ND · State teen labor law
North Dakota teen labor law — work hours, permits, and restricted jobs
North Dakota requires an online Age Certificate for minors 14-15 (valid until age 16) and follows federal FLSA caps for that age group. 16-17-year-olds face no state restrictions.
Quick facts
School year vs summer hour caps
North Dakota applies similar caps year-round, with small calendar adjustments shown below. 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: Mirrors federal FLSA. 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
- No state limit
- Max hours per week
- No state limit
- Time window
- No state limit
Note: North Dakota imposes no state hour or time-of-day restriction on 16- and 17-year-olds.
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
Work permit
North Dakota requires a work permit for minors aged 14–15.
Minors 14-15 obtain an Age Certificate through the ND Department of Labor and Human Rights online portal. The minor presents proof of age and parental consent; the certificate is electronic and not job-specific (valid until age 16). 16- and 17-year-olds do not need a certificate.
Form: Age Certificate (Form L-26)
North Dakota work-permit reference (official source) →
Jobs by age
Age-specific guides to common allowed jobs in North Dakota, 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: N.D.C.C. §34-07-15
Sale or service of alcohol for minors under 21
State: N.D.C.C. §5-02-06
See the full federal hazardous orders (HO-1 to HO-17) for plain-English summaries, or the North Dakota hazardous-orders deep-dive for the federal floor plus North Dakota-specific additions.
Breaks & meal periods
North Dakota 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
Unpaid when the teen is completely relieved of duty.
North Dakota's Minimum Wage and Work Conditions Order requires a 30-minute meal period in each shift exceeding five hours — but only when two or more employees are on duty, so a minor working a longer solo shift is not entitled to the break under the rule. The meal period may be waived by mutual agreement between the employee and employer, and it is unpaid when the employee is completely relieved of duty. The rule covers all employees, including minors; it is not minor-specific, and North Dakota's child-labor statute (N.D.C.C. ch. 34-07) adds no separate break. North Dakota requires no separate paid rest break.
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: N.D. Admin. Code § 46-02-07-02(5)
Pay & minimum wage
North Dakota 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
- Because North Dakota's state minimum equals the federal $7.25, the FLSA structure governs: a standard $7.25 minimum and a federal youth wage of $4.25 for workers under 20 during the first 90 consecutive calendar days after initial employment, payable certificate-free under FLSA § 206(g). North Dakota's own administrative code does not add a distinct certificate-free youth or training wage.
The federal minimum applies instead.
North Dakota's state minimum wage (N.D.C.C. § 34-06-22) has equaled the federal $7.25 since July 2009, so it is classified defers-to-federal; the FLSA structure, including the certificate-free $4.25/90-day youth wage for under-20s, governs. The 85% provision in N.D. Admin. Code § 46-02-07-02 is a certificate/license-gated path limited to students enrolled in vocational-education programs (the student and employer file an application and the commissioner may issue a license to pay not below 85% of the minimum for up to one year), not a general cert-free teen training rate — so it would not make the state subminimum-allowed in any event. There is no state-specific $4.25-style youth wage in the ND code. (State statute credited: N.D.C.C. ch. 34-06.)
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: N.D.C.C. § 34-06-22; N.D. Admin. Code § 46-02-07-02
Agricultural work carve-out
North Dakota 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.
North Dakota's child-labor law expressly permits minors under 16 to perform ordinary farm work and to operate farm machinery — the state act does not impose a minimum age, daily/weekly hour cap, or employment certificate requirement on agricultural employment. During school hours, the minimum age for ag work is 14 (so as not to conflict with compulsory-attendance laws); outside school hours, no state age restriction applies. The federal § 213(c) floor governs commercial farm work off the family farm: 14+ 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. 14- and 15-year-olds may perform any non-hazardous ag work allowed under federal Ag HO-1 to Ag HO-11, with the federal student-learner and 4-H tractor-certification carve-outs at 14-15. The standard federal parent-owned-farm exemption applies. No state Age Certificate is required for ag — the ND Age Certificate requirement 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: N.D.C.C. Chapter 34-07 (state law expressly does not prohibit minors under 16 from ordinary farm work or operating farm machinery)
Family-business carve-out
North Dakota 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.
North Dakota's Chapter 34-07 child-labor law carries the federal parent-employed exemption forward through the act's general exemption framework. The state's Age Certificate requirement (administered online for 14-15-year-olds, valid until age 16) does not separately reach minors working in a parent-owned non-hazardous business — federal § 213(c)(1)(C) governs, and ND does not impose state daily/weekly hour caps on 16-17-year-olds at all. North Dakota's expansive treatment of farm work (the state expressly permits under-16 to perform ordinary farm work and operate farm machinery) reflects the state's broadly permissive posture on family-controlled employment generally. Federal hazardous orders HO-1 through HO-17 always apply, 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 North Dakota Department of Labor 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: N.D.C.C. Chapter 34-07 (Employment of Children — parent-employed exemption from Age Certificate requirement); federal mirror of 29 USC § 213(c)(1)(C)
Entertainment-industry work
North Dakota 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 North Dakota 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: North Dakota Century Code Chapter 34-07 (Employment of Children)
US DOL Wage & Hour Division: https://www.nd.gov/labor/employment-minors
Last verified:
Informational only — verify with the North Dakota Department of Labor before hiring or starting work.
Frequently asked questions
- Can a 14-year-old work in North Dakota?
- Yes — under North Dakota 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 North Dakota work permit is required.
- How many hours can a 15-year-old work during school in North Dakota?
- When school is in session, North Dakota 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 North Dakota require a work permit for minors?
- Yes — North Dakota requires a work permit for minors aged 14-15 (form: Age Certificate (Form L-26)). Minors 14-15 obtain an Age Certificate through the ND Department of Labor and Human Rights online portal. The minor presents proof of age and parental consent; the certificate is electronic and not job-specific (valid until age 16). 16- and 17-year-olds do not need a certificate.
- Does a minor get a meal break in North Dakota?
- Yes. North Dakota requires a 30-minute unpaid meal break once a worker reaches 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 North Dakota?
- Yes, for a limited window. North Dakota 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 North Dakota Department of Labor. See the Pay and minimum wage section on this page.
- What jobs can a minor not do in North Dakota?
- North Dakota 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 North Dakota Century Code Chapter 34-07 (Employment of Children) citation on this page for the statutory source.