The federal floor for 14 and 15 year olds
29 CFR 570.35(a) limits work for 14 and 15 year olds to these periods (eCFR, current as of October 15, 2026):
Scroll horizontally to view every column.
| Limit | 29 CFR 570.35(a) |
|---|---|
| School day | "Not more than 3 hours in any 1 day when school is in session, including Fridays" |
| School week | "Not more than 18 hours in any 1 week when school is in session" |
| Non-school day | "Not more than 8 hours in any 1 day when school is not in session" |
| Non-school week | "Not more than 40 hours in any 1 week when school is not in session" |
| Time of day | "Between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. in any 1 day, except during the summer (June 1 through Labor Day) when the evening hour will be 9 p.m." |
| During school | Only "outside of school hours" |
A week counts as a school week when the local public school district where the minor lives is in session and students must attend at least one day (570.35(b)). The jobs allowed at these ages are in jobs for 14 and 15 year olds.
The federal rule for 16 and 17 year olds
There is no federal hours limit. DOL Fact Sheet 43 says: "Sixteen- and 17-year-olds may be employed for unlimited hours in any occupation other than those declared hazardous by the Secretary of Labor" (revised December 2016). The hazardous occupations are in 29 CFR Part 570, Subpart E. Everything else about hours at 16 and 17 comes from state law. Where a state rule is stricter than the federal rule, the state rule applies (DOL, Selected State Child Labor Standards, July 15, 2025).
How to read the state table
Each row comes from the state labor department, labor commission, or state statute site, viewed October 19, 2026. "No state limit" means the state's own page says so. "Limits apply to under 16 only" means the state sets rules for younger teens and none for 16 and 17, so only the federal rules apply at 16 and 17. Night limits are listed as the state writes them; most apply only to students and only on nights before a school day. Graduates, emancipated minors and work-study students often have exceptions, listed on the state page. Mississippi and New Mexico are not in the table because their rules for 16 and 17 year olds could not be confirmed from a state page.
State hour limits for 16 and 17 year olds
Scroll horizontally to view every column.
| State | Daily and weekly limits at 16 and 17 | Night work at 16 and 17 | State source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | No state cap; the 8-hour, 40-hour and 3-hour school-day limits apply to 14 and 15 only (Ala. Code 25-8-36) | Enrolled students may not work 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. before a school day | Alabama Dept. of Labor child labor poster (2022); Ala. Code 25-8-36 |
| Alaska | No daily or weekly cap stated; "no minor under 18 may work more than 6 days in any work week" | Not stated | Alaska DOLWD child labor page |
| Arizona | Limits apply to under 16 only (A.R.S. 23-233) | Not stated | Industrial Commission of Arizona, hours restrictions page |
| Arkansas | At 16: no more than 6 days or 54 hours a week, or 10 hours in a 24-hour period; no limit at 17 | At 16: not before 6 a.m. or after 11 p.m., midnight before non-school days; none at 17 | Arkansas Dept. of Labor and Licensing child labor page |
| California | 8 hours a day and 48 a week; 4 hours on a school day while school is in session, with exceptions for work experience programs | Not before 5 a.m. or after 10 p.m. before a school day; until 12:30 a.m. before a non-school day | California Labor Code 1391 |
| Colorado | 40 hours a week and 8 hours in any 24-hour period for all minors (C.R.S. 8-12-105(4)) | The 9:30 p.m. to 5 a.m. limit applies to under 16 only | C.R.S. Title 8, Colorado General Assembly |
| Connecticut | Enrolled students: 6 hours a day and 32 a week in school weeks, 8 hours on Friday, Saturday and Sunday; 8 hours a day, 48 a week and 6 days in non-school weeks | School weeks: 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. in restaurants and theaters (midnight if no school next day); 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. in retail and manufacturing (11 p.m. if no school next day) | CT DOL, time and hour restrictions for 16 and 17 year olds |
| Delaware | No weekly cap stated; no more than 12 hours of school and work combined in a day | At least 8 consecutive hours of non-work, non-school time each 24-hour day | Delaware Code Title 19, Chapter 5 |
| Florida | School in session: 8 hours on a day before a school day and 30 hours a week (40 with a parent or superintendent waiver); unlimited in summer and non-school weeks | School in session: not before 6:30 a.m. or after 11 p.m.; before a non-school day, until the shift ends | Florida DBPR child labor FAQ |
| Georgia | "Minors 16 and 17 years of age have no state or federal law work hour restrictions" | None | Georgia DOL work hour restrictions page |
