Michigan child labor laws are set by the Youth Employment Standards Act (Public Act 90 of 1978), which controls who can work under 18, what hours they can work, which jobs are off limits, and what employers must do before putting a minor on the schedule. The general minimum working age is 14, with a few narrow exceptions for younger teens. A work permit is required for nearly every job, hours are capped by age and by whether school is in session, and a long list of hazardous occupations is off limits regardless of parental consent.
Minimum Age to Work
Fourteen is the baseline age for most employment in Michigan. Below 14, only a handful of jobs are allowed:
- Golf caddy, age 11 and up.
- Bridge caddy, age 11 and up, at events sanctioned by the American Contract Bridge League or another national bridge association.
- Youth sports referee or umpire, age 11 and up, only for age brackets younger than the minor’s own, with written parental consent and an adult from the program on-site.
- Farming operations, age 13 and up.
- Setting traps for trap, skeet, and sporting clays events, age 13 and up.
The exceptions are narrow. A 12-year-old can caddy at a golf course, but that same 12-year-old cannot run a retail register or bus tables at a restaurant.1Michigan Legislature. Michigan Compiled Laws 409.103 – Employment of Minor; Prohibited Occupations; Minimum Age; Exceptions and Limitations
Work Permits
Almost every minor working in a job covered by the Youth Employment Standards Act needs a work permit before starting. Michigan uses two forms: the CA-6 for minors under 162State of Michigan. Combined Offer of Employment and Work Permit CA-6 and the CA-7 for minors who are 16 or 17.3State of Michigan. Michigan CA-7 Combined Offer of Employment and Work Permit No fee can be charged.
To complete the application, the minor needs proof of age (a certified birth record, a Michigan operator’s license showing date of birth, a school record, or a sworn parent statement backed by a physician’s corroborating statement), a signed offer of employment from the prospective employer describing duties, hours, and wages, and a parent or guardian signature consenting to the specific job.
The permit is tied to one employer and one location. Switch jobs, get a new permit. The employer must keep the permit on file at the workplace for as long as the minor is employed and return it to the issuing officer when the job ends.4Michigan Legislature. Michigan Compiled Laws 409.104 – Work Permit; Procurement; Filing; Return
Who Issues Work Permits Is Changing in Late 2026
Historically, school issuing officers have handled work permit applications and approvals. Under a recent amendment adding Section 4a, the Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity will take over permit issuance 18 months after the amendment’s effective date. Based on the statutory timeline, this transition is expected to take effect around October 2026. After that date, work permits will be issued by the department director rather than school officials, and employers will notify the department when a minor’s job ends instead of returning a physical permit.4Michigan Legislature. Michigan Compiled Laws 409.104 – Work Permit; Procurement; Filing; Return
Work Hour and Curfew Limits
Hour limits are the most frequently violated part of the Act. The rules depend on the minor’s age and on whether school is in session.
Workers Aged 14 and 15
When school is in session, 14- and 15-year-olds can work a maximum of 3 hours on a school day and 18 hours during a school week, all outside of school hours. During non-school weeks, the cap rises to 40 hours.5Michigan Legislature. Michigan Compiled Laws 409.110 – Employment of Minor Under 16
Curfew rules shift with the calendar. From June 1 through Labor Day, work is permitted between 7:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m. From after Labor Day through May 31, the evening cutoff moves back to 7:00 p.m. That two-hour difference catches families and employers off guard: a 15-year-old scooping ice cream can work until 9:00 p.m. in August, but once school starts, the same shift becomes illegal after 7:00 p.m.
Workers Aged 16 and 17
Older teens have more room. On school nights, 16- and 17-year-olds cannot work between 10:30 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. On Fridays, Saturdays, and during school vacation periods, they can work until 11:30 p.m. The 11:30 p.m. cutoff also applies when the minor is not enrolled in school at all. A minor who is still a student cannot be employed for a combined school-and-work total of more than 48 hours in a single week while school is in session.6Michigan Legislature. Michigan Compiled Laws 409.101-409.130 – Youth Employment Standards Act
Meal and Rest Breaks
Regardless of age, no minor can work more than five consecutive hours without at least a 30-minute uninterrupted break. A shorter break does not count as an interruption of the work period, so splitting the rest into two 15-minute segments does not satisfy the rule.7Michigan Legislature. Michigan Compiled Laws 409.112 – Meal and Rest Period
Prohibited and Hazardous Jobs
Michigan bars minors from a long list of dangerous jobs. The restrictions in Michigan Administrative Code R. 408.6208 apply to every worker under 18, and parental consent does not waive them.
- Construction, roofing, wrecking, demolition, ship-breaking, and highway or bridge work.
- Work in explosives plants, unless the minor’s work area is physically separated from the hazardous area by the prescribed distances or earthen barriers and the minor performs no work involving mixing, transporting, or handling explosives.
