UT · State teen labor law
Utah teen labor law — work hours, permits, and restricted jobs
Utah allows 14-15-year-olds to start as early as 5:00 AM (vs. federal 7:00 AM) and work up to 4 hours on a school day, but caps the school week at 20 hours. 16-17-year-olds face no state restrictions. No state work permit is required.
Quick facts
School year vs summer hour caps
Utah 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)
- 4 hr
- Hrs/day (Sat / Sun / holiday)
- 8 hr
- Max hours per week
- 20 hr
- Time window
- 05:00 – 21:30
Note: Utah allows up to 4 hours on a school day (vs. federal 3) and a 5:00 AM start. School-week cap of 20 hours.
Summer / school breaks
When school is out
- Max hours per day
- 8 hr
- Max hours per week
- 40 hr
- Time window
- 05:00 – 21:30
Note: Time-of-day window applies year-round. Summer cap matches federal 40-hour limit.
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: Utah 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
Utah does not require a state-issued work permit for minors.
Utah 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 Utah Labor Commission enforces child-labor rules through complaint and inspection.
Jobs by age
Age-specific guides to common allowed jobs in Utah, 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: Utah Admin. Code R610-3
Sale or service of alcohol for minors under 21
State: Utah Code §32B-1-407
See the full federal hazardous orders (HO-1 to HO-17) for plain-English summaries, or the Utah hazardous-orders deep-dive for the federal floor plus Utah-specific additions.
Breaks & meal periods
Utah 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 for each 4 hours worked (or fraction thereof), and no minor may work more than 3 consecutive hours without a 10-minute rest break.
Utah's child-labor rule requires every employer to allow a minor a meal period of at least 30 minutes no later than the fifth hour after the start of the workday, plus a paid 10-minute rest period for each 4 hours worked (or fraction thereof) — and no minor may be required to work more than 3 consecutive hours without a 10-minute rest. The meal period is unpaid only when the minor is completely relieved of duty and free to leave; an at-station or interrupted meal must be paid as time worked. The rule covers all minors under 18 (Utah Code § 34-23-103). Utah has no meal- or rest-break mandate for adult workers, so these protections are minor-specific.
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: Utah Admin. Code R610-2-3 (Employment of Minors); Utah Code § 34-23-104
Pay & minimum wage
Utah 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
- Utah's minimum wage is statutorily capped at the federal minimum and tracks it, so the federal FLSA structure governs: 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. Utah's administrative training-wage rule mirrors this federal youth-wage structure (under 20, first 90 consecutive calendar days).
The federal minimum applies instead.
Section 34-40-103(2)(b) provides that the state minimum 'may not exceed the federal minimum wage as provided in 29 U.S.C. Sec. 201 et seq.,' so Utah's minimum equals the federal $7.25. Subsection (3) authorizes the commission to set separate minor wages by rule, and the R610 training wage mirrors the federal $4.25 / under-20 / first-90-consecutive-day youth wage. Because the state minimum equals federal AND the youth/training rate mirrors the federal $4.25/90-day rule, the state is classified defers-to-federal (Utah Code § 34-40-103 and Utah Admin. Code R610 credited here).
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
Utah 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.
Utah's Employment of Minors Act exempts agricultural work — including operation of farm equipment — from its general age, hour, and permit requirements. Practical tiers: minors 12+ may work in agriculture outside school hours (mirroring the federal '12-13 with parental consent' tier); with parental consent there is effectively no age limit for agricultural work including operation of power-driven farm machinery (broader than federal — Utah parents may authorize children younger than 12 to work in ag). During school hours, the minimum age is 16; the general § 34-23-202 4-hour-per-school-day cap is waivable by parental consent for ag. No state employment certificate is required for ag, and Utah does not impose state daily/weekly hour caps on minors in agriculture outside school hours. Under-16 minors in agriculture qualify for the 85%-of-minimum-wage rate under § 34-40-103. 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: Utah Code §§ 34-23-101 to 34-23-302 (Employment of Minors Act); Utah Admin. Code R610-3 (agriculture and household-chore exemptions)
Family-business carve-out
Utah 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.
Utah's Employment of Minors Act carries the federal parent-employed exemption forward. Utah does not require a state Work Permit / Employment Certificate for any minor employment, so no state administrative layer overrides the federal carve-out. Utah's distinctive parental-consent waivers (4-hour school-day cap waivable, age floor for ag work effectively eliminated with parental consent) reflect the state's broadly permissive stance on family-controlled employment. The state's 5:00 AM-early-start window for 14-15-year-olds and the 4-hour-per-school-day cap (waivable) apply to non-family-business employment; 16-17-year-olds face no state restrictions. 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 Utah Labor Commission 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: Utah Code §§ 34-23-101 to 34-23-302 (Employment of Minors Act); Utah Admin. Code R610-3; federal mirror of 29 USC § 213(c)(1)(C)
Entertainment-industry work
Utah 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 Utah 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: Utah Code §§ 34-23-101 to 34-23-302 (Employment of Minors Act)
US DOL Wage & Hour Division: https://laborcommission.utah.gov/divisions/antidiscrimination-and-labor/wages/youth-employment/
Last verified:
Informational only — verify with the Utah Department of Labor before hiring or starting work.
Frequently asked questions
- Can a 14-year-old work in Utah?
- Yes — under Utah law a 14-year-old can work up to 4 hours per school day, up to 20 hours per week, between 05:00 and 21:30.
- How many hours can a 15-year-old work during school in Utah?
- When school is in session, Utah allows a 15-year-old to work up to 4 hours per school day, up to 20 hours per week, between 05:00 and 21:30. During summer or school breaks the cap rises to up to 8 hours per school day, up to 40 hours per week, between 05:00 and 21:30.
- Does Utah require a work permit for minors?
- Utah does not require a state-issued work permit for minors. Employers still must follow federal FLSA rules on hour caps and restricted occupations.
- Does a minor get a meal break in Utah?
- Yes. Utah requires a 30-minute unpaid meal break once a worker reaches 5 consecutive hours; the rule applies to minors. Utah 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 Utah?
- Yes, for a limited window. Utah 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 Utah Department of Labor. See the Pay and minimum wage section on this page.
- What jobs can a minor not do in Utah?
- Utah 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 Utah Code §§ 34-23-101 to 34-23-302 (Employment of Minors Act) citation on this page for the statutory source.