In Louisiana, how many hours a minor can work depends on age and whether school is in session. Fourteen- and 15-year-olds face hard daily and weekly caps. Sixteen- and 17-year-olds have no cap on total hours but cannot work past a nighttime curfew on school nights. Federal rules under the Fair Labor Standards Act apply on top of state law, and when the two differ, the stricter rule wins.
Ages 14 and 15
This is the most restricted group. The combined effect of Louisiana and federal rules:
- No more than 3 hours on a school day.1Justia Law. Louisiana Revised Statutes 23-214 – Minors Under Sixteen; Maximum Hours
- No more than 8 hours on a non-school day.2U.S. Department of Labor. Non-Agricultural Jobs – 14-15
- No more than 18 hours in a school week.2U.S. Department of Labor. Non-Agricultural Jobs – 14-15
- No more than 40 hours in a non-school week.3Justia Law. Louisiana Revised Statutes 23-215 – Minors; Minors Under Sixteen; Prohibited Hours; Maximum Work Week
- No more than 6 days a week.4U.S. Department of Labor. Selected State Child Labor Standards Affecting Minors Under 18 in Non-Farm Employment
Federal rules also keep this age group out of work during school hours, so shifts have to fall before school, after school, on weekends, or during school breaks.2U.S. Department of Labor. Non-Agricultural Jobs – 14-15
Time of day matters too. For most of the year, a 14- or 15-year-old cannot work before 7:00 a.m. or after 7:00 p.m. From June 1 through Labor Day, the evening cutoff moves to 9:00 p.m.3Justia Law. Louisiana Revised Statutes 23-215 – Minors; Minors Under Sixteen; Prohibited Hours; Maximum Work Week That summer window is what opens up closing shifts at restaurants and other evening work.
One narrow exception: Louisiana exempts minors under 16 employed in the dairy industry from the time-of-day and weekly-hour rules that otherwise apply.3Justia Law. Louisiana Revised Statutes 23-215 – Minors; Minors Under Sixteen; Prohibited Hours; Maximum Work Week
Age 16
Louisiana does not set a daily or weekly hour cap for 16-year-olds. A 16-year-old could work a full 40-hour week, or more, as long as the schedule respects the curfew and the 6-day limit.
The curfew: a 16-year-old cannot work between 11:00 p.m. and 5:00 a.m. on a night before a school day. On weekends, holidays, summer, and any other non-school night, the curfew doesn’t apply. A “school day” is any day the local school superintendent designates as a day school is in session for the district where the minor lives.3Justia Law. Louisiana Revised Statutes 23-215 – Minors; Minors Under Sixteen; Prohibited Hours; Maximum Work Week
Louisiana limits this age group to no more than 6 days of work in a week.4U.S. Department of Labor. Selected State Child Labor Standards Affecting Minors Under 18 in Non-Farm Employment
Age 17
Seventeen-year-olds follow the same pattern as 16-year-olds, with a slightly later curfew. The nighttime block runs from midnight to 5:00 a.m. before a school day.3Justia Law. Louisiana Revised Statutes 23-215 – Minors; Minors Under Sixteen; Prohibited Hours; Maximum Work Week Non-school nights carry no curfew. The 6-day weekly limit still applies.4U.S. Department of Labor. Selected State Child Labor Standards Affecting Minors Under 18 in Non-Farm Employment
Once a minor has graduated from high school, or passed the GED and received a High School Equivalency Diploma from the Louisiana Department of Education, the nighttime curfew falls away. Louisiana treats that minor the same as any high school graduate for work-hour purposes.3Justia Law. Louisiana Revised Statutes 23-215 – Minors; Minors Under Sixteen; Prohibited Hours; Maximum Work Week
Meal Breaks For Workers Under 16
Minors under 16 must get an unpaid meal break of at least 30 minutes within every five-hour work period. The break doesn’t count toward hours worked.5Louisiana State Legislature. Louisiana Revised Statutes 23-213 – Minors Under Sixteen; Recreation or Meal Period The word “within” matters. An employer cannot run a minor straight through five hours and then offer the break at the end; the break has to fall somewhere inside the five-hour window.
If a break ends up being at least 20 minutes but short of 30, the shortfall is treated as too small to count as a violation.5Louisiana State Legislature. Louisiana Revised Statutes 23-213 – Minors Under Sixteen; Recreation or Meal Period That cushion exists for near-misses, not as a planning target.
An Employment Certificate Comes First
None of the hour rules matter if the paperwork isn’t in place. Every minor aged 14 through 17 needs an employment certificate before starting a job. The employer completes the application, the minor’s parent or guardian signs the consent, and the minor takes the form and proof of age to the school or school board office, which issues the certificate.6Louisiana Office of Workforce Development. Application to Employ Minors Under Age 18 The employer keeps the original on file at the job site and makes it available for inspection.7Justia Law. Louisiana Revised Statutes 23-182 – Employers to Keep Records
Minors working in federally funded youth training programs or in theatrical, modeling, film, television, musical, or other performing arts work are exempt from the certificate requirement.7Justia Law. Louisiana Revised Statutes 23-182 – Employers to Keep Records
Hour Compliance Is Not The Whole Story
Staying inside the hour limits does not clear a minor to do any kind of work. Louisiana and federal law bar minors from a long list of hazardous occupations, including mines, logging, roofing, power-driven woodworking and meatpacking equipment, and most driving on public roads.8Justia Law. Louisiana Revised Statutes 23-161 – Minors; Prohibited Employments9eCFR. 29 CFR Part 570 – Child Labor Regulations, Orders and Statements of Interpretation Before putting a minor on a schedule, confirm the job itself is one a minor of that age can hold.