CA · State teen labor law
California teen labor law — work hours, permits, and restricted jobs
California requires a work permit for every minor under 18 and sets some of the strictest school-night hour caps in the country. Permits are renewed each school year and reissued for each new employer.
Quick facts
School year vs summer hour caps
California tightens daily and weekly limits while school is in session, then eases them during summer and school breaks. Each age band below shows both calendars side-by-side — a distinction federal summaries and most state-comparison tables skip.
Ages 12–13
School year
When school is in session
- Max hours per day
- Not permitted
- Max hours per week
- Not permitted
- Time window
- No state limit
Note: Generally restricted to limited categories (agriculture with parent, entertainment industry with special permit, newspaper delivery).
Summer / school breaks
When school is out
- Max hours per day
- Not permitted
- Max hours per week
- Not permitted
- Time window
- No state limit
Note: Same exceptions apply year-round; no general employment permitted.
Ages 14–15
School year
When school is in session
- Hrs/day (school day)
- 3 hr
- Hrs/day (Sat / Sun / holiday)
- 8 hr
- Max hours per week
- 18 hr
- Time window
- 07:00 – 19:00
Note: No work during school hours.
Summer / school breaks
When school is out
- Max hours per day
- 8 hr
- Max hours per week
- 40 hr
- Time window
- 07:00 – 21:00
Note: Between June 1 and Labor Day, evening cutoff extends to 9:00 PM.
Ages 16–17
School year
When school is in session
- Hrs/day (school day)
- 4 hr
- Hrs/day (Sat / Sun / holiday)
- 8 hr
- Max hours per week
- 48 hr
- Time window
- 05:00 – 22:00
Note: Until 12:30 AM on evenings preceding a non-school day.
Summer / school breaks
When school is out
- Max hours per day
- 8 hr
- Max hours per week
- 48 hr
- Time window
- 05:00 – 00:30
Work permit
California requires a work permit for minors aged 12–17.
Employer signs the Statement of Intent; the minor's school issues the Permit to Work. Required every school year and for each new job.
Form: B1-1 Statement of Intent to Employ Minor
California work-permit reference (official source) →
Jobs by age
Age-specific guides to common allowed jobs in California, with the federal hour caps and the state’s stricter rules built in.
Restricted occupations
All federal hazardous orders HO-1 through HO-17
Federal: 29 CFR Part 570
Door-to-door sales for minors under 16
State: CA Labor Code §1308.1
Operating power-driven meat-processing machines
Federal: HO-10
Roofing operations and work on or about a roof
Federal: HO-16
Excavation operations
Federal: HO-17
See the full federal hazardous orders (HO-1 to HO-17) for plain-English summaries, or the California hazardous-orders deep-dive for the federal floor plus California-specific additions.
Breaks & meal periods
California applies one general meal-break rule to all employees, including minors. Federal law (the FLSA) mandates no break at any age, so this state rule is the binding one for teens too.
- Meal break
- 30 minutes
- Required after
- 5 consecutive hours
- Pay treatment
- Unpaid
- Paid rest break
- Required — in addition to the meal break
Unpaid when the teen is completely relieved of duty.
Paid 10-minute rest period for every 4 hours worked (or major fraction), on the employer's time.
California's break protections are general all-employee laws that fully cover minors — the IWC Wage Orders apply to "all persons employed" and define a minor as anyone under 18. Under Labor Code § 512 no one may work more than 5 hours without an unpaid, duty-free 30-minute meal period (waivable by mutual consent only when the whole shift is 6 hours or less); a second 30-minute meal is required past 10 hours. Separately, the IWC Wage Orders require a paid 10-minute rest period for every 4 hours worked. California's child-labor statutes (Lab. Code §§ 1391-1392) govern minors' hours and permits but add no separate break rule, so the general § 512 + IWC rules are what apply to teens.
See the federal breaks & meal-period reference for how the FLSA treats paid rest breaks vs unpaid meal periods, and why a mandatory teen break can only come from state law.
Pay & minimum wage
California lets some teens, or inexperienced first-job and trainee workers, be paid below the standard state minimum wage. The structure below is stable, but the dollar amount changes almost every year — confirm the current figure with the California Department of Labor.
