CT · State teen labor law
Connecticut teen labor law — work hours, permits, and restricted jobs
Connecticut takes one of the strictest stances in New England: 14-15-year-olds may generally only work when school is not in session, and 16-17-year-olds are capped at 32 hours per school week. Job-specific working papers are required for every minor under 18.
Quick facts
School year vs summer hour caps
Connecticut 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 14–15
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: Connecticut restricts general employment for 14-15-year-olds to a narrow list of approved jobs (recreation, agriculture, retail with limits) and only when school is not in session. Most employers cannot hire this age group during the school year.
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: Summer hours apply from the last day of school in June through Labor Day for the approved job categories.
Ages 16–17
School year
When school is in session
- Hrs/day (school day)
- 6 hr
- Hrs/day (Sat / Sun / holiday)
- 8 hr
- Max hours per week
- 32 hr
- Time window
- 06:00 – 23:00
Note: 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
When school is out
- Max hours per day
- 8 hr
- Max hours per week
- 48 hr
- Time window
- 06:00 – 00:00
Note: Up to midnight during the summer (June 1 through Labor Day) in mercantile establishments.
Work permit
Connecticut requires a work permit for minors aged 14–17.
The minor obtains a Promise of Employment from the prospective employer, then applies at their school issuing officer's office with proof of age and a parent or guardian's signature. Working papers are job-specific and must be reissued for each new employer. Mercantile establishments use Form ED-301; manufacturing and mechanical use Form ED-302.
Form: Working Papers (Form ED-301 or ED-302)
Connecticut work-permit reference (official source) →
Jobs by age
Age-specific guides to common allowed jobs in Connecticut, 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
Operating power-driven meat-processing machines
Federal: HO-10
Roofing operations and work on or about a roof
Federal: HO-16
Manufacturing employment for minors under 16
State: Conn. Gen. Stat. §31-23
Door-to-door sales for minors under 16
State: Conn. Gen. Stat. §31-23a
See the full federal hazardous orders (HO-1 to HO-17) for plain-English summaries, or the Connecticut hazardous-orders deep-dive for the federal floor plus Connecticut-specific additions.
Breaks & meal periods
Connecticut 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
- 7.5 consecutive hours
- Pay treatment
- Unpaid
Unpaid when the teen is completely relieved of duty.
Connecticut's only break mandate is a general all-employee meal law (§ 31-51ii); the state's child-labor statutes set hour caps but no minor-specific break, so teens fall under the same rule. Any employee required to work 7.5 or more consecutive hours must get at least 30 consecutive minutes for a meal, scheduled after the first 2 hours and before the last 2 hours of the shift. The meal period is unpaid when the worker is relieved of duty. Connecticut mandates no short rest or coffee break. Employers who already provide 30+ minutes of total paid break time within the 7.5-hour period are exempt, and the Labor Commissioner may grant other exemptions.
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.
Statute: Conn. Gen. Stat. § 31-51ii
Pay & minimum wage
Connecticut 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 Connecticut 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
- Minors and beginners may be paid at least 85% of the state minimum wage for their first 200 hours with an employer; the full minimum applies after that. It applies automatically to a first-job worker under 18 — no certificate, only employer record-keeping of prior hours. (The separate vocational-program 'learner' rate does require the Labor Commissioner's written permission.)
Connecticut grants the 85% / first-200-hours rate directly to anyone under 18 by regulation, certificate-free, so a first-job teen can be paid it. That is distinct from the certificate-gated 'learner' rate for vocational-training enrollees. After an aggregate 200 hours the teen earns the full state minimum.
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: Conn. Gen. Stat. §§ 31-58(j), 31-60; Conn. Agencies Regs. § 31-60-6
Agricultural work carve-out
Connecticut largely mirrors the federal agricultural carve-out under FLSA § 213(c)(1). The rules below confirm what applies for farm work in this state.
Mirrors federal Ag HO-1 to Ag HO-11.
Connecticut's general child-labor act expressly carves out agriculture — § 31-23(b) reads that no provision of § 31-23 (which prohibits employment of minors under 16 in manufacturing, mechanical, mercantile, theatrical, and other listed industries) shall apply to agricultural employment, domestic service, street trades, or newspaper distribution. As a result, Connecticut imposes no state daily/weekly hour cap, no state employment certificate, and no state-specific time-of-day restriction on minor farm work. The federal § 213(c) floor governs: 14+ off-farm in non-hazardous ag outside school hours; 12-13 with written parental consent or on the same farm where a parent is employed; under-12 only on farms not subject to FLSA minimum-wage rules. The standard federal § 213(c)(1) parent-owned-farm exemption applies. Connecticut's minor-wage law (§ 31-58(e)(8)) permits farms with fewer than 8 workers in the prior year to pay minors 14-18 at 70% of the state minimum wage; larger farms must pay at least 85%. Federal Ag HO-1 to Ag HO-11 govern at 16+ off the family farm.
