Vermont Child Labor Laws: Age, Hours, and Restricted Jobs

Vermont child labor laws combine the federal Fair Labor Standards Act with state rules in Title 21, Chapter 5 that set a minimum working age of 14 for most jobs, cap hours for younger teens, require an employment certificate for some minors under 16, and bar anyone under 18 from a defined list of hazardous occupations. Employers who violate these rules face federal civil penalties that start above $16,000 per minor and rise sharply if a young worker is hurt.

How Young Can a Minor Work in Vermont

Federal law sets 14 as the minimum age for most non-agricultural work. Below 14, employment is limited to a narrow set of activities such as acting, newspaper delivery, and work on a family farm.

Vermont layers its own requirement on top: a minor under 16 must hold an employment certificate from the Commissioner of Labor before working during school hours, unless the job falls within an approved educational or vocational program.¹

At 16, the range of permitted work expands, but the federal Hazardous Occupations Orders continue to block certain jobs for anyone under 18. A 16-year-old is not, for legal purposes, an adult worker.

Hour Limits by Age

Hour rules are where employers most often slip up, and they split cleanly by age group.

Ages 14 and 15

Under 29 CFR 570.35 and Vermont Department of Labor guidance, workers who are 14 or 15 may work only:

Up to 3 hours on a school day, and only outside school hours
Up to 8 hours on a non-school day
Up to 18 hours in a school week
Up to 40 hours in a non-school week
Between 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m., except from June 1 through Labor Day, when the evening cutoff extends to 9:00 p.m.
No more than six days in any single week

These limits apply year-round.² Vermont mirrors the federal standards in its own employer guidance.³

Ages 16 and 17

Federal law imposes no general hour or nightwork cap on 16- and 17-year-olds. Vermont adds one state-specific limit: in a manufacturing or mechanical establishment, a minor in this age group cannot work more than nine hours in a day or more than fifty hours in a week.³

Outside manufacturing and mechanical work, no Vermont-specific hour cap applies to this age group, and there is no state curfew for nightwork. The federal hazardous occupation rules still govern the kind of work they can do.

Jobs Minors Cannot Do

The federal government maintains 17 Hazardous Occupations Orders that prohibit anyone under 18 from performing certain kinds of work. The categories most likely to affect Vermont employers include:

Power-driven woodworking machines (HO 5), including circular saws, band saws, and wood chippers (HO 14)
Meat packing and processing, including power-driven meat slicers (HO 10)
Power-driven bakery machines (HO 11)
Roofing operations and all work on or about a roof (HO 16)
Excavation operations (HO 17)
Driving a motor vehicle or serving as an outside helper on one (HO 2)
Logging and sawmill occupations (HO 4)
Exposure to radioactive substances (HO 6)
Demolition and wrecking operations (HO 15)
Manufacturing or storing explosives (HO 1)

Some orders carry limited apprentice or student-learner exemptions for 16- and 17-year-olds, but those exemptions are narrow and require enrollment in an approved program.⁴

Workers who are 14 or 15 are restricted further. Beyond the hazardous orders, they are generally limited to retail, food service, and office jobs, and they cannot work in construction, warehousing, or any manufacturing setting.

When an Employment Certificate Is Required

Vermont’s employment certificate rule is narrower than many employers assume. A certificate is required only when the minor is under 16 and the work takes place during school hours outside of an approved educational or vocational program.³ A 15-year-old bagging groceries in the evening and on weekends generally does not need one. The same 15-year-old on a shift that overlaps with school hours does.

Vermont law also exempts children working during school vacations or before and after school sessions, provided the work itself is not prohibited.¹

When a certificate is needed, the employer cannot let the minor start until the Commissioner of Labor has issued it. The application requires:

A signed school statement showing age, address, academic standing, conduct rating, and attendance history
Proof of age from a birth certificate, certified copy, or baptismal record; if none exists, a sworn parent or guardian statement may be accepted
A certificate from a Vermont-licensed physician confirming physical fitness for the proposed job, which the Commissioner may waive for acting or performing roles

For entertainment work during the school year, the Secretary of Education must also approve the educational program provided during employment, which cannot exceed 90 days.⁵

What Minors Must Be Paid

Vermont does not set a separate minimum wage for minors. As of January 1, 2026, all covered employees earn at least $14.42 per hour, with tipped employees earning a base rate of $7.21 per hour and the employer making up any shortfall if tips don’t reach $14.42.⁶

Federal law allows a youth subminimum wage of $4.25 per hour for employees under 20 during their first 90 consecutive calendar days on the job, and the clock starts on the first day of work. Displacing existing workers to use the lower rate is treated as an FLSA violation.⁷ Because Vermont’s $14.42 rate applies to all employees regardless of age, the federal youth rate is effectively overridden in Vermont. The higher state rate controls.

Family Business and Farm Exceptions

Vermont law allows children to work in a family-owned business without the usual restrictions, as long as the work is not hazardous. The FLSA similarly exempts children employed by their parents in any occupation other than manufacturing, mining, or a job covered by a Hazardous Occupations Order.⁸

Agricultural employment operates under its own framework with more flexibility on age and hours, though hazardous tasks such as operating heavy machinery or handling pesticides remain off-limits for workers under 16.

These exemptions relax paperwork and scheduling rules, not safety rules. A parent who owns a roofing company still cannot put a 15-year-old on the crew.

Penalties for Violations

Both the Vermont Department of Labor and the federal Wage and Hour Division investigate child labor complaints. An investigation can start from a complaint, a routine audit, or a side finding during an unrelated inspection.

Federal civil penalties are inflation-adjusted each year. As of January 2025:

Up to $16,035 per violation for employing a minor in breach of FLSA age, hour, or occupation rules
Up to $72,876 per violation when a violation causes serious injury or death
Up to $145,752 per violation when the violation is willful or repeated and causes serious injury or death

Each minor counts as a separate offense, so a business with three underage workers on a prohibited task can face penalties above $48,000 before anyone is hurt.⁹

Civil liability is a separate exposure. Workers’ compensation generally covers workplace injuries, but an employer who knowingly assigned a minor to hazardous work may face negligence claims on top of the workers’ comp benefits. Keep the paperwork current. Missing employment certificates, schedules, or proof of age can each be treated as a separate violation during an inspection.

1
Vermont General Assembly. Vermont Code 21-431 – Age Limit; Certificate as to Eligibility of Child Under 16
2
eCFR. 29 CFR 570.35 – Hours of Work and Conditions of Employment Permitted for Minors 14 and 15 Years of Age
3
Vermont Department of Labor. Important Information for Employers of Minors in the State of Vermont
4
U.S. Department of Labor. Hazardous Occupations – FLSA Child Labor Rules
5
Vermont General Assembly. Vermont Code 21-432 – Restrictions
6
Vermont Department of Labor. Vermont Department of Labor Announces Minimum Wage Increase Starting January 2026
7
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 29 U.S. Code 206 – Minimum Wage
8
eCFR. 29 CFR 779.505 – Oppressive Child Labor Defined
9
U.S. Department of Labor. Civil Money Penalty Inflation Adjustments