Pennsylvania Child Labor Laws: Hours, Permits, and Penalties

Pennsylvania child labor laws set 14 as the minimum age for most jobs, require every minor to obtain a work permit before starting, cap daily and weekly hours by age, restrict late-night shifts, prohibit hazardous occupations, and expose employers to fines of up to $5,000 per violation. The Department of Labor & Industry and the Department of Education share enforcement.

Minimum Age To Work

No one under 14 may hold a job in Pennsylvania outside a short list of exceptions.¹ Those exceptions are narrower than many families assume:

News carriers may deliver newspapers and periodicals starting at age 11.
Golf caddies may work starting at age 12.
Children under 14 may work on a farm owned by their own parent or legal guardian.
Babysitting, yard work, and household chores in private homes are allowed.
Minors of any age may perform in film, theater, television, or other productions, but only under a separate entertainment permit.

The farm exception covers only land the child’s own parent or guardian owns. Working on someone else’s farm, or a commercial agricultural operation, is not permitted before age 14. There is no general family-business exemption either: a parent who owns a restaurant or retail shop still cannot put a child under 14 to work, and the child still needs a work permit once old enough.¹

Hour Limits for 14- and 15-Year-Olds

Hours for younger teens are tightly capped and track the federal Fair Labor Standards Act. During the school year, these minors may not work during school hours. Beyond that, the limits are:²

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.

The time of day is also restricted. During the school year, a 14- or 15-year-old cannot work before 7 a.m. or after 7 p.m. During a school vacation period, the evening cutoff moves to 9 p.m.²

A minor enrolled in a recognized school work-study program can combine school and work hours up to 8 in a day, even on a school day where the normal 3-hour cap would otherwise apply.

Hour Limits for 16- and 17-Year-Olds

Older teens get more room, but the school year still limits their schedules. When school is in session, a 16- or 17-year-old may work up to 8 hours in a day and up to 28 hours Monday through Friday. Up to 8 additional hours on Saturday and Sunday are allowed on top of the 28-hour weekday cap.¹

During a school vacation period, these minors may work up to 10 hours a day and 48 hours a week, and the evening curfew shifts from midnight to 1 a.m. Any hours beyond 44 in a single vacation week must be voluntary. An employer cannot require a minor to work more than 44 hours in that week or retaliate against one who declines.¹

During the school term, 16- and 17-year-olds may not work before 6 a.m. or after midnight. And no minor other than a news carrier may work more than six days in a row at any point in the year.

Required Meal Break

Any minor aged 14 through 17 who works five or more consecutive hours must receive a break of at least 30 minutes.³ This is stricter than what Pennsylvania requires for adult workers. Employers cannot waive or shorten it.

Jobs Minors Cannot Do

Pennsylvania bans every minor under 18 from two categories of work. The first is a state list in the Child Labor Act that includes work on railroads, piloting boats, and manufacturing paints or dyes involving lead or dangerous acids. The second is any occupation declared hazardous under the federal Fair Labor Standards Act, which covers mining, roofing, operating power-driven woodworking or metalworking machines, excavation, wrecking and demolition, and handling explosives or radioactive materials.⁴ When state and federal rules both apply, whichever is stricter controls.

Minors under 16 face extra restrictions. They cannot strip or sort tobacco, work on scaffolding, or work in a tunnel. They also cannot engage in youth peddling, meaning door-to-door or street-corner sales.⁴

Working Where Alcohol Is Sold

The rules for alcohol-serving businesses are more flexible than a flat ban. The default is that minors may not work where alcoholic beverages are produced, sold, or dispensed. Two exceptions matter in practice:⁴

A minor under 16 may work at a bowling alley, golf course, ski resort, amusement park, continuing-care retirement community, or similar recreational venue that happens to serve alcohol, as long as the minor never handles the beverages and does not work in storage or serving areas.
A minor 16 or older may work in the part of an establishment where alcohol is not served. The same minor may also serve food and clear tables at a hotel, club, or restaurant that holds a valid Sunday sales permit from the Liquor Control Board, provided the minor never dispenses or serves alcohol itself.

