Child Labor Laws in PA: Permits, Hours, and Prohibited Jobs

Child labor laws in Pennsylvania set the minimum working age at 14 for most jobs, require a work permit issued by the minor’s local school district, and cap how many hours a teen can work and how late. The rules get stricter the younger the worker is, and both parents and employers can face real penalties for getting them wrong.

How Young Can a Minor Work in Pennsylvania

No one under 14 may hold most jobs in Pennsylvania. The 14-year threshold covers retail, food service, office work, and essentially every other non-farm position a teenager might pursue.¹

Two narrow exceptions let younger children work. A minor who is at least 12 may caddy on a golf course, limited to one bag at a time and no more than 18 holes in a single day. An 11-year-old may deliver newspapers or other periodicals, which is the youngest age at which any child can legally work in the state.¹

Children of any age may perform in theatrical, film, radio, or television productions, but those jobs run through a separate entertainment permit with its own restrictions.¹

Getting a Work Permit

Every minor needs a work permit before starting a job. The permit comes from the school district where the minor lives, whether the minor attends public school, private school, or is homeschooled.²

The application is form PDE-4565, available from the district office. The minor needs to bring proof of age, and the law ranks acceptable documents in a specific order: birth certificate first, then baptismal certificate, then passport. School records cannot be used to verify age. A parent or legal guardian must sign the application, and the minor typically appears in person at the school office.³

There are two permit types, and the difference matters:

Minors aged 14 and 15 receive an Employment Certificate tied to a single employer. A new certificate is required for every new job. The certificate stays valid with the same employer until the minor turns 18.
Minors aged 16 and 17 receive a Transferable Work Permit. Once issued, it covers any employer. Each employer makes a copy and returns the original to the minor.

Hours and Curfews for 14- and 15-Year-Olds

The hour limits for this age group are tight and mirror federal standards under the Fair Labor Standards Act. A 14- or 15-year-old can work no more than 3 hours on a school day, 8 hours on a non-school day, 18 hours in a school week, and 40 hours in a non-school week.⁴

The curfew is equally strict: no work before 7:00 a.m. or after 7:00 p.m. during the school year. During summer vacation the evening cutoff extends to 9:00 p.m. Employers not covered by the federal FLSA may apply for an extension to 10:00 p.m., though that exception rarely comes up in practice.⁴

Hours and Curfews for 16- and 17-Year-Olds

Older teens get more flexibility, but the math still trips up employers. During the school year, a 16- or 17-year-old can work up to 8 hours a day and 28 hours during the regular school week (Monday through Friday), plus up to 8 additional hours combined on Saturday and Sunday. The real weekly ceiling during the school year is 36 hours, not 28.⁵

During school vacations the limits open up to 10 hours per day and 48 hours per week. A minor can refuse any request to work more than 44 hours in a vacation week.⁵

Curfew for this group: no work before 6:00 a.m. or after midnight during a regular school week. During school vacation periods the curfew extends to 1:00 a.m. “School vacation” has a specific meaning here. It covers days the minor is not required to be in school under the district calendar, and it does not automatically include standalone weekends unless vacation days fall next to them.²

Minors who have graduated from high school, or who are otherwise exempt from compulsory attendance, are not subject to any of the hour or curfew restrictions. And regardless of age, no employer may schedule a minor for more than six consecutive days. Newspaper delivery is the only exception.⁵

Required Meal Breaks

Pennsylvania requires a break of at least 30 minutes before a minor completes five consecutive hours of work. A shorter break does not count, and the clock keeps running as if the minor worked straight through.⁴ This applies to all minors regardless of age. Scheduling a teen for a five-hour shift with no break is a violation even if every other hour limit is met.

Jobs Minors Cannot Do

Both Pennsylvania law and federal Hazardous Occupation Orders ban minors under 18 from a long list of dangerous jobs.⁶ Common prohibitions include:

Operating power-driven equipment such as meat slicers, band saws, circular saws, and woodchippers.⁷
Excavation in trenches deeper than four feet, underground mines, and open quarries.⁷
All work on or about a roof, and any demolition operations.⁸
Any work where explosives are manufactured or stored, or where the minor would be exposed to radioactive substances.⁷
Operating, servicing, or riding on cranes, forklifts, hoists, and similar equipment.⁷
Driving a motor vehicle for work, or riding as an outside helper on deliveries. A narrow exception lets 17-year-olds who have completed a state-approved driver education course drive during daytime hours, within 30 miles of the employer, in a vehicle under 6,000 pounds. Even that exception bars time-sensitive deliveries like pizza runs.⁷

The driving restriction catches employers off guard most often. A restaurant that sends a 16-year-old out to deliver food violates the law even if the teen has a valid license.

Working Around Alcohol

Pennsylvania generally bans minors from working at any establishment that produces, sells, or serves alcohol, with carved-out exceptions.¹

A minor under 16 can work at a golf course, ski resort, bowling alley, amusement park, or continuing-care retirement community that serves alcohol, as long as the minor never handles or serves alcohol and does not work where it is stored or served.¹

A minor aged 16 or 17 may work in the portion of an establishment where alcohol is not served. They can also serve food, clear tables, and perform related duties in a hotel, club, or restaurant that holds a valid Sunday sales permit from the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board, but they cannot pour, mix, or hand a drink to a customer.¹

Wages for Minors

Pennsylvania’s minimum wage is $7.25 per hour, matching the federal floor, and there is no separate state youth rate.⁹ Federal law does, however, allow any employer covered by the FLSA to pay a worker under 20 as little as $4.25 per hour during the first 90 calendar days of employment. After those 90 days, the full minimum wage applies.¹⁰ An employer cannot fire or cut the hours of an existing worker to bring in a youth at the lower rate.

Penalties for Violations

Pennsylvania enforces child labor violations through both criminal and administrative tracks, and the fines escalate quickly for repeat offenders. A first criminal offense is a summary offense carrying a $500 fine per violation. A subsequent criminal offense carries a $1,500 fine per violation, up to 10 days in jail, or both. Separately, the Department of Labor and Industry can impose an administrative penalty of up to $5,000 per violation and order corrective action.

The two tracks are alternatives. The department cannot stack an administrative fine on top of a criminal sentence arising from the same conduct, and the same rule applies when the federal government has already imposed a penalty under the FLSA for the same behavior.¹ Falsifying records, interfering with an enforcement officer, or compelling a minor to work in violation of the act all trigger the same penalty structure.

How to Report a Violation

Anyone who believes an employer is violating child labor rules can file a confidential complaint with the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division by calling 1-866-487-9243 or submitting a report online. The agency does not disclose the complainant’s name or the nature of the complaint to the employer.¹¹ For state-level enforcement, the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry handles employer compliance through its Bureau of Labor Law Compliance.² An employer cannot retaliate against anyone for filing a complaint or cooperating with an investigation.

1
Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry. Pennsylvania Child Labor Act
2
Pennsylvania Department of Education. Child Labor Law
3
Pennsylvania Department of Education. Application for Work Permit
4
Pennsylvania General Assembly. Pennsylvania Code Title 43 P.S. Labor 40.3 – Time Limitations on Employment of Minors
5
Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry. Abstract of the Child Labor Act
6
U.S. Department of Labor. Fact Sheet 43 – Child Labor Provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act for Nonagricultural Occupations
7
Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry. Prohibited Occupations Under the Child Labor Act
8
U.S. Department of Labor. What Jobs Are Off-Limits for Kids
9
U.S. Department of Labor. State Minimum Wage Laws
10
U.S. Department of Labor. Subminimum Wage
11
U.S. Department of Labor. How to File a Complaint