Oregon doesn’t issue a work permit to minors. There’s no form a teenager fills out at school or at the state. Instead, the employer who wants to hire anyone aged 14 through 17 has to get an Annual Employment Certificate from the Bureau of Labor and Industries (BOLI) before that minor’s first shift. So if you’re a teen looking to work in Oregon, the paperwork isn’t yours. Your job is to find an employer who already holds a current certificate, or one willing to apply for one.
How Old You Have to Be to Work in Oregon
The baseline rule, set by ORS 653.320, is that no child under 14 may be employed in or around any place of business during the school term.1Oregon Public Law. Oregon Revised Statutes 653.320 – Employment of Children Under 14 Years; Exceptions BOLI can allow 12- and 13-year-olds to work in suitable jobs during school vacations of two weeks or more, but the bureau reviews each situation individually.
Agriculture is the exception that swallows a lot of the rule. Children as young as 9 can pick berries and beans outside school hours with written parental consent, but only on smaller farms that used fewer than 500 worker-days of labor the previous year and whose produce stays in Oregon. Minors aged 12 and 13 may work non-hazardous agricultural jobs outside school hours with parental consent, or on the same farm where their parents work.2Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries. Minor Workers
For a regular job at a restaurant, store, or office, the practical answer is 14. Younger than that, your options are essentially farm work or a BOLI-approved vacation arrangement.
The Employer’s Annual Employment Certificate
Before any minor works, the employer must hold a validated Annual Employment Certificate from BOLI. The certificate covers 12 months and must be renewed each year the business continues to employ minors.3Oregon Secretary of State. Oregon Administrative Rule 839-021-0220 – Employment Certificates for the Employment of Minors 14 Through 17 Years of Age The employer also has to verify each minor’s age using documentation BOLI’s rules prescribe.
The application asks the employer for the business name and address, the name and address of the person completing the form, an estimate of how many minors will be hired during the 12-month period, a description of the duties minors will perform, a description of the machinery or equipment they’ll use, and whether 14- and 15-year-olds will be hired (since they face stricter rules than 16- and 17-year-olds).4Cornell Law Institute. Oregon Administrative Code 839-021-0221 – Required Information for Employment Certificate Applications
BOLI uses the duty and equipment descriptions to check whether the proposed work complies with safety rules for the ages involved. If the employer later wants a minor to take on duties the certificate didn’t authorize, the employer must file a Notice of Change and wait for BOLI’s approval before the minor performs the new work.
Employers apply through the BOLI online portal or request a printed application by emailing child.labor@boli.oregon.gov.2Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries. Minor Workers The validated certificate has to be in hand before the minor starts, and it has to stay available at the worksite for BOLI to inspect.
How Many Hours Minors Can Work
Hour limits depend on age and whether school is in session. These are the rules that get violated most often.
14- and 15-Year-Olds
When school is in session:
- No more than 3 hours on a school day
- No more than 18 hours in a school week
- Only between 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m.
During summer break, defined as June 1 through Labor Day, the evening cutoff pushes to 9:00 p.m. and the weekly ceiling rises to 40 hours.5Oregon Public Law Library. OAR 839-021-0070 – Hours of Employment for Minors Under 16 Years of Age ORS 653.315 adds a hard cap: no child under 16 may work more than 10 hours in a single day or more than six days in any week, in session or not.6Oregon State Legislature. Oregon Code 653 – Minimum Wages; Employment Conditions; Minors
16- and 17-Year-Olds
Older teens can work any time of day, including nights. The weekly maximum is 44 hours and the daily maximum is 10. An employer that needs more can apply to BOLI for a special overtime permit.2Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries. Minor Workers Federal overtime still applies: anything over 40 hours in a week has to be paid at time-and-a-half.7U.S. Department of Labor. Wages and the Fair Labor Standards Act
Breaks and Meal Periods
Minors get longer rest breaks than adults. Every minor is entitled to a 15-minute paid rest break for each four-hour work segment, compared with 10 minutes for adult employees, and the break should fall as close to the middle of the segment as possible.8Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries. Meals and Breaks
Meal breaks are at least 30 minutes for anyone working six or more hours. Oregon permits some meal-period exceptions for 16- and 17-year-olds depending on the job, but those exceptions never apply to 14- and 15-year-olds, who always get the full meal break. ORS 653.315 reinforces this for workers under 16: the 30-minute meal cannot be counted as part of the workday, and the employer must post a printed notice at the worksite stating the maximum daily and weekly hours required of minor workers.6Oregon State Legislature. Oregon Code 653 – Minimum Wages; Employment Conditions; Minors
Jobs Minors Can’t Do
Federal hazardous occupation orders bar everyone under 18 from a list of dangerous categories, and those apply in Oregon. The federal list includes:
- Manufacturing or storing explosives
- Operating power-driven woodworking machines
- Operating forklifts and other power-driven hoisting equipment
- Roofing and any work on or about a roof
- Jobs involving exposure to radioactive substances
Oregon layers on additional restrictions for workers under 16, including baking and work around blast furnaces. Parental consent does not override any of these prohibitions.
Minimum Wage for Minors
Minors earn the same minimum wage as adults in Oregon. The state has no youth sub-minimum. Oregon uses a three-tier structure that varies by location, adjusted each July 1 based on the Consumer Price Index. The tiers are the standard rate, the Portland metro rate ($1.25 above standard), and the nonurban county rate ($1.00 below standard). BOLI publishes the updated rates by April 30 each year.10Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries. Minimum Wage Increase Schedule
Federal law allows a $4.25 youth minimum for workers under 20 during their first 90 consecutive calendar days with an employer, but Oregon’s minimum is substantially higher and state law doesn’t authorize a youth sub-minimum, so Oregon employers must pay the applicable state rate.11U.S. Department of Labor. Fact Sheet: Youth Minimum Wage – Fair Labor Standards Act
What Happens When Employers Break the Rules
BOLI assesses civil penalties on a tiered scale:
- Missing employment certificate, first offense, cured promptly, no other alleged violations and no prior final orders in the past five years: $250.
- Missing employment certificate in all other cases: $1,000.
- General child labor violations such as hour-limit or scheduling infractions: $1,000 to $2,500 for first and second offenses.
- Hazardous occupation violations or putting a minor in prohibited work: $5,000 to $10,000.
- Third or subsequent hour-limit violations: $5,000 to $10,000.
- Serious injury or death of a minor performing work that violated the rules: up to $10,000.
The maximum penalty for any single violation is $10,000, and each violation counts separately. An employer that breaks several rules affecting several minors can see the total climb quickly. These are civil penalties, not criminal charges, and BOLI assesses them directly.
If you’re a teen who thinks your employer is ignoring the hour limits, skipping breaks, or putting you on prohibited equipment, you can file a complaint with BOLI. The employer carries the compliance burden, including the certificate itself, and that’s where the state looks first when something goes wrong.