Alabama Child Labor Laws: Age, Hours, Jobs, and Penalties

Alabama’s child labor laws bar employment of anyone under 14, limit the hours and types of work permitted for 14- through 17-year-olds, and require the employer (not the minor) to obtain a Child Labor Certificate before putting any minor to work. Federal Fair Labor Standards Act rules apply on top of the state rules, and where the two differ, whichever is stricter controls.¹

Minimum Working Age

No one under 14 may be employed in Alabama.² At 14, a minor can take non-hazardous jobs in retail, food service, offices, and similar settings, subject to the hour and job restrictions below. At 16, the range of permissible industries broadens, though hazardous work stays off-limits until 18.³

Hours a Minor Can Work

Hour limits depend on the minor’s age and whether school is in session.

Ages 14 and 15

While school is in regular session, a 14- or 15-year-old may work no more than three hours on a school day and no more than eight hours on a non-school day, with a weekly cap of 18 hours. Work cannot begin before 7:00 a.m. or continue past 7:00 p.m. any day of the week.⁴

During summer vacation, the evening cutoff extends to 9:00 p.m. and the weekly cap rises to 40 hours, with the eight-hour daily limit still in place. In any season, no minor in this age group may work more than six days in a week.⁴

Ages 16 and 17

During months when public schools are in session, the Alabama Department of Labor sets these limits: no more than eight hours per day, 40 hours per week, and six days per week, within a window of 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.⁵ On top of that, any 16-, 17-, or 18-year-old enrolled in public or private school cannot work between 10:00 p.m. and 5:00 a.m. on any night before a school day.⁴

A county or city superintendent of schools, or the headmaster where there is no superintendent, may grant an individual exemption from the nightwork restriction when doing so is found to be in the minor’s best interest.⁴ When schools are not in session, 16- and 17-year-olds have no state hour restrictions.⁵

Jobs a Minor Cannot Do

Alabama uses two tiers of prohibitions: one for minors under 16 and a broader list for anyone under 18. Federal hazardous-occupation orders add another layer.

Under 16

Fourteen- and 15-year-olds may not work in or around any manufacturing or mechanical establishment, mill, workshop, warehouse, or machine shop. They cannot operate or assist with sandpaper and wood-polishing machinery, commercial laundry equipment, or any grinding or mixing machinery.² Federal rules add prohibitions on operating any power-driven machinery, including lawn mowers, food slicers, food grinders, and food processors.¹

Under-16s also cannot work in any establishment that serves alcohol for on-premises consumption. The one exception is a child of the owner or operator, and even then the minor cannot serve, sell, or handle alcohol.²

Under 18

Alabama Code Section 25-8-43 lists 26 categories of prohibited work for anyone under 18. The main ones cover power-driven equipment such as woodworking machinery, bakery machinery, circular saws, band saws, and guillotine shears; construction work including roofing, scaffolding, and sandblasting; operating any truck or heavy equipment over three tons gross weight; work involving explosive components or exposure to radioactive substances and ionizing radiation; and slaughtering, butchering, and meat cutting.⁶

The federal government issues 17 hazardous-occupation orders that further restrict minors under 18 from tasks like excavation, logging, and operating power-driven woodworking machines.¹ When state and federal rules both cover the same job, the more restrictive one applies.

Alcohol Establishments at 16 and 17

Sixteen- and 17-year-olds may work in establishments that serve alcohol, but only as dishwashers, cooks, hostesses, or janitors.² They cannot serve, dispense, or consume alcohol, and an adult employee must be present at all times.

Child Labor Certificates and Records

Unlike states where the minor applies for a work permit, Alabama puts the responsibility on the employer. Before hiring any minor aged 14 to 17, the employer must obtain a Child Labor Certificate from the Alabama Department of Labor for each business location where a minor will work.⁷

Two classes exist. A Class I certificate is required to employ 14- and 15-year-olds and only permits work outside school hours and during vacation periods, in occupations not otherwise prohibited. A Class II certificate is required to employ 16- and 17-year-olds. Both cost $15 per location, are issued annually, and can be applied for through the Alabama Department of Labor’s online portal.⁸ The application requires the business name, address, phone number, federal employer identification number, business type, and the names of all owners, partners, or incorporators.⁷

Employers must also keep a complete list of every 14- and 15-year-old on staff available for inspection, along with proof of each minor’s age (birth certificate, driver’s license, or passport) and documentation of duties and schedule. An employer who puts a minor between 14 and 17 to work without the proper certificate faces a $50 penalty and must still obtain the certificate.⁷ The state’s child labor law summary poster must be displayed in a visible workplace location.