| Hawaii | "There are no restrictions on hours except when the minor is required to be in school" | None stated | Hawaii DLIR child labor page |
| Idaho | Limits apply to under 16 only (Idaho Code 44-1304) | Not stated | Idaho Code Title 44, Chapter 13 |
| Illinois | State law covers under 16 only; IDOL says "questions concerning 16- and 17-year-old workers need to be directed to the U.S. Department of Labor" | Not stated | Illinois DOL child labor FAQ |
| Indiana | "16- and 17-year-olds may now work the same hours and days as an adult" (since January 1, 2025) | None | Indiana DOL, changes to youth employment laws |
| Iowa | "A person who is sixteen or seventeen years of age may work the same hours as a person who is eighteen years of age" | None | Iowa Code 92.7A |
| Kansas | Limits apply to under 16 only | Not stated | KDOL workplace laws FAQ |
| Kentucky | 6 hours on a school day, 8 on a non-school day, 30 hours in a school week (more with an academic standing certificate and parent consent); no limits in non-school weeks | 6 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. before a school day; 6 a.m. to 1 a.m. before a non-school day in a school week | Kentucky Education and Labor Cabinet, wages and hours |
| Louisiana | Daily and weekly caps apply to under 16 only | Non-graduates: at 16, no work 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. before a school day; at 17, midnight to 5 a.m. | La. R.S. 23:215 |
| Maine | Enrolled students: 6 hours on a school day (8 on the last school day of the week), 24 hours in a week with 3 or more school days; 10 hours a day and 50 a week when school is out; 6 days in a row at most | Not after 10:15 p.m. before a school day or midnight otherwise; not before 7 a.m. on a school day or 5 a.m. on other days | Maine DOL guide to the employment of minors |
| Maryland | No weekly cap stated; no more than 12 hours of school and work combined in a day | At least 8 consecutive hours off in each 24-hour period | Maryland Dept. of Labor employment of minors page |
| Massachusetts | 9 hours a day, 48 hours a week, 6 days a week, whether or not school is in session | 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. before a school day (10:15 p.m. if the business closes at 10); 6 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. other nights (midnight in restaurants and racetracks); adult supervision after 8 p.m. | Mass.gov, laws regulating minors' work hours |
| Michigan | 10 hours a day, 48 hours a week, 6 days a week; 24 hours a week for students when school is in session | No work 10:30 p.m. to 6 a.m.; students may work to 11:30 p.m. on Fridays, Saturdays and school vacations | MCL 409.111 |
| Minnesota | "No other limit is set for the hours that 16- and 17-year-olds can work" | High school students: not after 11 p.m. before a school day or before 5 a.m. on a school day (11:30 p.m. and 4:30 a.m. with written parental permission) | Minnesota DLI age and hours page |
| Missouri | "Missouri's Child Labor Law applies to youth under age 16" | Not stated | Missouri Dept. of Labor youth employment page |
| Montana | Limits apply to 14 and 15 only (MCA 41-2-115) | Not stated | Montana Code Annotated 41-2-115 |
| Nebraska | Limits apply to under 16 only | Not stated | Nebraska DOL employment of minors page; Neb. Rev. Stat. 48-310 |
| Nevada | Caps apply to under 16 only | High school students 16 to 18: no work 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. before a school day unless the school district or court grants an exemption | NRS 609.240 |
| New Hampshire | Enrolled students: 35 hours in a week with 5 school days; 48 hours and 6 days during vacations; 10 hours a day in manufacturing, 10.25 in other manual work | Not stated for 16 and 17 | RSA 276-A:4 and 276-A:11 |
| New Jersey | 8 hours a day, 40 a week, 6 days in a pay week; NJDOL's employer page allows up to 10 hours a day and 50 a week from the last day of school to Labor Day | Not before 6 a.m. or after 11 p.m.; until midnight on Fridays, Saturdays and days not followed by a school day | NJDOL youth employment and employer pages |
| New York | Students: 4 hours on a day before a school day, 8 on Friday, Saturday, Sunday or a holiday, 28 a week, 6 days; vacations: 8 hours a day, 48 a week | 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. in the school year, to midnight with written parental consent (and, before a school day, a certificate of academic standing); not midnight to 6 a.m. when school is out | NYSDOL hours of work for minors; booklet P882 (January 2026) |
| North Carolina | Daily and weekly caps apply to 14 and 15 only | Grades 12 or lower: no work 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. before a school day unless parent and principal give written permission | NC DOL work hour limitations page |
| North Dakota | "There are no restrictions on employment for persons age 16 and over under North Dakota youth employment laws" | None | ND Dept. of Labor and Human Rights youth employment page |