- How minors are paid
- Youth / training subminimum allowed
- State minimum wage
- Set by state law
- Below-minimum youth rate
- Permitted
- Subminimum structure
- Learner rate: 85% of the state minimum for the first 160 hours of employment, only in jobs the worker has no prior similar experience in (IWC Wage Orders § 4).
California has no teen-specific subminimum — a minor otherwise earns the full state minimum. The only state-created sub-rate is the learner wage in the IWC Wage Orders: 85% of the minimum for the first 160 hours in an occupation the worker has no previous similar experience in, which a first-job teen can fall under. California does not use the federal $4.25 90-day youth wage; its higher state minimum controls.
Rates change yearly. This page describes the legal structure, not the current dollar amount. State and federal minimum wages are adjusted regularly — always verify the live figure with your state Department of Labor or the U.S. DOL before relying on it.
See the federal youth minimum wage reference for the $4.25 90-day rule, student / learner certificates, the tipped cash wage, and how a higher state minimum wins.
Statute: Cal. Lab. Code § 1182.12, § 1192; IWC Wage Orders § 4
Agricultural work carve-out
California narrows the federal agricultural carve-out — the rules below override the federal floor when a minor works on a farm in this state.
Mirrors federal Ag HO-1 to Ag HO-11.
California does not give agriculture a broad carve-out from its general child-labor rules: the same Permit to Work and the same § 1391 hour caps that apply to other employment also apply to most farm work. Practical implications: 12–13-year-olds may work in agriculture outside school hours with a permit, 14–15-year-olds are capped at 3 hours per school day / 18 hours per school week and 7 a.m.–7 p.m. (until 9 p.m. June 1–Labor Day), and 16–17-year-olds at 4 hours per school day / 48 hours per week. § 1394 mirrors the federal parent-owned-farm exemption — a minor working on a farm owned, operated, or controlled by the minor's parent or guardian is exempt from the Permit to Work requirement (Education Code § 49141), though children below compulsory-school age cannot work during school hours. § 1393 lets the Labor Commissioner grant agricultural-packing-plant exemptions allowing 16–17-year-olds to work up to 10 hours on non-school days during peak harvest. Hazardous agricultural occupations follow the federal Ag HO-1 to Ag HO-11 floor at 16+.
See the federal agricultural-work reference for the FLSA § 213(c) baseline, parental-exemption rules, and the Ag HO-1 to Ag HO-11 hazardous list.
Statute: CA Labor Code §§ 1391, 1393, 1394; CA Education Code § 49141
Family-business carve-out
California narrows the federal parent-owned-business carve-out — the rules below apply when a minor works for a parent-owned non-agricultural business in this state.
Federal hazardous orders always apply — the parent-owned-business carve-out never reaches mining, manufacturing, or HO-listed work.
California is one of the strictest states on the federal parent-owned-business carve-out: it does not adopt FLSA § 213(c)(1)(C) for non-agricultural work. A 14-year-old working at a parent-owned restaurant, retail store, or service business in California still needs a Permit to Work issued by the minor's school, and is still bound by the § 1391 hour caps (3 hrs/school day, 18 hrs/school week for 14–15-year-olds; 4 hrs/school day, 48 hrs/week for 16–17-year-olds) and the 7 PM curfew. The only carve-outs California recognizes are the § 1394 family-farm exemption, the entertainment industry permit framework under Labor Code §§ 1308–1309.5, casual yard work for neighbors (not an employer-employee relationship), and newspaper delivery. Federal hazardous orders HO-1 through HO-17 apply regardless of who employs the minor.
See the federal family-business reference for the FLSA § 213(c)(1)(C) baseline, ownership-structure rules, and the hazardous-occupations overlay that always applies.
Statute: CA Labor Code §§ 1290, 1391; CA Education Code §§ 49100, 49160
Entertainment-industry carve-out
Child performers in film, TV, theater, and modeling are regulated separately from general teen employment. These rules override the general age-band hour caps above when a minor is working on set or on stage.
Entertainment Work Permit for Minors
Issued by: California Labor Commissioner, Division of Labor Standards Enforcement (DLSE)
Coogan-style blocked trust set up by parent or guardian.
Min. 3 hrs of schooling per school day.