The Sunday sales permit is a specific credential. A restaurant that serves alcohol but lacks that permit cannot use 16- and 17-year-old servers in its dining room.

How To Get a Work Permit

Every minor must have a work permit before starting a job. Pennsylvania charges no fee for the permit, but it does require some paperwork in person.

What You Need

Start with the application form, called the PDE-4565, from the public school district where you live. It asks for your full name, address, and date of birth. A parent or legal guardian must sign to give consent. If a parent is unavailable, the minor may instead sign a sworn statement before a notary attesting that the application is accurate.⁵

You also need proof of age. The issuing officer accepts documents in order of preference: a birth certificate transcript first, then a baptismal certificate, then a passport, then other documentary evidence. If none are available, a parent’s sworn statement combined with a physician’s opinion of the minor’s age can be accepted as a last resort.⁵

Where To Apply

Apply in person at the administrative office of your local public school district. The same rule applies if you attend private school or are homeschooled. The issuing officer reviews the application, checks the age documentation, and watches you sign the permit, which finalizes it.¹

You keep the original and give a copy to your employer before doing any work. The employer keeps that copy on file alongside your hours for the entire time you are employed there.⁶ The permit is transferable, so you use the same one if you change jobs.

If you live outside Pennsylvania but have a seasonal job lined up inside the state, you still need a Pennsylvania permit. Ask the employer for the name and address of the issuing officer in the school district where the job is located, and apply through that district rather than your home state.¹

Performances Require a Separate Permit

A standard work permit does not cover performances. Any employer putting a minor in a live show, film, television program, internet production, or documentary must apply for a separate entertainment permit through the Department of Labor & Industry, and it must be approved before any rehearsal or filming begins. Parental permission is required, a school official signs off if the work falls during school hours, and permits will not issue for acrobatic acts or stunts involving speed, height, or high exertion.⁷ A parent or guardian must be allowed to remain within sight or sound of the minor throughout the production.⁸

What Employers Must Do

Hiring a minor involves more than collecting a permit. Employers must keep detailed records at the workplace for every minor on staff:⁶

A list of all minors employed at the establishment.
A posted schedule showing maximum daily and weekly hours for each minor, including start and stop times and meal breaks.
A copy of each minor’s work permit, the signed parental permission statement, and a copy of the letter sent to the issuing officer announcing the hire.
Accurate time records of the actual days, hours, and times each minor worked, including breaks.

Enforcement officers can inspect these records at any reasonable time. Record-keeping lapses are among the most common violations and the easiest to avoid.

Two posters must also be displayed where minor employees can see them: the Abstract of the Pennsylvania Child Labor Act (Form LLC-5) and the Hours of Work for Minors Under 18 notice (Form LLC-17). Spanish versions are available. Failing to post can trigger fines on its own.⁹

Penalties for Violations

Pennsylvania enforces child labor violations through two separate tracks. Criminal penalties run through the courts: a first conviction carries a fine of up to $500 per violation, and subsequent convictions can bring a fine of up to $1,500 and up to 10 days in jail.¹⁰

Administrative penalties come from the Department of Labor & Industry and can run higher. The Department may impose fines of up to $5,000 per violation and order corrective action. Employers who receive an administrative penalty have the right to a hearing before a neutral examiner.¹⁰

These amounts apply per violation and per minor. An employer who runs several underage workers past curfew on a busy weekend can face thousands of dollars in combined penalties from a single inspection.

1
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania Child Labor Law
2
Pennsylvania General Assembly. Pennsylvania Code 43 P.S. 40.3 – Time Limitations on Employment of Minors
3
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Wage FAQs
4
Pennsylvania General Assembly. Pennsylvania Code 43 P.S. 40.4 – Occupations and Establishments
5
Pennsylvania Department of Education. PDE-4565 Application for Work Permit
6
Pennsylvania General Assembly. Pennsylvania Code 43 P.S. 40.8 – Records
7
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Apply for Special Permit to Employ Child Performers
8
Pennsylvania General Assembly. Pennsylvania Code 43 P.S. 40.5 – Performances by Minors
9
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Mandatory Postings
10
Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry. Pennsylvania Child Labor Act Touchpoint Presentation