FL · State teen labor law
Florida teen labor law — work hours, permits, and restricted jobs
Florida loosened child-labor rules in 2024 (HB 49) to let parents waive the weekly hour cap and curfew for 16-17-year-olds during the school year. 14-15-year-olds still cap at 15 hours per school week.
Quick facts
School year vs summer hour caps
Florida 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
- Hrs/day (school day)
- 3 hr
- Hrs/day (Sat / Sun / holiday)
- 8 hr
- Max hours per week
- 15 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: Applies during summer vacation (Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day) and other school holidays.
Ages 16–17
School year
When school is in session
- Max hours per day
- 8 hr
- Max hours per week
- 30 hr
- Time window
- 06:30 – 23:00
Note: As of July 2024 (HB 49), a parent or school superintendent can waive the 30-hour weekly cap and the 23:00 curfew for 16-17-year-olds during the school year.
Summer / school breaks
When school is out
- Max hours per day
- No state limit
- Max hours per week
- No state limit
- Time window
- No state limit
Note: No state hour limit on 16-17-year-olds when school is out; federal FLSA also has no hour limit for this age group in non-hazardous work.
Work permit
Florida does not require a state-issued work permit for minors.
Florida does not require a state-issued work permit. Employers must maintain proof of age (driver's license, school ID with date of birth, or certified birth certificate).
Jobs by age
Age-specific guides to common allowed jobs in Florida, 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
Roofing operations and work on or about a roof
Federal: HO-16
Operating power-driven hoists
Federal: HO-7
Excavation operations
Federal: HO-17
Door-to-door sales without adult supervision
State: FL Stat §450.061
See the full federal hazardous orders (HO-1 to HO-17) for plain-English summaries, or the Florida hazardous-orders deep-dive for the federal floor plus Florida-specific additions.
Breaks & meal periods
Florida requires a meal break for minor workers. Federal law (the FLSA) mandates no break at any age, so this state rule is the binding one for teens.
- Meal break
- 30 minutes
- Required after
- 4 consecutive hours
- Pay treatment
- Unpaid
Unpaid when the teen is completely relieved of duty.
Minors aged 15 and under may not work more than 4 continuous hours without a 30-minute uninterrupted meal break; 16- and 17-year-olds get the same 30-minute break, but only on days they work 8 or more hours. A break of under 30 minutes does not interrupt the count of continuous hours. The meal break is unpaid, and Florida has no general meal- or rest-break law for adults, so this child-labor rule is the only break mandate.
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: Fla. Stat. § 450.081(4)
Pay & minimum wage
Florida sets its own minimum wage and minors generally earn the full rate — there is no general youth subminimum a teen can be paid. The structure is stable; the dollar amount changes almost every year, so confirm the current figure with the Florida Department of Labor.
- How minors are paid
- Full state minimum
- State minimum wage
- Set by state law
- Below-minimum youth rate
- Not permitted
A teen earns the full minimum; any lower rate needs a special DOL certificate.
Florida's minimum wage is set in the state constitution and indexed for inflation, and minors earn the full rate. Florida creates no teen subminimum; the only below-minimum paths are the federal FLSA learner, student-learner, and full-time-student certificate programs (29 USC § 214), each requiring a U.S. DOL certificate (for example a full-time student at no less than 85% of the minimum). Because Florida's minimum exceeds the federal rate, it controls over the federal $4.25 youth wage for covered workers.
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: Fla. Const. art. X, § 24; Fla. Stat. § 448.110 (incorporating 29 USC §§ 213–214)
Agricultural work carve-out
Florida 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.
Florida explicitly exempts farm and domestic work "in connection with their own homes or the farm or ranch on which they live, or directly for their own parents or guardian, or in the herding, tending, and management of livestock" from the general child-labor floor (§ 450.021(1)(c)) — minors of any age may work on a parent-operated farm during non-school hours. Off the family farm, the general state minimum age of 14 applies. § 450.061 prohibits any minor under 18 from operating a tractor over 20 PTO horsepower, any trencher or earthmoving equipment, a forklift, or any harvesting/planting/plowing machinery — mirroring federal Ag HO-1, Ag HO-2, and related orders. 14- and 15-year-olds may drive smaller tractors during farmwork only if they (a) work under close parental supervision on a family farm, OR (b) hold a tractor-operation certificate from a recognized agricultural or vocational training program. § 450.081 hour caps apply to farm work the same as other employment (no separate ag carve-out): under 16 capped at 15 hours per school week / 3 hours per school day, 16–17 at 30 hours per school week / 8 hours per day, with 2024 HB 49 letting parents waive the weekly cap and curfew for 16–17-year-olds.
