CT · age-by-state job guide
What jobs can a 17 year old do in Connecticut?
Quick answer for 17-year-olds in Connecticut — what hours are legal, whether a work permit is required, and the most common allowed jobs. Built directly from Connecticut state labor code.
Updated:
Quick answer
- Can a 17-year-old work?
- Yes
- Minimum work age
- 14+
In Connecticut
Legal work hours
Connecticut sets different hour caps depending on whether school is in session.
During the school year
- Hours per school day
- 6 hr
- Hours per non-school day
- 8 hr
- Hours per week
- 32 hr
- Time window
- 06:00 – 23:00
School-week cap of 32 hours (6 hours on a school day, 8 on a non-school day). In mercantile/restaurant work, may extend to 11:00 PM on Friday-Saturday and to midnight on nights not preceding a school day.
Summer / school breaks
- Hours per day
- 8 hr
- Hours per week
- 48 hr
- Time window
- 06:00 – 00:00
Up to midnight during the summer (June 1 through Labor Day) in mercantile establishments.
Common allowed jobs for a 17-year-old
General age-appropriate jobs under federal FLSA. Connecticut adds its own restricted-occupations list below — check that before accepting any job.
- Full retail, food-service, and clerical work (with Working Papers, Form ED-301 or ED-302)
Connecticut still requires job-specific Working Papers (Form ED-301 mercantile or ED-302 manufacturing/mechanical) for every minor through 17 — issued by the school district issuing officer with a Promise of Employment from the employer and a parent's signature. The certificate must be reissued for each new employer. The state school-week cap stays at 32 hrs (6 hrs school day, 8 non-school day, 6 AM–11 PM).
- Cooking, baking, and short-order line work with grills, fryers, and HO-11 bakery equipment
- Lifeguard at any pool, water park, beach, or natural-water venue (with valid certification)
- Warehouse and stockroom work without HO-7 power-driven hoists or HO-2 driving
Distinctive Connecticut rule continues at 17: state law has no separate carve-out for parent-owned non-agricultural businesses under Conn. Gen. Stat. § 31-23(b). A 17-year-old working in a parent-owned mercantile or mechanical business must still obtain Working Papers and is subject to the same 32-hr school-week cap as any unrelated employer.
- Hotel and hospitality front-of-house — host, busser, food runner (no alcohol service)
Conn. Gen. Stat. § 30-86 permits 18-year-olds to sell or serve alcoholic beverages in licensed restaurants under supervision. 17-year-olds may host, bus, and run food but cannot serve or pour alcohol until 18; bartending behind a bar stays 21+.
- Construction-trade pre-apprenticeship under registered apprenticeship programs
Connecticut allows 17-year-olds in registered apprenticeship programs through the Connecticut Department of Labor Office of Apprenticeship Training. HO-16 roofing and HO-2 on-road driving remain barred for minors under 18.
- Office, data-entry, internship, and customer-support roles
Restricted in Connecticut
- 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)
- Manufacturing employment for minors under 16(Conn. Gen. Stat. §31-23)
- Door-to-door sales for minors under 16(Conn. Gen. Stat. §31-23a)
Related guides
Read the full Connecticut rules
This page summarizes the rules for 17-year-olds. For all ages, age-band breakdown, statute citation, and DOL references, see the full state page.