HI · State teen labor law
Hawaii teen labor law — work hours, permits, and restricted jobs
Hawaii requires a Certificate of Employment for every minor under 18. 16-17-year-olds face a 10-hour daily cap (rather than a weekly cap) and may work until 12:30 AM on nights not preceding a school day.
Quick facts
School year vs summer hour caps
Hawaii 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
- 18 hr
- Time window
- 07:00 – 19:00
Note: Hawaii imposes a 9:00 PM cutoff on non-school nights (June 1 through Labor Day). 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: Summer hours apply June 1 through Labor Day; evening cutoff extends to 9:00 PM.
Ages 16–17
School year
When school is in session
- Max hours per day
- 10 hr
- Max hours per week
- No state limit
- Time window
- 06:00 – 00:30
Note: Daily cap of 10 hours. Up to 12:30 AM on nights not preceding a school day; 10:00 PM on school nights.
Summer / school breaks
When school is out
- Max hours per day
- 10 hr
- Max hours per week
- No state limit
- Time window
- 06:00 – 00:30
Note: Same 10-hour daily cap year-round.
Work permit
Hawaii requires a work permit for minors aged 14–17.
Every minor under 18 must obtain a Certificate of Employment from the DLIR before starting work. The minor and parent or guardian apply through the DLIR with proof of age and the employer's signed offer. CL-1 is for 14-15-year-olds, CL-2 for 16-17. Certificates are job-specific.
Form: Hawaii Certificate of Employment (CL-1 or CL-2)
Hawaii work-permit reference (official source) →
Jobs by age
Age-specific guides to common allowed jobs in Hawaii, 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
Door-to-door sales for minors under 18 without bonded supervisor
State: HRS §390-2
Sale or service of alcohol for minors under 18
State: HRS §281-78
See the full federal hazardous orders (HO-1 to HO-17) for plain-English summaries, or the Hawaii hazardous-orders deep-dive for the federal floor plus Hawaii-specific additions.
Breaks & meal periods
Hawaii has no verified state law requiring a meal or rest break for minors, so the federal floor applies: the Fair Labor Standards Act does not require employers to give a meal or rest break at any age. An employer can legally schedule a teen for a full shift without one. If a short break of 5–20 minutes is given it must be paid; a bona fide meal period of 30 minutes or more can be unpaid when the teen is completely relieved of duty.
Confirm with the Hawaii Department of Labor before relying on a break, and see the federal breaks & meal-period reference for the FLSA paid-vs-unpaid rules.
Pay & minimum wage
Hawaii 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 Hawaii 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.
A minor in Hawaii earns the full state minimum wage. Below-minimum rates exist only for learners, apprentices, full-time students, and certain wards — and only under a special certificate issued by the director of Labor and Industrial Relations. There is no automatic youth or first-job rate, so an ordinary teen cannot be paid under the minimum. (Hawaii's child-labor work permits govern eligibility to work, not the pay rate.)
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: HRS §§ 387-2, 387-9
Agricultural work carve-out
Hawaii 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.
Hawaii has unusual crop-specific agricultural carve-outs reflecting its plantation history. Coffee harvest: minors under 14 (effectively 10+) may work in coffee harvesting during non-school periods, capped at 6 hours per day, 30 hours per week, for no more than 5 consecutive days — uniquely permissive at the 10-13 age band. Pineapple harvest: minors 15 (but not yet 16) may work in pineapple harvesting from June 1 through the day before Labor Day for up to 48 hours per week and 8 hours per day. General agricultural work: minimum age 14 outside school hours (mirrors federal '14 without parental consent' tier), 16 during school hours (or 16 if not legally required to attend school). A Certificate of Employment (CL-1 for 14-15, CL-2 for 16-17) is required for ag work for minors under 18 — Hawaii is one of the few states that retains a state employment certificate for agriculture. The standard family-member parent-employed exemption applies. Federal Ag HO-1 to Ag HO-11 govern at 16+ off the family farm, with the federal student-learner and 4-H tractor-certification carve-outs at 14-15.
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: HRS §§ 390-2, 390-5 (Hawaii Child Labor Law; coffee and pineapple harvest carve-outs)
Family-business carve-out
Hawaii largely mirrors the federal parent-owned-business carve-out under FLSA § 213(c)(1)(C). The rules below confirm what applies when a minor works for a parent-owned business in this state.
Federal hazardous orders always apply — the parent-owned-business carve-out never reaches mining, manufacturing, or HO-listed work.
Hawaii is one of the strictest states for general minor employment — requiring a Certificate of Employment (CL-1 for ages 14-15, CL-2 for 16-17) for every minor under 18 — but it carries the federal § 213(c)(1)(C) parent-employed framework forward through HRS § 390-2's chapter-scope exemptions. A minor working for the minor's own parent or guardian in a non-hazardous, non-mining, non-manufacturing business owned, operated, or controlled by that parent is not subject to the CL-1/CL-2 requirement or the state's hour caps (10-hour daily, 6-day-week for 14-15; 10-hour daily, 12:30 AM cutoff for 16-17). Federal hazardous orders HO-1 through HO-17 always apply (no parent-owned-business carve-out exists for them), and the standard federal manufacturing and mining prohibitions for under-16 carry through regardless of parent ownership. Hawaii's crop-specific agricultural carve-outs (coffee, pineapple) are governed separately under § 390-5 and do not overlap with the family-business framework. Verify the specific business context with the Hawaii Department of Labor and Industrial Relations (DLIR) before relying on the carve-out.
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: HRS §§ 390-2 (chapter scope and exemptions), 390-1 (definitions); federal mirror of 29 USC § 213(c)(1)(C)
Entertainment-industry work
Hawaii 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 Hawaii 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: Hawaii Revised Statutes Chapter 390 (Child Labor)
US DOL Wage & Hour Division: https://labor.hawaii.gov/wsd/child-labor/
Last verified:
Informational only — verify with the Hawaii Department of Labor before hiring or starting work.
Frequently asked questions
- Can a 14-year-old work in Hawaii?
- Yes — under Hawaii 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 Hawaii work permit is required.
- How many hours can a 15-year-old work during school in Hawaii?
- When school is in session, Hawaii 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 Hawaii require a work permit for minors?
- Yes — Hawaii requires a work permit for minors aged 14-17 (form: Hawaii Certificate of Employment (CL-1 or CL-2)). Every minor under 18 must obtain a Certificate of Employment from the DLIR before starting work. The minor and parent or guardian apply through the DLIR with proof of age and the employer's signed offer. CL-1 is for 14-15-year-olds, CL-2 for 16-17. Certificates are job-specific.
- How many hours can a 16-year-old work during summer in Hawaii?
- During summer or school breaks, Hawaii allows a 16-year-old to work up to 10 hours per school day, between 06:00 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.
- Can a teen be paid less than minimum wage in Hawaii?
- Generally no. Hawaii 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 Hawaii Department of Labor. See the Pay and minimum wage section on this page.
- What jobs can a minor not do in Hawaii?
- Hawaii 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 Hawaii Revised Statutes Chapter 390 (Child Labor) citation on this page for the statutory source.