Pay Rules for Minor Employees

Alabama has no state minimum wage. Any employer covered by the FLSA must pay at least the federal minimum wage of $7.25 per hour, and this applies to minors the same as to adults.⁹

Federal law does allow a youth subminimum wage of $4.25 per hour for workers under 20 during their first 90 consecutive calendar days of employment. Those 90 days run on the calendar regardless of whether the minor is actually scheduled. After the window closes, the standard minimum wage applies.¹⁰

For tipped positions, an employer may pay a cash wage as low as $2.13 per hour if the employee regularly receives more than $30 a month in tips and cash plus tips add up to at least $7.25 per hour. If the total falls short, the employer makes up the difference.¹¹

Exemptions People Wrongly Assume Apply

Several familiar federal exemptions do not carry over to Alabama law, and this is where families and employers most often get tripped up.

Parent-Owned Businesses

Federal law exempts a child working in a business solely owned by a parent from FLSA child labor rules, as long as the work is not in manufacturing, mining, or a hazardous occupation. Alabama does not mirror that exemption. The Alabama Department of Labor states that children of parents who own their own business are not exempt from Alabama child labor law.⁵ Hour restrictions, certificate requirements, and job prohibitions all still apply.

Agriculture

Agricultural employment is expressly excluded from the child labor certificate requirement. An employer hiring a minor for agricultural service does not need a Class I or Class II certificate.⁷ Federal agricultural exemptions run broader than for non-farm work as well. Hazardous-equipment restrictions still apply regardless of the setting.

Student-Learners and Registered Apprentices

Federal rules let 16- and 17-year-olds perform some otherwise-prohibited hazardous tasks under narrow conditions. For registered apprentices, the hazardous work must be incidental to training, intermittent, for short periods, and under the direct supervision of an experienced journeyman. For student-learners in a cooperative vocational program under a recognized educational authority, the employer and school must maintain a written agreement covering coordinated safety instruction and an organized schedule of progressive tasks.¹² Without those safeguards in place, the hazardous-occupation ban applies fully.

Child Performers

Alabama has no blanket exemption for child actors, performers, or models. Written consent is required to employ them, and film productions need approval from the Alabama Film Office. Minors under 16 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian at rehearsals, performances, and sessions, and the employer must arrange for equivalent full-time education for child actors and performers under 16.¹³ The work cannot harm the minor’s health, safety, or schooling.

Penalties for Violations

State and federal penalties can stack.

Under Alabama Code Section 25-8-59, an employer, parent, or guardian who violates the child labor chapter faces misdemeanor charges. A first conviction is a Class C misdemeanor, with a fine of $100 to $500. A second or subsequent conviction is a Class B misdemeanor, with fines from $500 to $1,000.¹⁴ Parents and guardians who allow a minor in their care to work in violation of the law face the same penalties. Repeat offenders can also lose their Child Labor Certificates.

Federal civil money penalties run much higher. As of 2025, the U.S. Department of Labor can assess up to $16,035 per child labor violation. If the violation causes serious injury or death, the maximum rises to $72,876, and a willful or repeated violation causing death or serious injury can reach $145,752.¹⁵ Amounts are per employee and are adjusted for inflation.

The FLSA also bars employers from firing or punishing anyone for filing a child labor complaint, cooperating with an investigation, or testifying in a proceeding. Protection covers oral and written complaints, whether made internally to the employer or formally to the Wage and Hour Division.¹⁶

How to Report a Violation

Complaints can go to either the federal Wage and Hour Division or the Alabama Department of Labor’s child labor inspectors. The Wage and Hour Division takes complaints at 1-866-487-9243, and they are confidential; the Division will not disclose the complainant’s name or even that a complaint exists.¹⁷

Before calling, gather what you can: the minor’s age, the employer’s name and address, the type of work being performed, and the hours worked. Retaliation against a complainant is unlawful.

1
eCFR. Part 570 Child Labor Regulations, Orders and Statements of Interpretation
2
Alabama Department of Labor. Child Labor Brochure
3
U.S. Department of Labor. Selected State Child Labor Standards Affecting Minors Under 18 in Non-farm Employment
4
Alabama Legislature. Alabama Code 25-8-36 – Time Restrictions
5
Alabama Department of Labor. Alabama Child Labor Laws Poster
6
Alabama Legislature. Alabama Code 25-8-43 – Prohibited Occupations and Places for Individuals Under 18 Years of Age
7
Alabama Legislature. Alabama Code 25-8-45 – Child Labor Certificates
8
Alabama Department of Labor. Child Labor
9
U.S. Department of Labor. State Minimum Wage Laws
10
U.S. Department of Labor. Fact Sheet 32 – Youth Minimum Wage – Fair Labor Standards Act
11
eCFR. Subpart D – Tipped Employees
12
eCFR. Occupations Particularly Hazardous for the Employment of Minors Between 16 and 18 Years of Age
13
U.S. Department of Labor. Child Entertainment Laws
14
Justia Law. Alabama Code 25-8-59 – Penalties for Violations
15
U.S. Department of Labor. Civil Money Penalty Inflation Adjustments
16
U.S. Department of Labor. Fact Sheet 77A – Prohibiting Retaliation Under the Fair Labor Standards Act
17
U.S. Department of Labor. How to File a Complaint