How Old Do You Have to Be to Work in Maine: Permits, Hours, and Pay

In Maine, you generally have to be at least 14 years old to work, though children younger than 14 can take on limited jobs in field agriculture, school lunch programs, or a business owned entirely by a parent. From 14 up through 17, the state layers on work permits, hour caps, curfews, and lists of jobs that stay off-limits until 18.

What 14- and 15-Year-Olds Can Do

Fourteen is the baseline working age for most jobs in Maine. At 14 or 15, a minor can work in restaurants, retail stores, gas stations, ice cream stands, laundromats, sporting camps, and overnight camps.¹ Hotel and motel work is also on the table, but only outdoor jobs on the grounds or work in kitchens, dining rooms, lobbies, offices, and recreation areas, and the job cannot require the minor to stay overnight.²

Office work is generally fine. Manufacturing, construction, warehousing, transportation, mining, and processing jobs are not. Anyone in this age bracket is also barred from operating power-driven machinery (other than standard office equipment) and from driving on the job.³

When Children Under 14 Can Work

Maine sets three narrow exceptions that let a child younger than 14 take a job:¹

Field agriculture such as planting, cultivating, or harvesting crops, with no contact with hazardous machinery or chemicals. Cannabis cultivation is not included.⁴
School lunch programs, limited to serving food and cleaning dining areas.
A business solely owned by the child’s parent, provided the work is not hazardous.

Child acting is also open at any age, with no hourly restrictions, though a work permit is still required for anyone under 16.⁴

Work Permits for Minors Under 16

Every worker under 16 needs a work permit before their first day. That includes homeschoolers and kids working for a parent. Permits are tied to a specific employer and job, so a new one is needed every time the minor changes jobs.¹

The permit starts with a job offer in hand. The minor then brings proof of age (a birth certificate or passport) to the office of the superintendent of schools in their district. Parental consent is required, along with details about the employer, the duties, and the working hours. The application form is on the Maine Department of Labor website.⁵

Eligibility depends on school standing. The minor has to be enrolled, not habitually truant or under suspension, and passing a majority of courses in the current grading period.¹ If grades or attendance slip after the permit is issued, the superintendent can revoke it.

Hour and Curfew Limits by Age

Ages 14 and 15

The tightest limits fall on 14- and 15-year-olds. During any week with one or more school days:⁶

Up to 3 hours on a school day, including Friday.
Up to 18 hours for the week.
Work only between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m.

When school is not in session — weekends, holidays, snow days, and vacation weeks — the caps rise to 8 hours a day and 40 hours a week. During summer vacation, the evening cutoff extends from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.

Ages 16 and 17

Sixteen- and 17-year-olds enrolled in school (homeschoolers included) can work longer days and later at night, but hour caps still apply:⁶

Up to 4 hours on a school day, and up to 8 hours on the last scheduled school day of the week.
Up to 10 hours on a non-school day.
Up to 20 hours in a school week with three or more school days. An unscheduled closure like a snow day adds up to 8 hours that day, pushing the weekly cap to 28.
Up to 50 hours in a short school week (fewer than three school days) or in the first or last week of the school year.

Curfews are tied to the next day’s schedule. On nights before a school day, work has to end by 10:15 p.m. and cannot restart before 7 a.m.¹ On nights before a non-school day, the cutoffs are midnight and 5 a.m.

Once a 16- or 17-year-old is no longer enrolled in school, the hour and curfew rules generally drop away, though the prohibited-occupation list still applies.

Jobs No Minor Can Do

Federal law identifies 17 categories of hazardous work that stay closed to anyone under 18. Among them: explosives manufacturing and storage, coal mining, logging and sawmill work, operating power-driven woodworking or metal-forming machines, roofing, trenching, and slaughterhouse or meat-processing work. Jobs involving radioactive materials and power-driven hoisting equipment such as forklifts and cranes are also off-limits.⁷

Maine adds its own bans. No one under 18 can work in a business featuring nude entertainment, in a registered medical cannabis dispensary, or in any operation that cultivates, produces, or sells cannabis products.¹

Pay at Every Age

Maine does not use a lower minimum wage for younger workers. As of January 1, 2026, the state minimum is $15.10 per hour, and that rate covers workers of every age.⁸ Federal law allows a $4.25 youth training wage for the first 90 days of employment for workers under 20, but because Maine’s state minimum is higher and includes no youth carve-out, employers here must pay the full $15.10.⁹

Meal Breaks

Maine requires all employees, minors included, to be offered a 30-consecutive-minute break for every six hours worked.¹ For a 14- or 15-year-old capped at three hours on a school day, this rarely matters. It becomes relevant on longer weekend and vacation shifts.

What Happens If an Employer Breaks the Rules

Maine fines employers who violate the child labor rules on a sliding scale:¹⁰

First general violation: $250 to $5,000.
Second within three years: $500 to $5,000.
Third or more within three years: $2,000 to $10,000.

Fines rise sharply when an employer knowingly puts a minor in a prohibited job, works them beyond legal hours, or violates age restrictions. Those start at $500 for a first offense, jump to $5,000 to $20,000 for a second offense within three years, and reach $10,000 to $50,000 for a third. Federal enforcement runs in parallel, with the U.S. Department of Labor imposing its own civil penalties on top of state action.¹¹

1
Maine Department of Labor. Maine Laws Governing the Employment of Minors
2
Maine Legislature. Maine Revised Statutes Title 26 773-A – Occupations
3
U.S. Department of Labor. Fact Sheet #43 – Child Labor Provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act for Nonagricultural Occupations
4
Bureau of Labor Standards. Employers Guide to Youth Employment
5
Maine.gov. Work Permit
6
Maine.gov. How Many Hours Can Teens Work? How Early and Late Can They Work?
7
eCFR. Part 570 Child Labor Regulations, Orders and Statements of Interpretation
8
Maine Department of Labor. Minimum Wage
9
U.S. Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division. Fact Sheet #32 – Youth Minimum Wage – Fair Labor Standards Act
10
Maine State Legislature. Maine Revised Statutes Title 26 781 – Penalties
11
eCFR. Part 579 Child Labor Violations – Civil Money Penalties