Florida child labor laws cap how many hours minors can work, block late-night shifts on school nights for younger teens, and ban anyone under 18 from the most dangerous jobs. The rules sit in Chapter 450 of the Florida Statutes and are enforced by the Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR). A 2024 overhaul through House Bill 49 loosened several restrictions for 16- and 17-year-olds while keeping tighter protections for younger workers.
Who the Rules Cover
A “minor” under Chapter 450 is anyone 17 or younger. Several groups in that age range are treated the same as adults for employment purposes, though. You are not covered by the hour caps, scheduling limits, or occupation bans if you have been married, if a court has removed your disability of nonage, if you have served in the U.S. Armed Forces, if a court has specifically approved your employment, or if you have graduated from an accredited high school or earned a high school equivalency diploma.1The Florida Legislature. Florida Code 450.012 – Definitions
Employment generally starts at 14. Younger children can work only in a few narrow settings: as pages in the Florida Legislature, in the entertainment industry with a permit, or in domestic or farm work tied to their own home or the farm where they live. A child of any age can also work directly for a parent or guardian.
Hour and Scheduling Limits
Florida’s hour rules split into two age brackets, and the gap between them widened considerably after House Bill 49. The limits below apply during the regular school year unless an exemption or waiver covers the worker.
Workers 14 and 15
During the school year, 14- and 15-year-olds can work a maximum of 15 hours per week and no more than three hours on any school day.2Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation. Florida Child Labor General FAQs They cannot start before 7:00 a.m. or work past 7:00 p.m. on any night before a school day.3The Florida Legislature. Florida Code 450.081 – Hours of Work in Certain Occupations They cannot work during school hours on school days unless they are enrolled in a career education program.
During summer vacation and holidays, the cap rises to eight hours per day and 40 hours per week, and the nighttime cutoff extends to 9:00 p.m. Workers in this bracket cannot work more than six days in a row, and they must get a 30-minute meal break after every four continuous hours.
Workers 16 and 17
Older teens can now work up to eight hours on any day before a school day and up to 30 hours per week while school is in session. A parent, custodian, or school superintendent can waive the 30-hour weekly cap by filing a department-prescribed form with the employer.3The Florida Legislature. Florida Code 450.081 – Hours of Work in Certain Occupations Without that waiver, the 30-hour limit holds.
On nights before a school day, work is limited to the window between 6:30 a.m. and 11:00 p.m. When school is not in session, no state time-of-day restriction applies. The six-consecutive-day rule and the four-hour meal break requirement no longer apply to this age group, with one exception: anyone working eight hours or more in a day must still get a 30-minute meal break after four continuous hours. Like younger workers, 16- and 17-year-olds cannot work during school hours on school days unless they are in a career education program.
When the Hour Rules Don’t Apply
Section 450.081(5) exempts several categories of minors from the hour caps, time-of-day limits, and consecutive-day rules entirely. The list includes 16- and 17-year-olds who have graduated high school or earned a GED, minors with a certificate of exemption from the school superintendent under the compulsory attendance statute, minors in hardship or family-emergency situations who have received a written waiver from the superintendent, 16- and 17-year-olds enrolled in home education or virtual school programs where student and teacher are separated by time only, domestic service workers, minors employed by their own parents, and legislative pages.3The Florida Legislature. Florida Code 450.081 – Hours of Work in Certain Occupations Minors in approved career education or apprenticeship programs can also perform otherwise-restricted tasks when the work is an integral part of their coursework and still complies with the hazardous-occupation rules.
