How to Get a Work Permit in South Carolina as a Minor

South Carolina does not issue work permits or employment certificates for minors, so there is no form for a teenager or parent to fill out before a first job.¹ If you are looking at how to get a work permit in South Carolina as a minor, the practical answer is that you don’t get one. The state adopts federal child labor standards and puts the compliance burden on the employer, who must verify the minor’s age and follow the hour and job-type restrictions that apply.² What matters, then, is knowing the rules that decide whether you can take a specific job.

Minimum Age to Work

The baseline is 14. No one younger can hold a job in South Carolina under most circumstances.³ That rule comes from South Carolina Code 41-13-20, which bars “oppressive child labor practices” and directs the Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation to enforce standards matching federal law.⁴

A few narrow exceptions let a child work before 14:

Acting or performing in theatrical, television, radio, or film productions is allowed at any age under both state and federal law.³⁵
A 12- or 13-year-old may do non-hazardous farm work outside school hours with written parental consent, or if a parent already works on the same farm.⁶
A child of any age may work in a business owned entirely by a parent, as long as the work isn’t hazardous and isn’t in mining or manufacturing.⁷

Non-agricultural jobs open up at 14, with limits on hours and the kinds of work allowed. At 16 the hour caps end, but bans on hazardous occupations continue until 18.

Hours 14- and 15-Year-Olds Can Work

Because South Carolina uses the federal Fair Labor Standards Act framework, hour limits for 14- and 15-year-olds come straight from federal rules and shift with the school calendar.²

When school is in session: up to 3 hours on a school day and 18 hours in a school week, only between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m., and never during school hours.⁸
Over summer and other breaks: up to 8 hours per day and 40 hours per week. From June 1 through Labor Day, the evening cutoff extends to 9 p.m.⁸

Workers 16 and 17 have no hour restrictions under state or federal law. They can work the same schedule as an adult, including nights and weekends.⁷

Jobs Minors Can’t Take

Meeting the age and hour rules isn’t enough on its own. Certain occupations are closed to minors, and the list is longer the younger the worker is.

Ages 14 and 15

For 14- and 15-year-olds the federal rule works in reverse: if a job isn’t on the list of permitted categories, it’s prohibited. Permitted work is mostly retail, food service, office tasks, and other light-duty roles.⁹ Off-limits categories include:

Manufacturing, processing, and mining
Construction and repair work
Warehousing and storage
Transportation and driving
Communications and public utility jobs
Operating power-driven machinery other than typical office equipment
Yard work with power-driven mowers, trimmers, or edgers
Work from ladders or scaffolds

Some food-service work is allowed with limits. A 14- or 15-year-old can cook on electric or gas grills that don’t involve an open flame, and can operate deep fryers equipped with automatic basket-lowering devices, but baking and most other cooking operations are banned.⁷ Pumping gas and washing cars by hand are allowed; mechanical repair is not.⁹

Ages 16 and 17

Sixteen- and 17-year-olds can work in most jobs, but the Secretary of Labor has designated 17 categories of particularly hazardous work that stay off-limits until 18.¹⁰ Commonly relevant ones include:

Manufacturing or storing explosives
Operating power-driven woodworking machines
Roofing operations¹¹
Excavation work
Operating power-driven hoisting equipment such as forklifts and cranes
Mining
Logging and sawmill work
Slaughtering and meatpacking

The full list appears in 29 CFR Part 570, Subpart E. Any teen considering a job in construction, manufacturing, or a physically intensive trade should check that list against the specific duties before accepting.

What the Employer Needs Before the First Day

Since no permit exists, the employer carries the paperwork. The core requirement is keeping proof of age on file for every worker under 18.¹ A birth certificate, driver’s license, state-issued ID, or passport works. The record has to be available for inspection by state or federal enforcement.

For farm work by a 12- or 13-year-old, written parental consent is required unless a parent already works on the same farm.⁶ Beyond that, there is no state form the minor signs, no school signature to collect, and no application to file with a state office.

Penalties for Violations

Enforcement runs on two tracks. Under South Carolina Code 41-13-25, a first violation results in a written warning and can carry a fine of up to $1,000. Second and later violations carry fines of up to $5,000 each. A parent or guardian who knowingly misrepresents a child’s age to get the child hired commits a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of $10 to $50 or up to 30 days in jail.⁴

Federal penalties, adjusted for inflation in January 2025, are considerably higher:

Up to $16,035 per standard violation¹²
Up to $72,876 for a violation causing serious injury or death¹²
Up to $145,752 for a willful or repeated violation causing serious injury or death¹²

Each violation counts separately, so an employer who assigns multiple minors to prohibited work can face penalties that stack quickly. The U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division can investigate independently of any state action.¹³

1
U.S. Department of Labor. Employment/Age Certificate
2
South Carolina Office of Wages and Child Labor. Child Labor
3
South Carolina Office of Wages and Child Labor. Child Labor Law
4
South Carolina Legislature. South Carolina Code Title 41 Chapter 13 – Child Labor
5
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 29 U.S. Code 213 – Exemptions
6
U.S. Department of Labor. Agricultural Jobs – 12-13
7
U.S. Department of Labor. Fact Sheet 43 – Child Labor Provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act for Nonagricultural Occupations
8
U.S. Department of Labor. Selected State Child Labor Standards Affecting Minors Under 18 in Non-farm Employment
9
U.S. Department of Labor. Non-Agricultural Jobs – 14-15
10
eCFR. 29 CFR Part 570 – Child Labor Regulations, Orders and Statements of Interpretation
11
eCFR. 29 CFR 570.67 – Occupations in Roofing Operations and on or About a Roof
12
U.S. Department of Labor. Civil Money Penalty Inflation Adjustments
13
U.S. Department of Labor. Child Labor