| Ohio | No daily or weekly cap in state law for 16 and 17 | Students: not before 7 a.m. on a school day (6 a.m. if not employed after 8 p.m. the night before) and not after 11 p.m. before a school day | Ohio Revised Code 4109.07 (effective October 9, 2026) |
| Oklahoma | "There are no restrictions on the hours or times once the minor reaches 16 years of age" | None | Oklahoma Dept. of Labor child labor FAQ |
| Oregon | Up to 44 hours a week; "there are no limits on the number of hours 16- and 17-year-olds may work in a day" | None, except no deliveries 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. | Oregon BOLI minor workers page |
| Pennsylvania | School weeks: 8 hours a day and 28 hours Monday to Friday, plus 8 more on Saturday and Sunday; vacations: 10 hours a day, 48 a week | Not before 6 a.m. or after midnight; until 1 a.m. during school vacations | Pennsylvania DLI Child Labor Act page and abstract LLC-5 |
| Rhode Island | 48 hours a week and 9 hours a day (9 3/5 in a 5-day week); 8 hours of rest between shifts; no limits during school vacations or for minors who left school | Not before 6 a.m. or after 11:30 p.m.; 1:30 a.m. if no school the next day | RI DLT child labor laws page |
| South Carolina | "Minors ages 16 and older are exempt from the hour and scheduling restrictions" | None | SC LLR child labor regulations summary |
| South Dakota | Limits apply to under 16 only | Not stated | SD DLR youth employment page |
| Tennessee | No daily or weekly cap stated | No work 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. Sunday through Thursday before a school day; until midnight up to 3 nights a week with a parental consent form on file | Tennessee DLWD Child Labor Act page |
| Texas | "A child who is 16 or 17 has no restrictions on the number of hours or times of day they may work" | None | Texas Workforce Commission child labor law page |
| Utah | "There is no limit on the number of hours 16 year olds and 17 year olds can be required to work" | None stated | Utah Labor Commission, UALD |
| Vermont | Limits apply to under 16 only (21 V.S.A. 434 and 437) | Not stated | Vermont Statutes Title 21, Chapter 5 |
| Virginia | Hour limits apply to under 16 only; any child gets a 30-minute break after 5 hours | Not stated | Va. Code 40.1-80.1 |
| Washington | School weeks: 4 hours a day (8 on Friday to Sunday), 20 a week, 6 days (28 with a parent and school variance); non-school weeks: 8 hours a day, 48 a week | School weeks: 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. (midnight Friday, Saturday and before a school holiday); non-school weeks: 5 a.m. to midnight; adult supervision after 8 p.m. in service jobs | Washington L&I hours of work page |
| West Virginia | "Sixteen and seventeen year olds are permitted to work the same hours as an adult. There are no restrictions." | None | WV Division of Labor child labor FAQ |
| Wisconsin | "State and federal laws do not limit the hours that minors 16 years of age or over may work," except during required school hours | No curfew; 8 hours of rest after a shift ending past 11 p.m. | Wisconsin DWD hours and times of day minors may work |
| Wyoming | DWS pages list hour limits for 14 and 15 only; none stated for 16 and 17 | Not stated | Wyoming DWS, rights of workers ages 14 to 17 |
What the table means for a school-week schedule
- A 16 year old in Texas, Georgia, Indiana or Iowa faces no state limit on school-night hours, and federal law sets none at 16 (state pages above; DOL Fact Sheet 43).
- A 16 year old in New York can work 4 hours on a Tuesday, 8 on a Saturday and 28 in the week, and must be off by 10 p.m. unless a parent and the school sign off (NYSDOL).
- A 17 year old in Washington is capped at 4 hours on a school day and 20 in a school week unless the parent and school sign a variance (L&I).
- A 16 year old in Florida can work 30 hours in a school week and must be off by 11 p.m. before a school day (DBPR).
The hours limit is half the rule. Many states also require a permit before the first shift; see work permits for minors by state. Employers that state 16 as their minimum age are in jobs that hire at 16, and summer timing is in summer jobs for teens. What the hours add up to on a check: your first paycheck explained and pay benchmarks for hourly jobs.
Current openings
See retail jobs nationwide, or by city: New York, Los Angeles, Chicago. Postings that list a shift schedule let you check it against your state's row before you apply.
Source-linked openings
Current source-linked listings could not be confirmed in this sample. Check the category search and each original posting for availability.
How to verify a listing
Every opening on JobPin links to its source posting. Open it, check the date, and compare the shift hours in the posting to your state's row above. If a schedule breaks the state limit for your age, ask the employer before you accept. A posting that asks a minor to work overnight in a state with a curfew is a warning sign. How we check listings: how JobPin verifies listings.
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