PA · State teen labor law
Pennsylvania teen labor law — work hours, permits, and restricted jobs
Pennsylvania requires a general work permit for every minor under 18 and caps 16-17-year-olds at 28 hours per school week — one of the stricter Mid-Atlantic states. Permits are not job-specific and remain valid until age 18.
Quick facts
School year vs summer hour caps
Pennsylvania 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 Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day. Evening cutoff extends to 9:00 PM.
Ages 16–17
School year
When school is in session
- Max hours per day
- 8 hr
- Max hours per week
- 28 hr
- Time window
- 06:00 – 23:00
Note: Up to midnight on evenings not preceding a school day with written parental consent. Maximum 6 consecutive days.
Summer / school breaks
When school is out
- Max hours per day
- 10 hr
- Max hours per week
- 48 hr
- Time window
- 06:00 – 01:00
Note: Up to 1:00 AM on nights not preceding a school day during summer and school breaks.
Work permit
Pennsylvania requires a work permit for minors aged 14–17.
The minor applies in person at the school district's Issuing Officer with proof of age and a parent or guardian's signature. The permit is general (not job-specific) and remains valid until age 18 or revocation.
Form: Pennsylvania Work Permit (Form LLC-1)
Pennsylvania work-permit reference (official source) →
Jobs by age
Age-specific guides to common allowed jobs in Pennsylvania, 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: 43 P.S. §40.7
Construction work and demolition for minors under 18
State: 43 P.S. §40.7(b)
See the full federal hazardous orders (HO-1 to HO-17) for plain-English summaries, or the Pennsylvania hazardous-orders deep-dive for the federal floor plus Pennsylvania-specific additions.
Breaks & meal periods
Pennsylvania 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
Unpaid when the teen is completely relieved of duty.
Pennsylvania's Child Labor Act gives every minor worker a 30-minute meal break on or before 5 consecutive hours of work; a break of less than 30 minutes does not interrupt continuous work. It is typically unpaid when the minor is fully relieved of duty, and Pennsylvania has no general adult break law, so this applies to minors only.
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: 43 P.S. § 40.3 (Child Labor Act)
Pay & minimum wage
Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania 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.
Pennsylvania has no age-based youth subminimum — minors must be paid the full standard minimum. The only below-minimum path is a special certificate for bona fide learners or students, and even then the wage may not fall below 85% of the otherwise-applicable minimum. Because the certificate requirement puts it out of reach of an ordinary teen job, a Pennsylvania teen earns the full minimum in practice.
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
Pennsylvania 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.
Pennsylvania's Child Labor Act exempts general family-farm work from the under-14 prohibition — children may work on a family farm at any age (the same exemption that covers domestic service, babysitting, and household chores). For commercial seasonal farm work, the act applies but with a specific carve-out: no minor under 14 may be required to work or be penalized for failure to work as a seasonal farm worker (except a member of the employer's immediate family). Minors 14-17 working as seasonal farm workers are subject to the Child Labor Act's general hour and permit provisions, but may not be employed between 7:00 AM and one hour after the end of the school day on any regular school day of the district where the minor resides — a unique school-hours protection layered on top of the standard caps. The general PA work permit (LLC-1) is required for commercial farm employment of minors 14-17 (the family-farm exemption excludes household members from the permit requirement). 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: Pennsylvania Child Labor Act of 2012, 43 P.S. §§ 40.1, 40.3, 40.7; seasonal-farm-worker provisions in 43 P.S. § 40.3(d)
Family-business carve-out
Pennsylvania 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.
Pennsylvania's Child Labor Act of 2012 requires the General Work Permit (Form LLC-1) for every minor 14–17 in covered employment. § 40.1's carve-outs from "employment" are narrowly drawn — domestic service in a private home, casual or intermittent work for a single person, household chores not in connection with a trade or business, newspaper delivery, baby-sitting, and family-farm work — and do NOT include parent-owned non-agricultural commercial businesses. § 40.7 hour caps (4 hrs/school day, 18 hrs/school week, 8 hrs/non-school day, 44 hrs/non-school week for 14–15-year-olds; 8 hrs/school day, 28 hrs/school week, 10 hrs/non-school day, 48 hrs/non-school week for 16–17 with parental permission) apply equally to family-owned commercial businesses, as do the 7 PM curfew (10 PM in summer for 14–15) and the 12 AM curfew on non-school nights for 16–17. The federal § 213(c)(1)(C) parent-owned-business exemption does NOT preempt PA's more-protective state law under § 218(a). Federal hazardous orders HO-1 through HO-17 also apply, and 34 Pa. Code Ch. 11 carries state-level hazardous prohibitions on top of the federal list.
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: 43 P.S. § 40.1 (definitions, casual/domestic carve-out); § 40.3 (LLC-1 General Work Permit); § 40.7 (hour caps); 34 Pa. Code Ch. 11
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 Performer Permit
Issued by: Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry, Bureau of Labor Law Compliance
Coogan-style blocked trust set up by parent or guardian.
Min. 3 hrs of schooling per school day.
Pennsylvania's Child Labor Act of 2012 incorporates the prior Performance of Minors Act. A separate Child Performer Permit (distinct from the general LLC-1 work permit) is required, and 15% of a minor performer's gross compensation must be deposited in a blocked trust account established by the parent or guardian, accessible at age 18. A teacher or tutor must be provided when production overlaps the compulsory school day (typically 3 hours of schooling per school day). The PA Department of Labor & Industry's Bureau of Labor Law Compliance reviews and issues each permit application. Verify current trust-account procedure and permit requirements with PA L&I before production starts.
Statute: Pennsylvania Child Labor Act of 2012, 43 P.S. §§ 40.1–40.16 (child performer provisions); 34 Pa. Code Chapter 11 (performance of minors)
Where these rules come from
State code: Pennsylvania Child Labor Act of 2012, 43 P.S. §§ 40.1-40.16
US DOL Wage & Hour Division: https://www.dli.pa.gov/Individuals/Labor-Management-Relations/llc/child-labor/Pages/default.aspx
Last verified:
Informational only — verify with the Pennsylvania Department of Labor before hiring or starting work.
Frequently asked questions
- Can a 14-year-old work in Pennsylvania?
- Yes — under Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania work permit is required.
- How many hours can a 15-year-old work during school in Pennsylvania?
- When school is in session, Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania require a work permit for minors?
- Yes — Pennsylvania requires a work permit for minors aged 14-17 (form: Pennsylvania Work Permit (Form LLC-1)). The minor applies in person at the school district's Issuing Officer with proof of age and a parent or guardian's signature. The permit is general (not job-specific) and remains valid until age 18 or revocation.
- How many hours can a 16-year-old work during summer in Pennsylvania?
- During summer or school breaks, Pennsylvania allows a 16-year-old to work up to 10 hours per school day, up to 48 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 Pennsylvania?
- Yes. Pennsylvania requires a 30-minute unpaid meal break once a worker reaches 5 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 Pennsylvania?
- Generally no. Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania Department of Labor. See the Pay and minimum wage section on this page.
- What jobs can a minor not do in Pennsylvania?
- Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania Child Labor Act of 2012, 43 P.S. §§ 40.1-40.16 citation on this page for the statutory source.