DC Work Permit for Minors: Hours, Prohibited Jobs, and Pay

Every minor under 18 who wants to work in Washington needs a DC work permit for minors on file with their employer before the first shift. The permit is tied to one specific employer and one specific job, so a new one is required each time a teen changes jobs. D.C. law puts the legal duty on the employer, but in practice the teen and a parent handle the paperwork and walk it in.

Who Needs a Permit

D.C. Code § 32-207 requires an employer to hold a work or vacation permit for any employee under 18 before that minor starts working.¹ The rule follows the job, not the worker. If the job is in the District, you need a D.C. permit whether you live in Maryland, Virginia, or the District itself. If the job is across the river, you apply under that state’s rules instead.

Children under 14 generally cannot be employed at all. The only openings are housework in a parent or guardian’s own home outside school hours, agricultural work performed directly for the parent or guardian, and newspaper distribution or sales for children 10 and older.²

One exception applies at every age under 18: no permit is needed for irregular, casual work done in a private home, as long as the work has nothing to do with the homeowner’s business or profession.¹ Occasional babysitting or shoveling a neighbor’s walk falls here. A regular part-time job does not.

Work Permit or Vacation Permit

D.C. issues two versions of the same document. A standard work permit covers employment while school is in session. A vacation permit is meant for minors between 14 and 16 who plan to work only during summer break or other periods when school isn’t in session. Vacation permits have the same requirements as work permits with one break: the minor doesn’t need to have finished the eighth grade. They print on a different color paper and show the specific dates they’re good for.³

Documents to Bring

The minor has to appear in person. A parent can’t drop it off, and there’s no mail-in option. Before going, gather everything on this list. Missing pieces mean a second trip.

The official application. Part B is signed by a parent or guardian; Part C is filled out by the prospective employer.
A signed letter of intent to hire from the employer. It has to spell out the specific duties, hours per day, and days per week.⁴
Proof of age. An original birth certificate or valid passport works. The Board of Education also accepts baptismal records, records from the first school attended, or other documentary evidence it finds satisfactory.
The minor’s original Social Security card. The physical card, not just the number.
For applicants under 16, written parental consent in addition to the signature on the form. If the minor is leaving school to take the job, the parent has to appear in person before the issuing officer to sign.⁴
For applicants under 16, a physician’s certificate confirming the minor is physically fit for the specific job described in the employer’s letter.⁴

Sixteen- and seventeen-year-olds skip the doctor’s note and the separate written consent, but they still need the application, employer letter, proof of age, and Social Security card. A parent’s signature on Part B of the application is still required at those ages.

Where to Apply

The D.C. Board of Education is the issuing authority.⁵ DCPS runs the process out of a designated school. As of the most recent school year, applications are processed at:

Jackson-Reed High School
3950 Chesapeake Street NW, Washington, DC 20016
Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
(202) 282-0120

Students from DCPS, charter schools, private schools, and out-of-District schools all apply at the same location. There’s no fee. Summer hours generally don’t require an appointment; during the school year, calling first is smart.

The issuing officer reviews the paperwork, checks the physician’s signature if one is required, and issues a numbered permit that the minor signs on the spot. The completed permit goes directly to the employer.⁵ It’s good only for the employer and occupation listed. Switch jobs or take on significantly different duties, and you start over.

Hours the Minor Can Actually Work

Once the permit is in hand, D.C. Code § 32-202 caps the schedule. These limits are not something a minor, parent, and employer can agree to waive. For every worker under 18:

No more than 8 hours in a day.
No more than 48 hours in a week.
No more than 6 consecutive days of work in a week.⁶

The time-of-day windows depend on age. Fourteen- and fifteen-year-olds can work only between 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. during the school year, with the evening cutoff pushed to 9:00 p.m. from June 1 through Labor Day. Sixteen- and seventeen-year-olds can work between 6:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m. any day of the year.⁶

Watch the 10:00 p.m. line at closing-time jobs. If the restaurant locks the door at 10:00, the teen is off the clock at 10:00, not helping close up after.

Jobs Minors Cannot Take

D.C. bars minors from any job that’s dangerous or harmful to their health, safety, or welfare. The Board of Education can list prohibited occupations by order, and it automatically adopts anything the U.S. Secretary of Labor has declared particularly hazardous for workers under 18.⁷ Federal hazardous-occupation orders cover power-driven equipment like meat slicers and bakery machines, roofing, excavation, radioactive materials, and explosives, among others. D.C. Code § 32-205 layers on more restrictions specific to the District. Most heavy industry, construction, and manufacturing work is off the table. Retail, food service, and office work aren’t.

Pay: Full Minimum Wage, No Youth Rate

D.C. has no youth subminimum wage. A teen earns the same minimum as an adult. Effective July 1, 2026, the D.C. minimum wage rises from $17.95 to $18.40 per hour for all employees regardless of employer size.⁸ Federal law lets employers pay workers under 20 a $4.25 training wage for the first 90 calendar days, but that provision has no effect in D.C. because the D.C. rate is higher and doesn’t include a youth exception.⁹ For tipped work like bussing, the base tipped wage climbs to $10.30 on July 1, 2026, and tips have to bring total hourly pay to the full $18.40 minimum. If they fall short, the employer pays the difference.

Performance and Sports Work Uses a Different Permit

Professional theater, film, television, radio, dance and music recitals, fashion modeling, professional sports, and circus work go through a separate theatrical permit under § 32-206. There’s no minimum age, which is how infants end up in commercials. A parent or guardian, and an agent if there is one, files the application. The Board of Education will only issue the permit after confirming that the employer has adequate plans for the child’s education, health, and supervision. Additional caps apply: no more than two live performances in a day or eight in a week, no live performance before 7:00 a.m. or after 11:30 p.m., and infants under six months are limited to two hours on site with only 20 minutes of actual work.¹⁰

If an Employer Skips the Permit

Criminal penalties under § 32-213 land on the employer, not on the minor or the parent. Fines start at $1,000 to $3,000 for a first conviction and climb from there, and each day a violation continues counts as a separate offense.¹¹ A minor working without a permit or outside allowed hours doesn’t face charges, but the Board of Education can revoke the permit, which ends the job. Suspected violations can be reported to the D.C. Department of Employment Services.

1
D.C. Law Library. District of Columbia Code 32-207 – Work or Vacation Permit, Procurement by Employer
2
D.C. Law Library. District of Columbia Code 32-201 – Employment of Minors Under 14 Years of Age, Distribution of Newspapers Permitted
3
D.C. Law Library. District of Columbia Code 32-211 – Vacation Permits
4
D.C. Law Library. District of Columbia Code 32-209 – Work or Vacation Permit, Application Requirements
5
D.C. Law Library. District of Columbia Code 32-208 – Work or Vacation Permit, Issue by Board of Education
6
D.C. Law Library. District of Columbia Code 32-202 – Employment of Minors Under 18 Years of Age, Hours of Employment
7
D.C. Law Library. District of Columbia Code 32-203 – Employment Dangerous or Prejudicial to Life Prohibited
8
District of Columbia Department of Employment Services. District of Columbia Minimum Wage Increase
9
U.S. Department of Labor. Fact Sheet #32: Youth Minimum Wage – Fair Labor Standards Act
10
D.C. Law Library. District of Columbia Code 32-206 – Theatrical Permits for Minors Under 18 Years of Age for Performances and Professional Sports Activities
11
D.C. Law Library. District of Columbia Code 32-213 – Penalties