- Any job involving exposure to radioactive materials or requiring respiratory protection equipment.
- Operating power-driven hoisting equipment (forklifts, cranes, boom trucks), metal-forming machines, and woodworking machines including chain saws and nailing machines.
- Operating power-driven slicers, saws, and choppers, or working in slaughtering and meat-packing plants. This ban extends to deli slicers in restaurants, not just industrial operations.
Alcohol Establishments
Minors aged 16 and 17 cannot work at establishments where alcohol sales account for 50% or more of total revenue. Where alcohol sales fall below that threshold, they can work, but they still cannot sell, serve, or furnish alcoholic beverages. A 17-year-old can host or bus tables at a casual restaurant that serves beer; the same 17-year-old cannot tend bar or work at a venue that is primarily a bar.9State of Michigan. Youth Employment Hazardous Occupations Table
Student Learner Exemption
Minors enrolled in vocational or cooperative education programs can perform some otherwise-prohibited work if a written agreement is in place between the employer and the school district’s board of education. The minor must be at least 14, and the arrangement must be tied to an active educational program. Not all safety restrictions are waived, and the employer remains responsible for complying with the agreement’s terms.10Legal Information Institute. Michigan Administrative Code R 408.6206 – Exemptions
Wages for Minor Workers
Michigan’s minimum wage for 2026 is $13.73 per hour under the Improved Workforce Opportunity Wage Act.11State of Michigan. LEO – Minimum Wage and Overtime MCL 408.934b creates a separate training wage for employees under 18, allowing a reduced rate during an initial training period. An employer cannot displace an existing worker to take advantage of the lower rate.12Michigan Legislature. Michigan Compiled Laws 408.934 – Minimum Hourly Wage Rate
The federal Fair Labor Standards Act also lets any employer pay workers under 20 a training wage of $4.25 per hour during the first 90 consecutive calendar days of employment. Because both laws apply, employers should pay the higher of the two applicable rates.
When an employer fails to pay a legally required wage, Michigan’s wage and hour law authorizes the state to order exemplary damages of up to twice the amount of the unpaid wages when the violation is flagrant or repeated.13Michigan Legislature. Michigan Compiled Laws 408.488 – Violations; Order; Exemplary Damages
What Happens If a Minor’s Grades Drop
A work permit can be suspended or revoked when a student’s school performance declines after starting a job. The specific trigger is poor attendance from repeated unexcused absences that cause academic performance to fall below the level the student maintained before starting work.14Michigan Legislature. Michigan Compiled Laws 409.107 – Revocation of Permit
Revocation is not immediate. The permit is suspended first, with notice to both the minor and the employer, and the student gets a chance to correct the problem. The suspension period cannot exceed 30 days from the date of notification. If the issue is not resolved within that window, the permit can be fully revoked.
Penalties for Employers
The baseline penalty for employing a minor in violation of the Youth Employment Standards Act, or for obstructing the department’s enforcement, is a misdemeanor carrying up to one year in jail, a fine of up to $500, or both.15Michigan Legislature. Michigan Compiled Laws 409.122 – Penalties
Violations of the required rest and break provisions under Section 12a carry steeper consequences. A first offense is a misdemeanor with up to one year in jail, a fine of up to $2,000, or both. A second offense is a misdemeanor with up to two years in jail, a fine of up to $5,000, or both. A third or subsequent offense is a felony with up to 10 years in prison, a fine of up to $10,000, or both.
The most severe penalty applies when an employer puts a minor to work in violation of Section 14a, which covers hazardous employment restrictions. Even on a first offense, that violation is a felony punishable by up to 20 years in prison, a fine of up to $20,000, or both.15Michigan Legislature. Michigan Compiled Laws 409.122 – Penalties
Federal Law Overlay
Michigan employers are subject to both the state Youth Employment Standards Act and the federal Fair Labor Standards Act. When both address the same topic, the stricter rule controls, and an employer cannot pick the more lenient law.16U.S. Department of Labor. Fact Sheet 43 – Child Labor Provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act for Nonagricultural Occupations The federal Hazardous Occupations Orders add restrictions Michigan does not specifically enumerate, such as bans on operating power-driven bakery machines and paper balers or compactors. The federal law also caps 14- and 15-year-olds at 8 hours on a non-school day, filling a spot Michigan’s rules do not address the same way.
Child Performers Follow a Separate Track
Minors in modeling, live stage performances, dancing, singing, filming, or taping do not use the standard CA-6 or CA-7 work permit. From 15 days old through age 17, they need a Performing Arts Authorization from the Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity, submitted with workers’ compensation documentation at least 10 days before rehearsals or performances begin.17State of Michigan. LEO – Performing Arts Authorization Information