How long a minor can work in California depends on their age and whether school is in session. A 16- or 17-year-old can work up to 8 hours a day and 48 hours a week, but only 4 hours on a school day. A 14- or 15-year-old is capped at 3 hours on a school day and 18 hours in a school week, with limits rising to 8 hours a day and 40 hours a week when school is out. Most of these rules come from California Labor Code Section 1391, which also sets how early and how late minors can be on the clock.
Hours for 16- and 17-Year-Olds
Teens 16 and 17 can work up to 8 hours in a day and 48 hours in a week. On a school day the daily cap drops to 4 hours.1California Legislative Information. California Code Labor Code 1391 A “school day” means any day the minor is required to attend school for at least 240 minutes, so minimum days may not count against that 4-hour ceiling.
Time of day matters too. The night before a school day, a 16- or 17-year-old cannot work before 5:00 a.m. or after 10:00 p.m. The night before a non-school day, the evening cutoff moves to 12:30 a.m., which is why Friday and Saturday restaurant and retail shifts can run later.1California Legislative Information. California Code Labor Code 1391
Two narrow exceptions allow longer school-day hours: minors enrolled in a school-approved work experience or cooperative vocational education program, and minors employed in personal attendant occupations such as companion care.1California Legislative Information. California Code Labor Code 1391
Hours for 14- and 15-Year-Olds
The rules tighten sharply at this age. When school is in session, a 14- or 15-year-old can work no more than 3 hours on a school day, 18 hours total in a school week, and never during school hours.1California Legislative Information. California Code Labor Code 1391 A minor enrolled in a school-supervised work experience and career exploration program may work up to 23 hours in a week, including some hours during the school day.
When school is out for summer or an extended break, the weekly cap rises to 40 hours and the daily cap to 8. Even then, no 14- or 15-year-old can work before 7:00 a.m. or after 7:00 p.m. The evening cutoff extends to 9:00 p.m. between June 1 and Labor Day.1California Legislative Information. California Code Labor Code 1391
Children Under 14
California generally does not allow employment for children under 14. The practical exceptions are narrow: delivering newspapers on an established route, and casual work in private homes like babysitting or yard work. The entertainment industry runs on its own permit system and can employ children of any age with the proper approvals.
Jobs That Are Off-Limits No Matter the Hours
Hour caps do not override job restrictions. Federal law bars anyone under 18 from a list of hazardous occupations, and those bans apply in California alongside state rules; whichever standard is stricter controls.2U.S. Department of Labor. Fact Sheet 7 – State and Local Governments Under the Fair Labor Standards Act The list covers things like operating or cleaning power-driven meat slicers, dough mixers, and commercial bakery equipment, running forklifts and other hoisting equipment, using woodworking machinery and power saws, and operating trash compactors or balers.3U.S. Department of Labor. What Jobs Are Off-Limits for Kids? A teenager working a deli counter or a bakery can easily be handed one of these machines without anyone realizing the law has been crossed, so the hour math only matters once the job itself is allowed.
Entertainment Industry Hours Are Different
Child performers work under rules set by the Division of Labor Standards Enforcement rather than the general Labor Code hours. The outer cap is 8 hours a day and 48 hours a week with no exceptions, and at least 12 hours must pass between a minor’s dismissal and the next call time.4California Department of Industrial Relations. Entertainment Industry – Summary Chart of Hours of Work Travel between a studio and a shooting location counts as work time; commuting from home or school to the studio does not. An entertainment work permit is required, and California’s rules follow the minor out of state when the contract was made in California.5Labor Commissioner’s Office. Entertainment Work Permit for Minors
The Work Permit Behind the Hours
Almost every minor under 18 needs a work permit before the first shift. After getting a job offer, the minor fills out a Statement of Intent to Employ a Minor and Request for Work Permit (CDE Form B1-1), signed by the minor, the employer, and a parent or guardian.6State of California Department of Education. CDE Form B1-1 – Statement of Intent to Employ a Minor and Request for Work Permit The form goes to the minor’s school, which can approve it, deny it, or attach conditions tied to grades and attendance. Each permit is tied to one employer, so a job change means a new permit, and permits must be renewed at the start of each school year.
If an Employer Is Breaking the Rules
If a minor is being scheduled past the legal hours or handed a prohibited task, a complaint can go to California’s Labor Commissioner or the federal Wage and Hour Division. Both agencies investigate without requiring the complainant to file a lawsuit. The Labor Commissioner can also pull a minor’s work permit if conditions are unsafe.