Pennsylvania Child Labor Laws: Ages, Hours, and Prohibited Jobs

Pennsylvania child labor laws set 14 as the minimum age for most jobs, require a work permit issued by the minor’s local school district before employment begins, and limit how many hours a minor can work and when those hours can fall. The rules cover every worker under 18 in the Commonwealth and are enforced by the Department of Labor and Industry’s Bureau of Labor Law Compliance.¹ Federal rules under the Fair Labor Standards Act apply alongside the state statute, and where the two differ, the stricter standard controls.²

How Old a Minor Has to Be to Work

The general floor is 14. Below that age, Pennsylvania allows only a short list of jobs: work on a farm owned by a parent or legal guardian, and domestic tasks like babysitting or minor chores in private homes.³

A few specific roles open earlier. News carriers can start at 11. Golf caddies can begin at 12, carrying only one bag at a time and no more than 18 holes in a day. Youth sports officials can also start at 12 and don’t need a work permit for that role. Juvenile performers in entertainment may work at younger ages under a separate entertainment permit issued by the Department of Labor and Industry.⁴

Once a minor turns 14, most non-hazardous jobs become available, though real limits on hours and occupations continue until 18. At 16, more opportunities open, including certain roles in restaurants and hotels that serve alcohol, as long as the minor doesn’t dispense or serve drinks.⁴

Getting a Work Permit

Every minor needs a work permit before starting a job. The permit is issued by the local school district, not by the employer or the state Department of Labor. One detail that saves families time: the permit is transferable, so a minor switching jobs doesn’t necessarily need a new one for each employer.⁵

The application is form PDE-4565, available at the school district’s administrative office or on the Pennsylvania Department of Education website. The minor fills in their full legal name, address, and date of birth, and a parent or legal guardian signs the application. If the parent can’t appear in person with the minor, the application can be notarized instead.⁶

Proof of age is also required. The issuing officer accepts documents in a set priority order: a birth certificate transcript, a baptismal certificate, a passport, other documentary evidence, or as a last resort a parent’s affidavit together with a physician’s statement estimating the minor’s age.⁶

The minor must appear at the school district office in person so the issuing officer can verify identity and watch them sign the permit. High school graduates are the one exception. If the paperwork is in order, the permit is often issued on the spot. The employer is then required to keep a copy on file.⁷

Hour Limits by Age

Hour caps depend on the minor’s age and whether school is in session. They sit in 43 P.S. § 40.3, and employers that ignore them face penalties.

Ages 14 and 15

During the school year, 14- and 15-year-olds can work no more than three hours on a school day and 18 hours in a school week. Shifts can run only between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m.⁸

When school is out, the limits loosen. The daily cap goes to eight hours, the weekly cap to 40, and the evening window extends to 9 p.m.⁸

Ages 16 and 17

Older minors have more room. During a regular school week, 16- and 17-year-olds can work up to eight hours per day and 28 hours per week. Shifts can start as early as 6 a.m. and must end by midnight.⁸

During school vacation, the daily cap moves to 10 hours and the weekly cap to 48. The curfew extends to 1 a.m. in vacation periods only. Any hours past 44 in a single week must be voluntarily agreed to by the minor, who can refuse without retaliation from the employer.⁸

Breaks

At any age, a minor who works five or more consecutive hours is entitled to at least a 30-minute rest break. A break shorter than 30 minutes doesn’t interrupt the continuous work period, so an employer can’t split one break into two 15-minute pieces and call that compliant.⁸

Jobs Minors Can’t Do

Pennsylvania maintains a detailed list of occupations completely off-limits to anyone under 18, built from the state Child Labor Act, federal hazardous occupation orders under the FLSA, and additional state regulations.⁹ The categories that most often trip up employers:

Operating power-driven woodworking machines, metal-forming equipment, bakery machines, and hoisting apparatus like forklifts and cranes.
All coal mining and other mining operations, and any work involving the manufacture, handling, or storage of explosives.
All roofing work, tunnel and shaft operations, and trenches deeper than four feet.
Manufacturing paint, lead compounds, or poisonous dyes; spray-coating with lead or benzol; and any work involving radioactive substances or ionizing radiation.
Outside window washing and any work requiring ladders or scaffolds.

