Arkansas child labor laws set 14 as the general minimum working age, cap hours and off-limit certain jobs until 18, and work alongside the federal Fair Labor Standards Act. When the two overlap, whichever rule is stricter controls. For 14- and 15-year-olds, that usually means federal hour limits win; for 16-year-olds, the state’s rules bind. And since the Youth Hiring Act of 2023, employers no longer need a state-issued work permit before putting a minor on the schedule.
Minimum Age To Work
No child under 14 may be employed in any paid occupation in Arkansas. The statute carves out one narrow exception: during school vacation, a child under 14 can work for a parent or guardian in a business the parent or guardian owns or controls.1FindLaw. Arkansas Code 11-6-104 – Children Under Age 14 Years Prohibited From Working – Exception A few other carve-outs cover things like newspaper delivery and sports officiating, covered further down.
At 14, a minor can hold a job, but the types of work and the number of hours are heavily restricted until 16. At 16 and 17, most jobs open up, though hazardous-occupation bans and nighttime limits still apply. At 18, all state child labor restrictions drop away.
Working Hours by Age
Hour caps are where employers get tripped up, because Arkansas’s own limits for younger teens are more permissive than the federal FLSA. Where that happens, federal law controls.2U.S. Department of Labor. Selected State Child Labor Standards Affecting Minors Under 18 in Non-Farm Employment An employer who reads only the Arkansas statute can easily violate federal law without realizing it.
Ages 14 and 15
Arkansas Code 11-6-108 caps work for children under 16 at eight hours per day, 48 hours per week, and six days per week, and bars work before 6:00 a.m. or after 7:00 p.m., with a 9:00 p.m. extension on nights before nonschool days.3Justia. Arkansas Code 11-6-108 – Children Under Age 16 Years – Hours of Employment
Federal rules are tighter almost across the board. Under the FLSA, 14- and 15-year-olds may work only outside school hours, and no more than:
- Three hours on a school day
- Eight hours on a nonschool day
- 18 hours during a school week
- 40 hours during a nonschool week
Hours must fall between 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m., except from June 1 through Labor Day, when the evening cutoff extends to 9:00 p.m.4U.S. Department of Labor. Fact Sheet 43 – Child Labor Provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act for Nonagricultural Occupations Because those numbers are stricter than Arkansas’s, they are the effective rules for a 14- or 15-year-old in the state.
Age 16
The picture flips at 16. Federal law imposes no hour limits on 16- and 17-year-olds, so the Arkansas statute takes over. Section 11-6-110 says a child under 17 may not work more than ten hours in a day, 54 hours in a week, or six days in a week, with no work before 6:00 a.m. or after 11:00 p.m. The 11:00 p.m. cutoff can be lifted on nights before nonschool days for occupations the Division of Labor has approved.5Justia. Arkansas Code 11-6-110 – Children Under Age 17 Years – Hours of Employment
Age 17
Read the wording of Section 11-6-110 carefully: “under seventeen.” A 17-year-old falls outside the section entirely and has no state-imposed hour caps. Federal hazardous-occupation rules still apply until 18, but scheduling is otherwise unrestricted.
Prohibited and Hazardous Jobs
Arkansas bars children under 16 from any job that is dangerous to life or health, and from any establishment that sells alcohol.6Justia. Arkansas Code 11-6-105 – Children Under Age 16 Years – Restrictions on Employment Generally Separate sections spell out specific off-limits settings, including work involving poisonous chemicals or gases, soldering, dust-producing processes, scaffolding, heavy construction, tunnels, mines, quarries, coke ovens, and pool or billiard rooms.7FindLaw. Arkansas Code 11-6-106 – Children Under Age 16 Years – Prohibitions Against Certain Kinds and Places of Work – Exceptions Operating power-driven equipment such as saws, planers, drill presses, metal-cutting machines, steam boilers, and rolling mills is also off-limits, as is railroad work of any kind.8FindLaw. Arkansas Code 11-6-107 – Children Under Age 16 Years – Prohibitions Against Certain Kinds and Places of Work The Director of the Division of Labor can add to the list after a hearing.
Turning 16 opens up most jobs, but federal law still bars anyone under 18 from seventeen categories of especially dangerous work, including mining, logging, roofing, demolition, meatpacking, and operating many power-driven machines.9U.S. Department of Labor. FLSA – Child Labor Rules Narrow exemptions apply to registered apprentices and student-learners; outside those programs, no 16- or 17-year-old can be assigned to a federally designated hazardous occupation regardless of state law.10eCFR. 29 CFR 570.120 – Eighteen-Year Minimum
Exceptions for Younger Workers
Several categories of work sit outside the child labor chapter or bend its rules. Some override the under-14 prohibition; others simply relax the hour or occupation limits.
