How Many Hours Can a 16-Year-Old Work in Arkansas During School?

During the school year in Arkansas, a 16-year-old can work up to 10 hours a day, up to 54 hours a week, and no more than six days in a week. The tighter constraint during school is usually the clock, not the total: on any night before a school day, work has to end by 11:00 p.m. and cannot start before 6:00 a.m.¹

The Daily, Weekly, and Six-Day Caps

Arkansas child labor rules set three hard limits for anyone under 18:

No more than 10 hours in a single shift, and no more than 10 hours in any 24-hour window.
No more than 54 hours in a week.
No more than six days in a week.

These caps don’t loosen or tighten based on whether school is in session.¹ A 16-year-old’s weekly ceiling in October is the same as in July. What actually changes during the school year is the time of day work can happen.

School Nights End at 11 p.m.

On any night before a school day, a 16-year-old cannot work past 11:00 p.m. or start before 6:00 a.m.¹ If school meets Monday, Sunday’s shift has to end by 11. If school meets Tuesday through Friday, that curfew applies Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday nights.

On nights before a non-school day, the cutoff moves to midnight. A non-school day is any day school is not in session in the teen’s district, so Friday nights, holiday eves, and every night during winter or spring break get the later curfew.²

Arkansas does allow limited work between midnight and 6:00 a.m. on nights before non-school days, but only with a supervisor at least 21 years old on site and only outside a long list of workplaces: retail spaces under 4,500 square feet, most restaurants (a locked drive-through-only fast-food location is the narrow exception), businesses that serve alcohol, adult entertainment, truck stops or service stations, race tracks or gambling establishments, security guard roles, and delivery jobs.¹ For the typical teen job, that window is off the table.

The 10-Hour Rest Rule Between Shifts

The way Arkansas measures the 10-hour daily cap depends on rest between shifts. If a 16-year-old gets at least a 10-hour break between shifts, the state counts hours by the calendar day, midnight to midnight. Without that 10-hour break, the state counts any rolling 24-hour window.¹ The practical result during school: a late shift Thursday followed by an early shift Friday can easily bump into the rule if the gap is short.

Jobs Off-Limits Regardless of the Schedule

Even when the hours line up, federal law bans workers under 18 from a set of hazardous occupations, and that ban applies in Arkansas just like everywhere else. The U.S. Department of Labor has 17 Hazardous Occupations Orders that set an 18-year minimum.³ The ones that come up most often in teen jobs:

Driving on public roads or riding as a helper on a motor vehicle (limited exceptions exist for some 17-year-olds).
Operating power-driven equipment such as forklifts, woodworking or metal-forming machines, commercial mixers, and meat slicers or saws.
Roofing, wrecking, and demolition work.
Most jobs at mines, quarries, or logging operations.
Manufacturing or storing explosives.
Work with exposure to radioactive substances.

These reach into ordinary workplaces. A 16-year-old at a deli can’t run the meat slicer, and a grocery worker can’t operate the cardboard baler or trash compactor.³ Farm work is a separate track; once a worker turns 16, federal rules let them do any agricultural job at any time.⁴

No Work Permit at 16

Arkansas does not require a work permit for 16-year-olds.⁵ Employment certificates are only for younger minors in this state. Employers should still verify age and keep a copy of a birth certificate or ID on file.

When the Hour Rules Don’t Apply

Arkansas exempts some 16-year-olds from its child labor hour and time-of-day restrictions entirely. The state rules do not apply to a 16-year-old who:⁶

Has graduated from high school, vocational school, or technical school.
Is married.
Is a parent.

Federal hazardous occupation rules still apply in those cases, because the federal minimum age is tied to age alone.

Federal Hours Rules Don’t Fill the Gap

The Fair Labor Standards Act does not cap hours or set curfews for workers 16 and older.³ Every hour and curfew limit a 16-year-old faces in Arkansas is a state rule. When state and federal rules both apply, the stricter one controls.⁷

Reporting an Employer Who Breaks the Rules

If a schedule crosses these limits and the employer won’t fix it, complaints go to the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division at 1-866-487-9243. Complaints are confidential, and retaliation against a worker who complains or cooperates with an investigation is prohibited.⁸ The Arkansas Department of Labor and Licensing also handles state-level questions through its child labor page.⁹ Civil penalties for employer violations run from $100 to $5,000 per violation, with each day counted separately.¹⁰

1
Legal Information Institute. Arkansas Code R. 010.14.05 – Child Labor Regulations
2
Arkansas Department of Labor and Licensing. Administrative Rules Regarding Child Labor
3
U.S. Department of Labor. Fact Sheet 43 – Child Labor Provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act for Nonagricultural Occupations
4
U.S. Department of Labor. Agricultural Jobs – 16+
5
Arkansas Department of Labor and Licensing. Minor Employment Application
6
Justia Law. Arkansas Code Title 11 Chapter 6 Section 11-6-102 – Certain Children Excepted
7
U.S. Department of Labor. Employment/Age Certificate
8
U.S. Department of Labor. How to File a Complaint
9
Arkansas Department of Labor and Licensing. Child Labor
10
FindLaw. Arkansas Code 11-6-103 – Penalty, Disposition of Fines, Definition