California’s child labor laws restrict when, where, and how long anyone under 18 can work, and they apply to almost every minor who hasn’t finished high school. If that’s you, expect to need a work permit, follow daily and weekly hour caps that tighten during the school year, earn the same $16.90 minimum wage as adults, and stay out of hazardous jobs entirely until you turn 18.
Who the Rules Cover
California defines a minor, for employment purposes, as anyone under 18 who is still required to attend school.1Labor Commissioner’s Office. Information on Minors and Employment Once you graduate high school or pass the California High School Proficiency Exam, the state’s child labor rules stop applying to you even if you’re still 17.
Children under 14 generally cannot work at all. Federal law carves out narrow exceptions for acting and newspaper delivery, and California layers its own protections on top.2U.S. Department of Labor. Fact Sheet 43 – Child Labor Provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act From 14 to 15, you can take non-hazardous jobs outside of school hours under tight limits. At 16 and 17, the list of allowed jobs expands and the hour caps loosen, but hazardous occupations remain off-limits. On your 18th birthday, child labor law no longer applies.
Work Permits
Nearly every minor working in California needs a work permit before starting a job. The requirement covers anyone under 18 who hasn’t graduated high school or earned a GED.3California Department of Education. Frequently Asked Questions – Work Permits
The process starts with Form B1-1, the “Statement of Intent to Employ a Minor and Request for a Work Permit.” You, a parent or guardian, and the employer each sign a section.4California Department of Industrial Relations. Statement of Intent to Employ a Minor and Request for a Work Permit – Certificate of Age Submit the signed form to an authorized school official — the district superintendent, your principal, or a designated counselor or work experience coordinator.5California Legislative Information. California Code EDC 49110 – Work Permits The school checks your attendance, grades, and health records before issuing the actual permit, Form B1-4. A written request from a parent or guardian is required before any permit is granted.
Each permit is tied to a specific employer. Change jobs, and you have to start over. Both the school and the Labor Commissioner can revoke a permit if your grades slip, your attendance drops, or working conditions change.
Working without a valid permit is the employer’s legal problem, not yours. A missing permit is treated as prima facie evidence of illegal employment and triggers a minimum $500 fine on the first offense, with higher penalties and possible misdemeanor charges for repeated violations.
Hours You Can Work
How many hours you’re allowed to work depends on your age and whether school is in session. California defines a “school day” as any day you’re required to be in school for at least 240 minutes.6California Legislative Information. California Code Labor 1391 – Hours of Employment for Minors
Ages 14 and 15
During the school year, you can work up to three hours on a school day and 18 hours per week, never during school hours. If you’re enrolled in a school-supervised work experience program, the weekly cap rises to 23 hours and some of those hours can overlap with the school day.
When school is out, the limit climbs to eight hours a day and 40 hours a week. Your shift has to fall between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. most of the year. From June 1 through Labor Day, you can work until 9 p.m.6California Legislative Information. California Code Labor 1391 – Hours of Employment for Minors
Ages 16 and 17
On a school day, you can work up to four hours. On a non-school day, or on a day before a non-school day, you can work up to eight. The weekly cap is 48 hours whether or not school is in session.
Night work rules follow your school schedule. You cannot work before 5 a.m. or after 10 p.m. on any evening before a school day. On evenings before a non-school day, you can work until 12:30 a.m. A Friday night shift that runs past midnight is fine if you have Saturday off. A Sunday night shift has to end by 10 p.m. if there’s school Monday. Students in school-approved work experience or vocational programs can work past the 10 p.m. cutoff on school nights, though the four-hour school-day cap still applies without a special permit.6California Legislative Information. California Code Labor 1391 – Hours of Employment for Minors
Minimum Wage
California’s minimum wage is $16.90 per hour as of January 1, 2026, and it applies to minors on equal terms with adults.7California Department of Industrial Relations. Minimum Wage There is no separate youth wage in California. The federal $4.25 “opportunity wage” for workers under 20 doesn’t help employers here, because state law sets the floor whenever it’s higher.8U.S. Department of Labor. Fact Sheet 32 – Youth Minimum Wage – Fair Labor Standards Act
One narrow exception: under Industrial Welfare Commission orders, an employer can pay 85% of minimum wage (about $14.37 at the current rate) during your first 160 hours in a job you have no prior experience doing. The discount is short-lived and applies only to workers genuinely new to the occupation. Parents who employ their own children are exempt from both minimum wage and overtime requirements.
Jobs Minors Cannot Do
Hazardous occupations are off-limits to anyone under 18, and no parent’s signature or work permit can override the ban. California is especially strict for workers under 16, barring them from manufacturing settings and jobs that put them near moving machinery.9Department of Industrial Relations. California Code of Regulations Title 8 Section 11701 – Prohibited Occupations
The federal hazardous-occupation orders catch most of what teenagers get hired to do illegally:
- Power-driven equipment, including woodworking machines, meat slicers and choppers (even in restaurant delis), and commercial bakery mixers and dough rollers.10U.S. Department of Labor. What Jobs Are Off-Limits for Kids
- Roofing, demolition, and trenching or excavation deeper than four feet.
- Driving as part of the job, or working as an outside helper on a delivery vehicle. A limited exception lets 17-year-olds drive cars or small trucks during daylight hours under strict conditions.
- Any work involving explosives, radioactive materials, or mining, regardless of age.
A job that’s hazardous during the school year is hazardous on weekends and in summer too.
Entertainment and Agriculture
Two industries operate under their own rules. Film, television, theater, music recording, and modeling use a separate Entertainment Work Permit issued by the Labor Commissioner’s office, not the school-issued permit.11Labor Commissioner’s Office. Entertainment Work Permit for Minors On set, a studio teacher or welfare worker must be present whenever a minor is working, and 12 hours must pass between dismissal and the next day’s call time. Employers must deposit 15% of a minor performer’s gross earnings into a blocked trust account (a Coogan Trust Account) within 15 business days, and the money is locked until the minor turns 18.12California Legislative Information. California Code FAM 6752 – Coogan Trust Percentage
Agricultural work has looser federal age floors — children as young as 12 can work on farms with parental consent — but California’s hour limits and school-attendance rules still apply.13U.S. Department of Labor. State Child Labor Laws Applicable to Agricultural Employment A 14-year-old working on a farm during the school year faces the same three-hour school-day cap as one working in a store. Hazardous farm tasks, including heavy machinery and pesticide handling, remain prohibited for anyone under 16.
Who Gets Punished for Violations
Civil and criminal penalties fall on the employer, not the minor. The Division of Labor Standards Enforcement investigates complaints and issues citations in two tiers under Labor Code Section 1288:
- Class A violations cover the most dangerous situations: employing minors in prohibited occupations, imminent danger conditions, and third-or-later violations of hour restrictions. Fines run from $5,000 to $10,000 per violation.14California Legislative Information. California Code Labor 1288 – Citations Issued Pursuant to This Chapter
- Class B violations cover missing work permits and first or second hour-restriction violations. Fines run from $500 to $1,000 per violation.
Child labor violations are also criminal misdemeanors. An employer who breaks the hour-restriction rules faces a fine of $1,000 to $5,000, up to 60 days in county jail, or both. Willful violations carry fines up to $10,000 and up to six months in jail, though jail is reserved for employers with a prior child labor conviction. Employing someone under 16 in a dangerous occupation is a separate misdemeanor carrying $500 to $1,000 in fines and up to six months in jail, and parents or guardians who allow it face the same charges.6California Legislative Information. California Code Labor 1391 – Hours of Employment for Minors A minor or their guardian can also sue an employer for injuries or unpaid wages tied to illegal employment.