KY · State teen labor law
Kentucky teen labor law — work hours, permits, and restricted jobs
Kentucky caps 16-17-year-olds at 30 hours per school week with a unique academic-performance trigger: schools can further restrict hours for minors with grades below a 'C' average. No state-issued work permit is required.
Quick facts
School year vs summer hour caps
Kentucky 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: 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
- Hrs/day (school day)
- 6 hr
- Hrs/day (Sat / Sun / holiday)
- 8 hr
- Max hours per week
- 30 hr
- Time window
- 06:00 – 22:30
Note: School-week cap of 30 hours (8 hours on a non-school day, 6 hours on a school day). 'C' average requirement: minors with grades below 'C' may have hours further restricted by the school.
Summer / school breaks
When school is out
- Max hours per day
- 8 hr
- Max hours per week
- 40 hr
- Time window
- 06:00 – 01:00
Note: Up to 1:00 AM on nights not preceding a school day.
Work permit
Kentucky does not require a state-issued work permit for minors.
Kentucky does not require a state-issued work permit. Employers must keep proof of age on file (driver's license, state ID, or certified birth certificate). For minors under 18 still enrolled in school, the employer should keep a written notification from the parent or guardian acknowledging the work schedule.
Jobs by age
Age-specific guides to common allowed jobs in Kentucky, 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 16 without adult supervision
State: KRS 339.230
Working in coal or other mining operations (any minor)
State: KRS 339.230
See the full federal hazardous orders (HO-1 to HO-17) for plain-English summaries, or the Kentucky hazardous-orders deep-dive for the federal floor plus Kentucky-specific additions.
Breaks & meal periods
Kentucky 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
- 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 during each 4 hours worked — in addition to the lunch period, and it may not be counted as the lunch period.
Kentucky has a minor-specific break statute (KRS 339.270, in the Child Labor chapter) that is stronger than the general adult rule. No minor under 18 may work more than 5 consecutive hours without an interval of at least 30 minutes for lunch (a break under 30 minutes does not interrupt the count of continuous hours, and the employer must record the lunch period's start and end). Separately, the employer must give a paid 10-minute rest period during each 4 hours worked, which is in addition to the lunch period and may not be counted as it. The lunch period is unpaid; the rest period is paid.
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: Ky. Rev. Stat. § 339.270
Pay & minimum wage
Kentucky sets no independent minimum-wage rate, so the federal Fair Labor Standards Act governs: a $7.25 standard minimum and a $4.25 youth minimum for workers under 20 during their first 90 consecutive calendar days. Confirm the current figures before relying on them.
- How minors are paid
- Federal minimum-wage rules
- State minimum wage
- No state rate
- Below-minimum youth rate
- Permitted
- Subminimum structure
- Federal $4.25 youth minimum for under-20s during the first 90 consecutive calendar days (29 USC § 206(g)); FLSA learner / student certificates also apply.
The federal minimum applies instead.
Kentucky's minimum is pegged to $7.25 and rises automatically only if the federal rate does; the statute creates no youth or student-learner subminimum. Where the state minimum equals the federal rate, Kentucky issues no certificate of its own and accepts the U.S. DOL certificate, so the federal structure governs — including the $4.25 youth wage for under-20s in their first 90 calendar days.
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.
Agricultural work carve-out
Kentucky 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.
Kentucky's Child Labor Act regulates non-agricultural minor employment — § 339.230 sets the 14-year-old floor for non-ag work. The state is silent on commercial agricultural work, leaving the federal § 213(c) floor to govern: 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 federal minimum-wage rules. § 339.210 carries the family-farm carve-out: children may work in their family business (including a parent-owned farm) at any age. Federal Ag HO-1 to Ag HO-11 govern at 16+ off the family farm, with the standard parent-owned-farm exemption from those hazardous orders. No state employment certificate is required for agricultural work, and Kentucky does not impose daily/weekly state hour caps on minors in agriculture — the unique § 339.230 'C average' academic-performance trigger applies to non-agricultural employment only.
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: K.R.S. §§ 339.210, 339.230 (state regulates non-agricultural work only)
Family-business carve-out
Kentucky 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.
Kentucky's Child Labor Act at K.R.S. § 339.210 carries the federal parent-employed exemption forward: a minor working in a parent-owned business (including a parent-owned farm) is exempt from the state's general age, hour, and curfew requirements for non-hazardous, non-mining, non-manufacturing work. Kentucky does not require a state Work Permit / Employment Certificate for any minor employment — Kentucky has eliminated the state-issued permit, relying on employer-maintained age verification. The state's distinctive 30-hour-per-school-week cap on 16-17-year-olds and the § 339.230 'C average' academic-performance trigger (which lets schools further restrict hours for minors with grades below a C average) apply to non-family-business non-agricultural work. Federal hazardous orders HO-1 through HO-17 always apply (no parent-owned-business carve-out exists for them), and parent-owned manufacturing or mining employment for under-16 remains barred by federal law regardless of parent ownership. Verify the specific business context with the Kentucky Labor Cabinet 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: K.R.S. §§ 339.210, 339.230 (Child Labor Act — non-agricultural scope; family-business carve-out); federal mirror of 29 USC § 213(c)(1)(C)
Entertainment-industry work
Kentucky 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 Kentucky 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: Kentucky Revised Statutes Chapter 339 (Child Labor)
US DOL Wage & Hour Division: https://labor.ky.gov/standards/Pages/Child-Labor.aspx
Last verified:
Informational only — verify with the Kentucky Department of Labor before hiring or starting work.
Frequently asked questions
- Can a 14-year-old work in Kentucky?
- Yes — under Kentucky 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.
- How many hours can a 15-year-old work during school in Kentucky?
- When school is in session, Kentucky 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 Kentucky require a work permit for minors?
- Kentucky does not require a state-issued work permit for minors. Employers still must follow federal FLSA rules on hour caps and restricted occupations.
- How many hours can a 16-year-old work during summer in Kentucky?
- During summer or school breaks, Kentucky allows a 16-year-old to work up to 8 hours per school day, up to 40 hours per week, between 06:00 and 01:00. 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 Kentucky?
- Yes. Kentucky requires a 30-minute unpaid meal break once a worker reaches 5 consecutive hours; the rule applies to minors. Kentucky 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 Kentucky?
- Yes, for a limited window. Kentucky follows the federal Fair Labor Standards Act, which allows a $4.25 youth minimum wage for workers under 20 during their first 90 consecutive calendar days; after that the $7.25 federal minimum applies. Minimum-wage dollar amounts change almost every year, so confirm the current figure with the Kentucky Department of Labor. See the Pay and minimum wage section on this page.
- What jobs can a minor not do in Kentucky?
- Kentucky 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 Kentucky Revised Statutes Chapter 339 (Child Labor) citation on this page for the statutory source.