- Newspaper delivery. A minor of any age may buy, sell, deliver, and collect for newspapers with written parental consent, provided the child stays in school and works only outside school hours. The employer must carry accidental-death and medical-expense insurance for the child. When those conditions are met, the rest of the child labor chapter does not apply.
- Professional baseball batboy or batgirl. Permitted with parental consent and employer-provided insurance. Work is capped at ten hours a day, with an 11:00 p.m. cutoff on school nights and 1:00 a.m. on nonschool nights.
- Occasional domestic work. Babysitting, pet sitting, yard work, and similar chores are exempt from the child labor chapter. Industrial homework and third-party service arrangements are not covered.11Justia. Arkansas Code 11-6-115 – Domestic Labor and Child Care in Connection With Church Functions Permitted – Definition
- Church childcare. Children hired to provide childcare during church services or functions are exempt from the chapter.11Justia. Arkansas Code 11-6-115 – Domestic Labor and Child Care in Connection With Church Functions Permitted – Definition
- Sports officiating. A minor at least 11 years old may officiate, exempt from the chapter.12Justia. Arkansas Code 11-6-116 – Sports Officiating Permitted in Certain Sports
- Seasonal agriculture. Farm work runs on a separate track. Federal rules set the agricultural minimum age at 16 during school hours and 14 outside school hours, with different hour caps than non-farm jobs.13U.S. Department of Labor. State Child Labor Laws Applicable to Agricultural Employment
Even where a state exception applies, federal child labor rules can still impose their own limits. A newspaper carrier exempt from the state chapter, for example, remains subject to FLSA hour restrictions for their age.
What Employers Need on File After the 2023 Youth Hiring Act
Before August 2023, hiring anyone under 16 required an employment certificate from the Director of the Division of Labor, based on proof of age, a job description, a schedule, and written parental consent.14Justia. Arkansas Code 11-6-109 – Children Under Age 16 Years – Employment Certificate Required The Youth Hiring Act of 2023, enacted as Act 195, repealed that requirement.15Arkansas State Legislature. HB1410 – To Revise the Child Labor Laws and To Create the Youth Hiring Act of 2023 No state-issued work permit is needed to put a minor on the payroll.
Every other provision of the child labor chapter still applies. Employers remain responsible for confirming that each minor meets the minimum age for the job and works within permitted hours. Keeping a birth certificate, passport, or other reliable age document on file is the simplest way to prove compliance if inspectors show up, even though the statute no longer requires it explicitly.
Wages and Overtime for Minors
Arkansas does not set a separate minimum wage for minors. The state minimum of $11.00 per hour applies to employers with four or more employees regardless of age.16U.S. Department of Labor. State Minimum Wage Laws Federal FLSA coverage sets a floor of $7.25, but the higher state rate controls in practice.
Overtime works the same for minors as for adults: time-and-a-half after 40 hours in a workweek, with no youth-specific exemption. In practice, the federal hour caps mean 14- and 15-year-olds will rarely reach overtime. For 16-year-olds, the state cap of 54 hours a week means overtime pay is due on any hours beyond 40, even when the schedule itself is legal.
Penalties for Violations
Employing a child in violation of the chapter, hindering a labor inspector, or falsifying child labor records carries a civil penalty of $100 to $5,000 per violation.17Justia. Arkansas Code 11-6-103 – Penalty – Disposition of Fines – Definition The Director of the Division of Labor sets each fine based on the business’s size and the seriousness of the conduct. Assessments must be made within three years of the violation date.
Because fines are per violation, an employer who schedules three underage workers into prohibited shifts could face three separate penalties. If a minor is injured while working in a banned occupation, the fine is often the smallest part of the exposure. Workers’ compensation claims, negligence suits, and higher insurance premiums can far exceed the statutory penalty.
How To Report a Violation
Suspected child labor violations in Arkansas can be reported to the Labor Standards Division at 501-682-4599.18Arkansas Department of Labor and Licensing. Child Labor Reports can come from the minor, a parent, a coworker, or anyone else who sees the situation. The Division of Labor investigates complaints and has authority to inspect employer records and workplaces to confirm compliance.