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: F.S. §§ 450.021(1)(c), 450.061, 450.081
Family-business carve-out
Florida extends the federal parent-owned-business carve-out beyond the federal "parent only" rule — the rules below apply for family-owned non-agricultural businesses in this state.
Federal hazardous orders always apply — the parent-owned-business carve-out never reaches mining, manufacturing, or HO-listed work.
Florida § 450.012(1)(c) exempts from Chapter 450 "a person under 18 years of age who is employed by his or her parent or person standing in loco parentis in an occupation not declared hazardous by Florida or federal law." Combined with Florida's 2003 abolition of state work permits for all minors generally (no certificate required for any minor in any employment in Florida), this means a minor of any age can work for a parent or in loco parentis in a Florida non-hazardous business with no state hour cap, no permit, and no curfew. The § 450.081 hour caps and the 2024 HB 49 curfew amendments do NOT apply to the family-business exemption. § 450.061 hazardous occupations (operating power-driven machines, slaughter, roofing, etc.) and federal HO-1 through HO-17 always apply regardless — the exemption never reaches "hazardous" work. Florida is one of a small group of states (with TX, ID, UT) whose family-business carve-out is broader than the federal floor, both in scope (no permit, no hour caps) and in qualifying relationships (in loco parentis included).
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: Fla. Stat. § 450.012(1)(c); § 450.061
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.
Child Labor Variance (entertainment-industry)
Issued by: Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR), Child Labor Program
Max time at the workplace, by age
Total hours at the workplace including work, schooling, meals, and rest — not just work time.
- 0–5 years
- 6 hr/day
- Hours and conditions for performers under 6 are set case-by-case in the variance; default cap rarely exceeds 6 hours at the workplace.
- 6–15 years
- 8 hr/day
- Variance can extend the standard daily cap when school attendance is maintained (on-set tutor or excused absence).
- 16–17 years
- 10 hr/day
- Variance can lift the standard 11 PM curfew and 30 hr/week school-year cap to accommodate production schedules.
Florida regulates child performers significantly lighter than California or New York: there is no statewide trust-account (Coogan-equivalent) requirement and no mandatory on-set studio teacher. The Department of Business and Professional Regulation grants a written variance from the standard child-labor caps when a parent or guardian applies on behalf of a minor working in motion-picture, TV, or theatrical productions. Conditions vary by production and are spelled out in the variance order.
Statute: F.S. § 450.155 (entertainment-industry employment of children); F.S. § 450.061(2) (variance from standard child-labor rules)
Where these rules come from
State code: Florida Statutes Chapter 450 Part I (§§ 450.001-450.155)
US DOL Wage & Hour Division: https://www.fdacs.gov/Business-Services/Child-Labor-Program
Last verified:
Informational only — verify with the Florida Department of Labor before hiring or starting work.
Frequently asked questions
- Can a 14-year-old work in Florida?
- Yes — under Florida law a 14-year-old can work up to 3 hours per school day, up to 15 hours per week, between 07:00 and 19:00.
- How many hours can a 15-year-old work during school in Florida?
- When school is in session, Florida allows a 15-year-old to work up to 3 hours per school day, up to 15 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 Florida require a work permit for minors?
- Florida does not require a state-issued work permit for minors. Employers still must follow federal FLSA rules on hour caps and restricted occupations.
- Does a minor get a meal break in Florida?
- Yes. Florida requires a 30-minute unpaid meal break once a worker reaches 4 consecutive hours; the rule applies to 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 Florida?
- Generally no. Florida sets its own minimum wage and minors earn the full rate — there is no general youth subminimum, and any below-minimum rate requires a special DOL certificate. Minimum-wage dollar amounts change almost every year, so confirm the current figure with the Florida Department of Labor. See the Pay and minimum wage section on this page.
- What jobs can a minor not do in Florida?
- Florida prohibits minors from a number of hazardous occupations, including: all federal hazardous orders ho-1 through ho-17; roofing operations and work on or about a roof; operating power-driven hoists. The full list of federal hazardous orders (HO-1 through HO-17) also applies. See the Florida Statutes Chapter 450 Part I (§§ 450.001-450.155) citation on this page for the statutory source.