WA · State teen labor law
Washington teen labor law — work hours, permits, and restricted jobs
Washington has one of the strictest school-week hour caps in the country: 16 hours for 14-15-year-olds and 20 hours for 16-17-year-olds. Employers register as minor-work employers with WA L&I rather than the minor applying for a permit.
Quick facts
School year vs summer hour caps
Washington 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
- 16 hr
- Time window
- 07:00 – 19:00
Note: Maximum 3 hours on a school day, 8 on a non-school day, 16 per school week — stricter than the federal 18-hour cap. No work during school hours. Maximum 6 days per week.
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 when school is not in session for the full week.
Ages 16–17
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
- 07:00 – 22:00
Note: School-week cap of 20 hours (rising to 28 with special variance). Maximum 6 days per week. Up to midnight on Friday and Saturday with parental consent.
Summer / school breaks
When school is out
- Max hours per day
- 8 hr
- Max hours per week
- 48 hr
- Time window
- 05:00 – 00:00
Note: Up to midnight during the summer and school breaks. Maximum 6 days per week.
Work permit
Washington requires a work permit for minors aged 14–17.
Washington does not issue a state work permit to the minor. Instead, the employer must register as a minor-work employer with the WA Department of Labor & Industries and obtain a signed Parent/School Authorization form from the minor's parent or guardian (and school, if school is in session). The form must be kept on file at the worksite.
Form: Parent/School Authorization for a Minor to Work
Washington work-permit reference (official source) →
Jobs by age
Age-specific guides to common allowed jobs in Washington, 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
State: WAC 296-125-033
Logging, sawmilling, and timber processing for minors under 18
State: WAC 296-125-030
See the full federal hazardous orders (HO-1 to HO-17) for plain-English summaries, or the Washington hazardous-orders deep-dive for the federal floor plus Washington-specific additions.
Breaks & meal periods
Washington 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 break on the employer's time — ages 16-17: at least 10 minutes for every 4 hours worked (a rest period at least every 3 hours); ages 14-15: 10 minutes for every 2 hours worked.
Washington mandates BOTH a meal period and a paid rest break for minors, and minors cannot waive either. For 16- and 17-year-olds the 30-minute meal must come no less than 2 and no more than 5 hours after the shift starts, and they may never work more than 5 consecutive hours without one; 14- and 15-year-olds must not work more than 4 hours without a 30-minute meal break. The meal period is unpaid when the minor is relieved of duty; rest breaks are always 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: WAC 296-125-0287 (ages 16-17); WAC 296-125-0285 (ages 14-15)
Pay & minimum wage
Washington lets some teens, or inexperienced first-job and trainee workers, be paid below the standard state minimum wage. The structure below is stable, but the dollar amount changes almost every year — confirm the current figure with the Washington Department of Labor.
- How minors are paid
- Youth / training subminimum allowed
- State minimum wage
- Set by state law
- Below-minimum youth rate
- Permitted
- Subminimum structure
- Workers under 16 may be paid 85% of the state minimum by rule; once a worker turns 16 the full state minimum applies (WAC 296-126-020(2)).
Washington allows a permanent, age-based youth rate: workers under 16 may be paid 85% of the state minimum by rule. There is no training-period limit — it is tied to age, and once a worker turns 16 the full state minimum applies. The 85% figure is fixed in the rule, and because 14 is the youngest age that may generally work, it reaches 14- and 15-year-olds.
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: RCW 49.46.020; WAC 296-126-020(2)
Agricultural work carve-out
Washington 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.
Washington runs a separate agricultural child-labor rule set (WAC 296-131) from its general one (WAC 296-125). The general rule is no employment in agriculture under 14, but minors 12 and 13 may be hand-harvest berries, bulbs, and cucumbers — and hand-cultivate spinach — during weeks when school is not in session (WAC 296-131-115). Daily and weekly caps apply to ag work: under-16 minors may work up to 3 hours on a school day / 21 hours per school week, and up to 8 hours per day / 40 hours per week during weeks when school is not in session; 16–17-year-olds may work up to 4 hours per school day / 28 hours per school week, and up to 10 hours per day / 50 hours per week when school is out (60 hours during mechanical harvest of peas, wheat, and hay) — WAC 296-131-120. Hazardous ag occupations follow the federal Ag HO floor at 16+, with a vocational-agriculture student-learner carve-out (WAC 296-131-125). The federal parent-owned-farm exemption applies in WA; the state does not separately restrict it.
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: WAC 296-131-115 (age), 296-131-120 (hours), 296-131-125 (hazardous)
Family-business carve-out
Washington 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.
Washington requires the employer to obtain a Minor Work Permit endorsement from the Department of Labor & Industries before employing any minor under 18 — there is no parent-owned-business carve-out in RCW 49.12.121 or WAC 296-125-030. The under-16 hour caps (3 hrs/school day, 16 hrs/school week, 8 hrs/non-school day, 40 hrs/non-school week) and 16–17 caps (4 hrs/school day, 20 hrs/school week, 8 hrs/non-school day, 28 hrs/non-school week — increased to 48 hrs in agriculture only) apply equally to family-owned restaurants, retail, and service businesses, as do the school-year curfew (7 PM/9 PM summer for 14–15; 10 PM school nights, 12 AM non-school for 16–17). The federal § 213(c)(1)(C) parent-owned-business exemption does NOT preempt the state's more-protective Minor Work Permit and hour caps under § 218(a). Federal hazardous orders HO-1 through HO-17 also apply.
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: RCW 49.12.121 (employment of minors); WAC 296-125-030 (Minor Work Permit); WAC 296-125-0287 (hours and prohibited occupations)
Entertainment-industry work
Washington 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 Washington 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: Washington Administrative Code WAC 296-125 (Child Labor Rules)
US DOL Wage & Hour Division: https://www.lni.wa.gov/workers-rights/youth-employment/
Last verified:
Informational only — verify with the Washington Department of Labor before hiring or starting work.
Frequently asked questions
- Can a 14-year-old work in Washington?
- Yes — under Washington law a 14-year-old can work up to 3 hours per school day, up to 16 hours per week, between 07:00 and 19:00. A Washington work permit is required.
- How many hours can a 15-year-old work during school in Washington?
- When school is in session, Washington allows a 15-year-old to work up to 3 hours per school day, up to 16 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 Washington require a work permit for minors?
- Yes — Washington requires a work permit for minors aged 14-17 (form: Parent/School Authorization for a Minor to Work). Washington does not issue a state work permit to the minor. Instead, the employer must register as a minor-work employer with the WA Department of Labor & Industries and obtain a signed Parent/School Authorization form from the minor's parent or guardian (and school, if school is in session). The form must be kept on file at the worksite.
- How many hours can a 16-year-old work during summer in Washington?
- During summer or school breaks, Washington allows a 16-year-old to work up to 8 hours per school day, up to 48 hours per week, between 05:00 and 00:00. 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 Washington?
- Yes. Washington requires a 30-minute unpaid meal break once a worker reaches 5 consecutive hours; the rule applies to minors. Washington 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 Washington?
- Sometimes. Washington lets some teens, or inexperienced first-job and trainee workers, be paid below the standard state minimum wage without a special certificate. Workers under 16 may be paid 85% of the state minimum by rule; once a worker turns 16 the full state minimum applies (WAC 296-126-020(2)). Minimum-wage dollar amounts change almost every year, so confirm the current figure with the Washington Department of Labor. See the Pay and minimum wage section on this page.
- What jobs can a minor not do in Washington?
- Washington 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 Washington Administrative Code WAC 296-125 (Child Labor Rules) citation on this page for the statutory source.