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: Conn. Gen. Stat. § 31-23(b) (general employment prohibitions do not apply to agricultural employment); §§ 22-13 to 22-17 (separate agricultural employment provisions); § 31-58(e)(8) (minor-in-ag wage rate)
Family-business carve-out
Connecticut 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.
Connecticut takes one of the strictest stances in New England on the federal parent-owned-business exemption: state law does NOT separately carve out a parent-owned non-agricultural business from the general Child Labor Act. The § 31-23(b) exemption list is narrow — only agricultural employment, domestic service in the minor's own home, street trades, and newspaper distribution escape the act. A minor working in a parent-owned mercantile or mechanical business (e.g., a family restaurant, store, or auto shop) must obtain the standard job-specific Working Papers (Form ED-301 for mercantile, ED-302 for manufacturing/mechanical) through the school issuing officer, and the state's hour caps apply: 14-15 generally cannot work during the school year except in approved categories; 16-17 are capped at 32 hours per school week (6 hrs/school day, 8 hrs/non-school day) under the general framework. Federal hazardous orders HO-1 through HO-17 always apply, as do Connecticut's manufacturing prohibition for under-16 (§ 31-23) and door-to-door sales restriction (§ 31-23a). The practical effect is that Connecticut effectively preempts the federal § 213(c)(1)(C) carve-out under § 218(a) by imposing stricter state-level permit and hour requirements that apply regardless of parent ownership.
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: Conn. Gen. Stat. § 31-23 (employment-of-minors prohibitions; exemption list at § 31-23(b)); §§ 31-12 to 31-22 (Working Papers requirement)
Entertainment-industry work
Connecticut does not separately regulate child performers (film, TV, theater, modeling). The general age-band hour caps and work-permit rules above apply to entertainment-industry work for minors. Federal FLSA carves out actors and performers from the general 14-year minimum age (29 CFR § 570.122), but neither federal nor Connecticut law imposes a blocked-trust requirement on a child performer’s earnings.
States with dedicated child-performer frameworks (Coogan-style trust accounts, on-set studio teachers, performer-specific permits) include California, New York, Florida, Louisiana, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, and Illinois.
Where these rules come from
State code: Connecticut General Statutes §§ 31-12 to 31-23a (Employment of Minors)
US DOL Wage & Hour Division: https://www.ctdol.state.ct.us/wgwkstnd/wagehour/MinorsAtWork.htm
Last verified:
Informational only — verify with the Connecticut Department of Labor before hiring or starting work.
Frequently asked questions
- Can a 14-year-old work in Connecticut?
- Connecticut's minimum work age is 14, so general employment for a 14-year-old is not permitted under state rules. Narrow exceptions (agriculture, family business, entertainment with a special permit) may still apply — verify with the Connecticut Department of Labor.
- How many hours can a 15-year-old work during school in Connecticut?
- Connecticut does not permit general employment for a 15-year-old when school is in session under state rules. The state's minimum work age is 14.
- Does Connecticut require a work permit for minors?
- Yes — Connecticut requires a work permit for minors aged 14-17 (form: Working Papers (Form ED-301 or ED-302)). The minor obtains a Promise of Employment from the prospective employer, then applies at their school issuing officer's office with proof of age and a parent or guardian's signature. Working papers are job-specific and must be reissued for each new employer. Mercantile establishments use Form ED-301; manufacturing and mechanical use Form ED-302.
- How many hours can a 16-year-old work during summer in Connecticut?
- During summer or school breaks, Connecticut allows a 16-year-old to work up to 8 hours per school day, up to 48 hours per week, between 06:00 and 00:00. 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 Connecticut?
- Yes. Connecticut requires a 30-minute unpaid meal break once a worker reaches 7.5 consecutive hours; the rule applies to all employees, including minors. 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 Connecticut?
- Sometimes. Connecticut lets some teens, or inexperienced first-job and trainee workers, be paid below the standard state minimum wage without a special certificate. Minors and beginners may be paid at least 85% of the state minimum wage for their first 200 hours with an employer; the full minimum applies after that. It applies automatically to a first-job worker under 18 — no certificate, only employer record-keeping of prior hours. (The separate vocational-program 'learner' rate does require the Labor Commissioner's written permission.) Minimum-wage dollar amounts change almost every year, so confirm the current figure with the Connecticut Department of Labor. See the Pay and minimum wage section on this page.
- What jobs can a minor not do in Connecticut?
- Connecticut prohibits minors from a number of hazardous occupations, including: all federal hazardous orders ho-1 through ho-17; operating power-driven meat-processing machines; roofing operations and work on or about a roof. The full list of federal hazardous orders (HO-1 through HO-17) also applies. See the Connecticut General Statutes §§ 31-12 to 31-23a (Employment of Minors) citation on this page for the statutory source.