If none of those apply but the minor’s circumstances still call for work beyond the standard limits, the DBPR (or a school district designee for public school students) can grant a partial waiver case by case using Form DBPR FCL 1002.4Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation. Child Labor Waiver Common grounds are a change in school status, financial hardship, and other hardship making compliance unreasonable.5Legal Information Institute. Florida Administrative Code 61L-2.007 – Partial Waivers
Jobs Minors Cannot Do
Some jobs are off-limits regardless of parental consent or any waiver. No one under 18 may work around explosives or radioactive materials, in logging or sawmill operations, in mining, or operating heavy equipment like forklifts, trenchers, or tractors over 20 PTO horsepower.6Florida Senate. Florida Code 450.061 – Hazardous Occupations Prohibited; Exemptions Scaffolding, roofing, and ladder work above six feet are also prohibited for all minors.7Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation. Child Labor – Prohibited Occupations The DBPR can add occupations to the hazardous list, so the ban can grow.
On top of those, 14- and 15-year-olds cannot work with power-driven machinery, in manufacturing or processing with flammable substances, in boiler or engine rooms, or in warehousing, construction, or transportation roles beyond clerical tasks. The practical effect is that most retail, food-service, and office jobs are open to them; anything involving industrial equipment or a physically risky environment is not.
Driving is governed by federal rules the employer must still follow. Under the Fair Labor Standards Act’s Hazardous Occupations Order No. 2, no one under 17 may drive on public roads for work. A 17-year-old may drive for work only in daylight, with a valid license, after completing driver education, with no moving violations, in a vehicle under 6,000 pounds, and only if the driving takes up no more than one-third of the workday or 20 percent of weekly work time.8U.S. Department of Labor. Fact Sheet 34 – Hazardous Occupations Order No. 2, Youth Employment Provision and Driving Automobiles and Trucks Under the FLSA Route deliveries, time-sensitive runs like pizza delivery, and carrying more than three passengers are prohibited even for qualifying 17-year-olds.
Pay
Minors earn the same minimum wage as adults in Florida. The state minimum wage reached $15.00 per hour in 2026 under the phase-in schedule voters approved through Amendment 2 in 2020, and Florida has no separate youth subminimum wage. The federal FLSA allows employers to pay workers under 20 as little as $4.25 per hour during their first 90 calendar days, but that lower federal floor is overridden by Florida’s higher wage.9U.S. Department of Labor. Youth Minimum Wage – Fair Labor Standards Act
Employer Paperwork
Every employer who hires a minor must keep proof of the worker’s age on file for the full length of employment. Four forms of documentation are accepted: a photocopy of a birth certificate, a photocopy of a driver’s license, an age certificate from the local school board, or a photocopy of a passport or visa showing date of birth. These records must be available whenever state inspectors visit, and employers must post the DBPR’s child labor law notice where all employees can read it, such as a break room or near a time clock. The poster is free from the department.10Florida Senate. Florida Code 450.045 – Proof of Identity and Age; Posting of Notices
Federal law adds Form I-9. A minor without a driver’s license or state ID can meet the identity requirement with a school record, report card, or clinic or hospital record, paired with a List C document showing work eligibility.11U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Form I-9 Acceptable Documents
Penalties for Violations
Enforcement runs on two tracks. The DBPR can impose civil fines of up to $2,500 per offense against any employer who hires a minor in violation of the law or its rules. Each day a violation continues counts as a separate offense, and employing multiple minors unlawfully creates a separate offense for each child.12Florida Senate. Florida Code 450.141 – Employing Minor Children in Violation of Law; Penalties Before any fine, the department has to send written notice naming the specific provision violated and giving the employer time to fix the problem. Fines only follow a failure to correct within that window.
A violation is also a second-degree misdemeanor on the criminal side, carrying a fine of up to $500 and possible jail time.13The Florida Legislature. Florida Code 775.083 – Fines Obstructing an inspection carries the same penalties.
How to Report a Violation
You can report a suspected violation to the DBPR’s Child Labor Program through the agency’s website.14Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation. Child Labor – MyFloridaLicense.com For violations that also fall under federal law, such as the hazardous-occupation bans in the FLSA, you can file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division at 1-866-487-9243. The federal process is confidential, and employers cannot retaliate against anyone who files a complaint or cooperates with an investigation.15U.S. Department of Labor. How to File a Complaint