The federal list adds 17 Hazardous Occupations Orders covering further categories including slaughterhouse work, demolition, and power-driven paper-products machines.¹⁰

Younger minors face a narrower set of permitted jobs on top of all that. Besides the universal hazardous bans, 14- and 15-year-olds cannot work on scaffolding, strip or sort tobacco, work in tunnels, or do youth peddling (door-to-door sales).⁴ Federal rules bar this age group from construction, warehousing, public utilities, and communications jobs entirely.¹⁰

Alcohol-Serving Establishments

Pennsylvania generally bars minors from working at places that produce, sell, or serve alcohol, with several carve-outs. A minor under 16 can work at a continuing-care retirement community, ski resort, bowling alley, golf course, or amusement park that serves alcohol, as long as the minor never handles drinks or works in storage or serving areas. At 16 or 17, a minor can work in the non-alcohol portion of a licensed establishment, and can serve food or clear tables in a restaurant or hotel with a valid Sunday sales permit, so long as the minor doesn’t dispense drinks.⁴

Apprentices and Student-Learners

Some hazardous-occupation bans have a narrow exemption for apprentices, student-learners enrolled in approved vocational or technical programs, and graduates of those programs. The exemption covers specific categories such as woodworking machines, power-driven metal-forming equipment, and excavation work. Where it applies, the hazardous work must be incidental to the training, intermittent and short in duration, and done under the direct supervision of a qualified person, with a written agreement between employer and school on file.⁹ Not every hazardous category allows this exemption, so employers running vocational programs should check the specific job.

What Happens When an Employer Breaks the Rules

The Department of Labor and Industry enforces the Child Labor Act through investigations, inspections, and administrative actions. Employers who violate hour restrictions, employ minors in prohibited occupations, or fail to keep permits on file face monetary fines per violation. Repeat or willful offenders can face criminal penalties, including potential jail time.¹

The sharper financial consequence shows up when an illegally employed minor is injured. Minors hurt on the job are covered by Pennsylvania’s Workers’ Compensation Act the same as adult employees, and age doesn’t affect eligibility for benefits. Under Section 320 of the Act, though, if a minor under 18 is injured while employed in violation of any child labor law, compensation rises to 150% of what the minor would have received if legally employed.¹¹

The employer personally bears that extra 50%. Insurance carriers are not allowed to cover the additional compensation, and any policy language that tries to shift the additional cost to the insurer is void.¹¹

Taxes on a Working Minor’s Wages

A minor’s earnings are subject to federal income tax withholding regardless of age. Most minors with part-time wages below the standard deduction won’t owe federal income tax, but the employer will still withhold unless the minor claims exempt status on Form W-4.¹²

For family businesses, there’s a useful break. If a child under 18 works for a parent’s sole proprietorship, or for a partnership in which every partner is the child’s parent, those wages are exempt from Social Security and Medicare taxes. The exemption disappears if the business is a corporation, even one wholly owned by the parent.¹³

1
Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry. Employment of Minors Child Labor Act
2
U.S. Department of Labor. Fact Sheet 43 – Child Labor Provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act for Nonagricultural Occupations
3
Pennsylvania Department of Education. Child Labor Law
4
Pennsylvania General Assembly. Pennsylvania Statutes Title 43 P.S. Labor 40.4 – Occupations and Establishments
5
Pennsylvania General Assembly. Pennsylvania Statutes Title 43 P.S. Labor 40.2 – Definitions
6
Pennsylvania Department of Education. Application for Work Permit PDE-4565
7
Central Dauphin School District. Work Permits
8
Pennsylvania General Assembly. Pennsylvania Statutes Title 43 P.S. Labor 40.3 – Time Limitations on Employment of Minors
9
Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry. Prohibited Occupations Under the Child Labor Act
10
U.S. Department of Labor. Fair Labor Standards Act Advisor
11
Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry. Pennsylvania Workers’ Compensation Act
12
Internal Revenue Service. IRS Releases Tax Inflation Adjustments for Tax Year 2026
13
Internal Revenue Service. Tax Treatment for Family Members Working in the Family Business