vs. federal 18) and pushed the evening cutoff to 9 PM during the school year, 11 PM in summer (vs. federal 9 PM). Up to 4 hrs on a school day.
- Office or clerical work — filing, data entry, reception
- Tutoring younger students
- Park, recreation, or community-center program assistant
- Hand-tool yard work for neighbors
Power-driven mowers, weed-whackers, and chainsaws stay 16+ under federal HO-6 / HO-12.
- Newspaper delivery on a regular route
Federal FLSA carve-out at 29 USC § 213(d).
Restricted in Iowa
- 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 without adult supervision(Iowa Code §92.7)
- Sale or service of alcohol for minors under 18(Iowa Code §123.49)
Related guides
Read the full Iowa rules
This page summarizes the rules for 14-year-olds. For all ages, age-band breakdown, statute citation, and DOL references, see the full state page.