SC · State teen labor law
South Carolina teen labor law — work hours, permits, and restricted jobs
South Carolina mirrors the federal FLSA child-labor rules with no state-level additions. No state work permit is required and 16-17-year-olds face no state hour or curfew restrictions — only federal hazardous-occupation rules apply.
Quick facts
School year vs summer hour caps
South Carolina 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: South Carolina imposes no state hour or time-of-day restriction on 16- and 17-year-olds; federal FLSA also has no hour cap for this age group in non-hazardous work.
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
South Carolina does not require a state-issued work permit for minors.
South Carolina does not require a state-issued work permit. Employers must keep proof of age on file (driver's license, certified birth certificate, or state ID). The state mirrors federal FLSA child-labor protections through the SC Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation.
Jobs by age
Age-specific guides to common allowed jobs in South Carolina, 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: SC Code §41-13-30
Sale or service of alcohol for minors under 18
State: SC Code §61-4-50
See the full federal hazardous orders (HO-1 to HO-17) for plain-English summaries, or the South Carolina hazardous-orders deep-dive for the federal floor plus South Carolina-specific additions.
Breaks & meal periods
South Carolina 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 South Carolina 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
South Carolina 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
- South Carolina has no state minimum-wage statute, so the federal FLSA structure governs entirely: the $7.25 standard minimum and the $4.25 youth wage for workers under 20 during their first 90 consecutive calendar days of employment (certificate-free). South Carolina also bars local governments from setting their own minimum wage.
The federal minimum applies instead.
South Carolina has not established a state minimum-wage rate; most employers and employees are covered by the federal FLSA, which therefore sets the floor. With no state minimum, the classification is defers-to-federal, and the certificate-free federal $4.25 youth wage (under 20, first 90 consecutive calendar days) applies. South Carolina also preempts local minimum-wage ordinances.
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
South Carolina 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.
South Carolina is largely silent on commercial agricultural minor employment — the federal § 213(c) floor governs most farm work. Practical tiers: 12- and 13-year-olds may work in non-hazardous farm jobs during non-school sessions with written parental consent, or at any agricultural establishment where their parent is employed (mirroring the federal floor). The § 41-13-20(C) family-business exemption covers any minor working in a business or establishment that is 100% owned and operated by the minor's parent — this carries the family-farm carve-out at any age. The family-business exemption does NOT extend to occupations declared hazardous under the federal Ag HO list (HO-1 through HO-11), which govern at 16+ off the family farm. No state employment certificate is required for agricultural work, and South Carolina does not impose state daily/weekly hour caps on minors in agriculture.
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: S.C. Code §§ 41-13-20, 41-13-30 (state largely silent; federal § 213(c) governs)
Family-business carve-out
South Carolina 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.
South Carolina's Child Labor Act at S.C. Code § 41-13-20(C) explicitly carries the federal § 213(c)(1)(C) parent-employed framework with one distinctive narrowing: the family-business exemption applies to any minor working in a business or establishment that is 100% owned and operated by the minor's parent. The 100%-ownership requirement is stricter than the federal 'owned, operated, or controlled' phrasing — a parent who owns 50% of a partnership or holds a majority stake in an LLC with other owners does NOT qualify under SC's framework, even though the same arrangement might qualify under federal § 213(c)(1)(C). For 100%-parent-owned businesses, however, the exemption is comprehensive: no state Work Permit / Employment Certificate is required (South Carolina does not require one for any minor employment), no state hour caps apply, and the federal framework governs. 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 South Carolina Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation 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: S.C. Code § 41-13-20(C) (100%-parent-owned-business exemption); §§ 41-13-10 to 41-13-100 (Child Labor); federal mirror of 29 USC § 213(c)(1)(C)
Entertainment-industry work
South Carolina 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 South Carolina 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: South Carolina Code §§ 41-13-10 to 41-13-100 (Child Labor)
US DOL Wage & Hour Division: https://llr.sc.gov/labor/wages-and-child-labor.aspx
Last verified:
Informational only — verify with the South Carolina Department of Labor before hiring or starting work.
Frequently asked questions
- Can a 14-year-old work in South Carolina?
- Yes — under South Carolina 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 South Carolina?
- When school is in session, South Carolina 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 South Carolina require a work permit for minors?
- South Carolina does not require a state-issued work permit for minors. Employers still must follow federal FLSA rules on hour caps and restricted occupations.
- Can a teen be paid less than minimum wage in South Carolina?
- Yes, for a limited window. South Carolina 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 South Carolina Department of Labor. See the Pay and minimum wage section on this page.
- What jobs can a minor not do in South Carolina?
- South Carolina 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 South Carolina Code §§ 41-13-10 to 41-13-100 (Child Labor) citation on this page for the statutory source.