Florida Child Labor Laws Poster

CHILD LABOR LAWS
The State of Florida and the Federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA)
Protecting the Health, Education and Welfare of Minors in the Workplace.
This chart summarizes the child labor laws of the State of Florida.
The Federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) may be more restrictive.

Minors 16 & 17

Minors 14 & 15
Florida: May not work during school hours (some exceptions apply).

SCHOOL
ATTENDANCE

May NOT work during school hours unless
they meet a criterion of the Hour
Restrictions listed below.

PERMITS TO
WORK

Not required under Florida Law.

HOURS OF WORK,
WHEN SCHOOL IS
IN SESSION

May work up to 30 hours per week. Not
before 6:30 a.m. or later than 11 p.m. and for
no more than 8 hours a day when school is
scheduled the following day, except on a
holiday or Sunday. On days when school does
not follow, there are no hour restrictions.

HOURS OF WORK,
WHEN SCHOOL IS
NOT IN SESSION

No Limitations
Note: Hazardous occupations still apply
for minors.

DAYS PER WEEK

15 yrs. or younger may not work more than 6 consecutive days in any one week.

BREAKS

15 yrs. or younger without a 30-minute break after working 4 consecutive hours, applicable to 17/16 years of age when working 8 hours
or more.

(summer vacation;
winter and spring breaks)

As provided in 450.021(1), no person 13 years or younger shall be employed, permitted or suffered to work in any
gainful occupation at any time (See Age Restrictions)

May work up to 15 hours per week. Not before 7 a.m. or after 7 p.m. and for no more than
3 hours a day on school days, when a school day follows. May work up to 8 hours on
Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and on non-school days, when school days do not follow, until 9
p.m. Daily maximum of 3 hrs. on school days, 8 hours non-school days; weekly maximum is 18 hours; not
before 7 a.m. or after 7 p.m. Note: Application of state law allows this age group to work up to 8
hours on days when school days do not follow, until 7 p.m.
Florida: May work up to 8 hrs. per day and up to 40 hrs. per week; may not work
before 7 a.m. or after 9 p.m.

Florida: Minors participating in farm work, not on their parents or guardian’s farm, must comply with the same restrictions as in
other work.

AGRICULTURE

RESTRICTED OCCUPATIONS This section represents Chapter 450.061- Hazardous Occupations Prohibited, Exemptions. Note that HB917 (2024) authorizes minors
aged 16/17 to work in residential construction if the minor: has earned his/her OSHA 10 certification; is under the direct supervision of a person 21 years of age with at
least 2 years of related experience and has his/her OSHA 10 Certification; is not working on any scaffolding, roof, superstructure, or ladder above 6 feet; and is not in
violation of any OSHA rules or federal law related to minors in the workplace. The State of Florida has incorporated the 17 Hazardous Occupations (H0s) of the FLSA into
the Florida Child Labor Rule. For more info on FLSA HOs, contact the U.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division, Child Labor | U.S. Department of Labor (dol.gov)
Minors under the age of 18 may not work in below occupations:
• Working in or around explosives or radioactive substances
• Operating Motor vehicles
• Logging or sawmilling
• Operating power-driven meat processing machines to include meat and
vegetable slicers, slaughtering, meat packing, processing or
• rendering
• Working on any scaffolding, roofs or ladders above 6 feet; or nonresidential building construction
• Wrecking, demolition or excavation
• Mining occupations
• Operating power-driven bakery; metal-forming, punching, and shearing
machines; woodworking, paper products or hoisting machines
• Manufacturing brick and tile products
• Operating circular saws, band saws, & guillotine shears
• Working with compressed gases exceeding 40 p.s.i.
• Working in or around toxic substances, corrosives or pesticides
• Firefighting
• Working with electrical apparatus or wiring
• Operating or assisting to operate tractors over 20 PTO horsepower,
forklifts, earthmoving equipment, any harvesting, planting, or plowing
machinery or any moving machinery

Minors 14 and 15 may not work in these occupations:
• Operating any power-driven machinery other than office machines,
• including all power mowers and cutters
• Maintaining or repairing, machines, or equipment
• Working in freezers or meat coolers
• Operating, setting up, adjusting, or cleaning power-driven meat or
• vegetable slicers, grinders, food choppers, and cutters, and bakery• type mixers.
• Operating motor vehicles
• Manufacturing, mining, or processing occupations where goods are.
• manufactured, mined, or processed.
• Cooking (some exceptions apply) & baking.
• Working in occupations in Transportation, Warehouse & Storage,
• Communications, and Construction (except clerical); boiler or
• engine rooms
• Loading and unloading trucks
• Working in public messenger services
• Handling certain dangerous animals
• Conducting door-to-door sales of products as employment (some exceptions)
• Spray painting

EXEMPTIONS
Hour Restrictions – (from hour restrictions only; hazard restrictions apply
until 18 yrs.)
• Minors who have been married
• Minors who have either graduated from an accredited high school or hold a
high school equivalency diploma.
• Minors 16/17yrs. who are enrolled in a home education program, or an
approved virtual instruction school program.
• Minors 16/17 yrs. who have obtained a waiver allowing them to work more
than 30hrs/week. The 40-hour limitation still applies.
• Minors who hold waivers from a K-12 Public School or Child Labor
Compliance with specified hours restrictions.
A court order may authorize an exemption from hourly restrictions.
•

EXEMPTIONS
Age Restrictions — (from age requirements; hazard restrictions still apply until 18 yrs.)
•
•
•
•

Minors who work for their parents who owned the business in occupations not
declared hazardous.
Pages in the Florida legislature
Minors in the entertainment industry registered with Child Labor Compliance as
prescribed in ss. 450.012 and 450.132, F.S.
A court order may authorize an exemption from age restrictions.
.

PARTIAL WAIVERS The Florida Child Labor law is designed to serve and protect minors and encourage them to remain in school. At times, some minors
may feel that the law conflicts with their best interest or their life circumstances; therefore, they have the right to request an exemption from the law. If a minor is
attending the K-12 public school, a waiver may be obtained and granted by the local school district. All other minors may request an application by contacting the
Department of Business and Professional Regulation Child Labor Program. Waiver applications are reviewed and granted on a case-by-case basis. To qualify,
applicants must demonstrate that certain requirements of Florida law need to be waived. Employers must keep a copy of partial waivers of employed minors.
PENALTIES Florida: Employment of minors in violation of Florida Child Labor laws may result in fines up to $2,500 per offense and/or be guilty of a
second-degree misdemeanor. FLSA: Maximum fines up to $11,000 per minor / per violation.
WORKERS’ COMPENSATION Florida: If an injured minor is employed in violation of any provisions of the Child Labor laws of Florida, an
employer may be subject to up to double the compensation otherwise payable under Florida Workers’ Compensation law.
POSTING REQUIREMENTS Florida: All employers of minors must post in a conspicuous place on the property or place of employment,
where it may be easily read, a poster notifying minors of Florida Child Labor laws.
For information on Florida laws contact: Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation • Child Labor Program
2601 Blair Stone Road • Tallahassee, FL 32399-2212 • Telephone 850.488.3131; Toll-Free 1.800.226.2536 • www.myfloridalicense.com
For information on Federal laws contact U.S. Department of Labor, Wage & Hour Division, listed in the telephone directory under U.S. Government;
Child Labor | U.S. Department of Labor (dol.gov)

Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation and the United States Department of Labor
"Working Together for Florida's Workforce"
04/2024 s.450.045(2), F.S.