Maryland Work Permit for Minors: Rules, Hours, and Pay

A Maryland work permit for minors is required for anyone aged 14 through 17 before they can start a job, and the Maryland Department of Labor issues it for free through an online application once the minor has a job offer in hand.¹ The permit is tied to one specific employer, so a new one is needed for every new job.

Who Needs a Permit

Every minor aged 14 through 17 who wants to work in Maryland needs a permit, and the employer must have it in hand before the first shift.²

Children under 14 generally cannot be employed in Maryland. The law allows a few narrow exceptions for work outside school hours that isn’t manufacturing, mining, or hazardous:

Non-hazardous farm work
Domestic work in a household
Work in a business owned by the minor’s parent
Caddying, delivering newspapers, teaching on a sailboat, counseling at a certified youth camp, or making evergreen wreaths in or near a home

Children of any age who want to work as a model, performer, or entertainer need a different kind of permit, issued directly by the Commissioner of Labor and Industry’s office rather than through the standard online system.¹

How to Apply Online

Applications go through the Department of Labor’s Employment of Minors page. There’s no paper form. Because a permit isn’t issued until a job offer exists, the parent or guardian needs the employer’s details ready before starting the application.¹

By statute, the application has to include verification of the minor’s age, a description of the work the minor will perform, and the parent or guardian’s approval.³ In the portal, that translates to the minor’s full legal name, date of birth, home address, and Social Security number, plus the employer’s business name, address, and a phone number for the hiring manager.

Be specific in the job description field. Write what the minor will actually do, such as cashier, stock clerk, or food prep. The Department uses that description to confirm the work is allowed for the minor’s age, and vague wording can trigger a manual review that delays approval.

Signing and Delivering the Permit

Submitting the application generates a printable permit, but printing it doesn’t make it valid. Three signatures are required: the minor’s, the parent or guardian’s, and the employer’s.² The minor then delivers the fully signed permit to the employer, who has to keep it on file for three years. Work cannot start until the signed permit is in the employer’s possession.¹

Changing Jobs

A Maryland permit covers one employer only. Quitting, getting let go, or picking up a second job all require a brand new application through the same online portal, with new signatures and a new delivery to the new employer.¹ There’s no transfer option.

How Many Hours a Minor Can Work

Hour limits depend on age and whether school is in session. These are legal ceilings, not scheduling suggestions.

Ages 14 and 15

Maryland’s statute allows up to 4 hours on a school day and 23 hours in a school week, but federal law is tighter and the Department of Labor enforces whichever rule better protects the child.¹ The effective limits for 14- and 15-year-olds are:

No more than 3 hours on a school day
No more than 8 hours on a non-school day
No more than 18 hours in a school week
No more than 40 hours in a non-school week
Earliest start of 7:00 a.m.
Latest end of 7:00 p.m. during the school year, extended to 9:00 p.m. from June 1 through Labor Day
At least a 30-minute non-working break after every 5 consecutive hours

All work has to be outside school hours.

Ages 16 and 17

Older teens have more flexibility. Maryland caps combined school and work time at 12 hours in a single day, requires at least 8 consecutive hours of non-work, non-school time in every 24-hour period, and keeps the 30-minute break after 5 consecutive hours of work. Maryland does not set a nighttime curfew for this age group, so evening and weekend shifts are allowed.¹

Jobs Minors Cannot Do

Age-based job restrictions apply on top of the permit, no matter what an employer promises about light duties.

Workers under 16 cannot do manufacturing, mechanical, or processing jobs, including being in a workroom or storage area where goods are made or processed. They also cannot operate, clean, or adjust power-driven machinery other than standard office equipment, and they’re kept out of work involving acids, dyes, gases, or paint, as well as brickyards, lumberyards, scaffolding, construction sites, and any job that produces harmful dust.² In practice, 14- and 15-year-olds end up in retail, food service without industrial equipment, office support, and similar roles.

Even 16- and 17-year-olds are barred from certain hazardous work. Maryland has adopted the federal hazardous occupation orders and added its own restrictions, including roofing, excavation, operating power-driven woodworking machines, and working with explosives.² When state and federal rules both touch a job, the stricter one controls.

How Much a Minor Has to Be Paid

Maryland’s statewide minimum wage is $15.00 per hour, but employers are allowed to pay workers under 18 at 85% of that rate, which comes to $12.75 per hour.⁴ This Maryland youth rate is separate from the federal youth minimum wage of $4.25 per hour that applies in some states during the first 90 days of employment.⁵ Because $12.75 is higher, the Maryland rate wins.

Some counties set higher local minimums. Montgomery County, for example, requires large employers to pay at least $17.65 per hour, with lower thresholds for smaller businesses, and Howard County and Prince George’s County also have higher local rates.⁴ Whether the 85% youth discount applies to those higher county rates depends on each county’s ordinance, so a minor working in one of those jurisdictions should check the local wage rules before accepting a rate below the posted county minimum.

1
Maryland Department of Labor. Employment of Minors (Work Permit) – Employment Standards Service
2
Maryland Department of Labor. Minor Fact Sheet
3
Maryland General Assembly. Maryland Code Labor and Employment 3-206 – Work Permits
4
Maryland Department of Labor. Maryland Minimum Wage and Overtime Law – Employment Standards Service
5
U.S. Department of Labor. Fact Sheet #32: Youth Minimum Wage – Fair Labor Standards Act