Max time at the workplace, by age
Total hours at the workplace including work, schooling, meals, and rest — not just work time.
- Under 6 months
- 2 hr/day
- Under 6 months: max 2 hours at the workplace, of which only 20 minutes may be under bright lights.
- 6 mo – under 2 yr
- 4 hr/day
- 6 months to under 2 years: max 4 hours at workplace, max 2 hours work.
- 2–5 years
- 6 hr/day
- 2–5 years: max 6 hours at workplace, max 3 hours work + 3 hours rest/recreation.
- 6–8 years
- 8 hr/day
- 6–8 years (school day): max 8 hrs at workplace = 4 hrs work + 3 hrs school + 1 hr rest. Non-school day: 9 hrs (6 work + rest).
- 9–15 years
- 9 hr/day
- 9–15 years (school day): max 9 hrs at workplace = 5 hrs work + 3 hrs school + 1 hr rest. Non-school day: 10 hrs (7 work + rest).
- 16–17 years
- 10 hr/day
- 16–17 years (school day): max 10 hrs at workplace = 6 hrs work + 3 hrs school + 1 hr rest. Non-school day: 12 hrs (8 work + rest).
California's Coogan Law (Family Code §§ 6750–6753) requires the employer to deposit 15% of the minor's gross earnings into a blocked trust account established by the parent or guardian. A certified studio teacher must be present whenever a minor under 16 is at the workplace, and during school hours for 16–17-year-olds. Permit must be renewed every 6 months; emancipated minors are exempt from the permit requirement but not from on-set protections.
Statute: CA Labor Code §§ 1308–1309.5; Family Code §§ 6750–6753 (Coogan Law); 8 CCR §§ 11750–11762
Where these rules come from
State code: CA Labor Code §§ 1285-1312; Education Code §§ 49100-49183
US DOL Wage & Hour Division: https://www.dir.ca.gov/dlse/dlse-cl.htm
Last verified:
Informational only — verify with the California Department of Labor before hiring or starting work.
Frequently asked questions
- Can a 14-year-old work in California?
- Yes — under California law a 14-year-old can work up to 3 hours per school day, up to 18 hours per week, between 07:00 and 19:00. A California work permit is required.
- How many hours can a 15-year-old work during school in California?
- When school is in session, California allows a 15-year-old to work up to 3 hours per school day, up to 18 hours per week, between 07:00 and 19:00. During summer or school breaks the cap rises to up to 8 hours per school day, up to 40 hours per week, between 07:00 and 21:00.
- Does California require a work permit for minors?
- Yes — California requires a work permit for minors aged 12-17 (form: B1-1 Statement of Intent to Employ Minor). Employer signs the Statement of Intent; the minor's school issues the Permit to Work. Required every school year and for each new job.
- How many hours can a 16-year-old work during summer in California?
- During summer or school breaks, California allows a 16-year-old to work up to 8 hours per school day, up to 48 hours per week, between 05:00 and 00:30. Federal FLSA caps for 16- and 17-year-olds do not limit weekly hours, so the stricter state rule (if any) applies.
- Does a minor get a meal break in California?
- Yes. California requires a 30-minute unpaid meal break once a worker reaches 5 consecutive hours; the rule applies to all employees, including minors. California also requires a separate paid rest break on top of the meal break. Federal law sets no break requirement at any age, so the state rule is the binding one. See the breaks section on this page for the exact age scope and the statute.
- Can a teen be paid less than minimum wage in California?
- Sometimes. California lets some teens, or inexperienced first-job and trainee workers, be paid below the standard state minimum wage without a special certificate. Learner rate: 85% of the state minimum for the first 160 hours of employment, only in jobs the worker has no prior similar experience in (IWC Wage Orders § 4). Minimum-wage dollar amounts change almost every year, so confirm the current figure with the California Department of Labor. See the Pay and minimum wage section on this page.
- What jobs can a minor not do in California?
- California prohibits minors from a number of hazardous occupations, including: all federal hazardous orders ho-1 through ho-17; door-to-door sales for minors under 16; operating power-driven meat-processing machines. The full list of federal hazardous orders (HO-1 through HO-17) also applies. See the CA Labor Code §§ 1285-1312; Education Code §§ 49100-49183 citation on this page for the statutory source.