A 15-year-old in Georgia can work in retail stores, restaurants, grocery stores, offices, movie theaters, and seasonal recreation jobs like community pools and parks. Before starting, you need a work permit issued through your school and filed with the Georgia Department of Labor, and both state and federal law limit what tasks you can do and when you can be on the clock. When the two sets of rules disagree, the stricter one wins.
Jobs You Can Actually Get
Federal law spells out exactly which occupations are open to 14- and 15-year-olds, and Georgia employers have to follow that list. You can work as a cashier, stock shelves, tag prices, bag groceries, carry out customer orders, and handle office and clerical work. Most kitchen tasks are fine too, as long as they don’t involve serious cooking equipment. Cleanup work like vacuuming and floor waxing is allowed, errands on foot or by bicycle are allowed, and lifeguarding is allowed once you turn 15 and get properly certified.1eCFR. 29 CFR 570.34 – Occupations That May Be Performed by Minors 14 and 15 Years of Age
In practice, the most common workplaces that hire at 15 in Georgia are fast-food restaurants, ice cream shops, movie theaters, grocery stores, retail chains, and summer recreation facilities. National chains known for hiring at 15 include Chick-fil-A, Dairy Queen, Baskin-Robbins, and AMC Theatres, though individual franchise locations set their own policies. Publix regularly brings on minors for bagging and cart retrieval. In a kitchen, you can cook on a flat grill or operate an auto-lowering deep fryer, but anything beyond that is off-limits at your age.1eCFR. 29 CFR 570.34 – Occupations That May Be Performed by Minors 14 and 15 Years of Age
Where You Cannot Work
Georgia bars anyone under 16 from working in a mill, factory, laundry, manufacturing facility, or workshop, along with any job the Commissioner of Labor has declared dangerous to life, limb, health, or morals.2Justia. Georgia Code 39-2-1 – Restrictions on Employment of Minors Under 16 Years of Age The Commissioner can add other jobs to the hazardous list by regulation.3Justia. Georgia Code 39-2-2 – Employment of Minors Under 16 Years of Age Generally – Dangerous Employment
Even inside a workplace you’re allowed to work at, plenty of specific tasks are off the table. You cannot operate power-driven food slicers, grinders, choppers, or bakery mixers. All baking is prohibited. No meat processing, and no meaningful time in a freezer or meat cooler. Loading and unloading trucks is banned except in very limited circumstances, and warehouse work beyond office duties is out. Building maintenance, repair work, anything involving ladders or scaffolds, operating power-driven machinery, and boiler or engine room work are also prohibited. You can’t use power-driven lawn mowers, trimmers, or edgers either, even if your job otherwise involves grounds maintenance.4U.S. Department of Labor. Fair Labor Standards Act Advisor – Prohibited Occupations for Non-Agricultural Employees
If a manager asks you to do any of these things, that’s a federal law violation, not just a company policy problem.
How Many Hours You Can Work
Georgia and the federal Fair Labor Standards Act both set hour limits, and the stricter one controls. The Georgia Department of Labor publishes the federal numbers as the operative standard because they’re almost always tighter.5Georgia Department of Labor. Child Labor Work Hour Restrictions
During the School Year
You can work up to 3 hours on a school day and 18 hours total in a school week.6eCFR. 29 CFR 570.35 – Hours Limitations for 14 and 15 Year Olds Georgia’s own statute allows 4 hours on a school day, but the federal 3-hour cap controls.7Justia. Georgia Code 39-2-7 – Employment of Minors Under 16 Years of Age Generally – Maximum Hours of Employment You cannot work during school hours at all.
During Summer and School Breaks
When school is out, the limits open up to 8 hours a day and 40 hours a week under both state and federal law.5Georgia Department of Labor. Child Labor Work Hour Restrictions
Time of Day
Most of the year, you can only be on the clock between 7:00 AM and 7:00 PM. From June 1 through Labor Day, the evening cutoff pushes back to 9:00 PM.6eCFR. 29 CFR 570.35 – Hours Limitations for 14 and 15 Year Olds Georgia law alone would only block work between 9:00 PM and 6:00 AM, but federal law is stricter during the school year.8Justia. Georgia Code 39-2-3 – Employment of Minors Under 16 Years of Age Generally – Hours of Work Generally This is where scheduling confusion happens most often. A manager who only knows Georgia law might put you on until 8:00 PM on a school night, but you need to be clocked out by 7:00.
Getting Your Work Permit
Georgia requires an employment certificate for anyone under 16 before they can start a job. You’ll need a certified copy of your birth certificate and a written statement from the employer that describes the job and confirms they’ll hire you if the certificate is issued.9Justia. Georgia Code 39-2-11 – Employment Certificates – Required; Requirements for Issuance
The person who actually issues the permit depends on your schooling. Public school students go through their superintendent or a staff member designated by the superintendent. Private school students go through the principal or a designated staff member. Homeschooled students go through the parent or guardian running the home study program.9Justia. Georgia Code 39-2-11 – Employment Certificates – Required; Requirements for Issuance
Most of this now happens online through the Georgia Department of Labor’s site, in three separate steps:10Georgia Department of Labor. Get A Youth Work Permit Online
- You start the process at the Minor Sign-On page, using your Social Security number (or a parent’s alien certification number) and your date of birth.
- Your employer logs in separately to enter the job information and their contact details.
- Your issuing officer at the school logs in to verify your enrollment and attendance and issue the permit.
What You’ll Get Paid
Georgia’s state minimum wage is only $5.15 per hour, but that number doesn’t apply to most teen jobs. Any employer covered by the federal Fair Labor Standards Act — which includes nearly every restaurant, retail store, and grocery chain — has to pay the federal minimum of $7.25 per hour instead.11U.S. Department of Labor. State Minimum Wage Laws
One wrinkle to ask about: federal law lets employers pay a youth subminimum wage of $4.25 per hour during your first 90 consecutive calendar days on the job, as long as your work doesn’t displace other employees.12U.S. Department of Labor. Fair Labor Standards Act Advisor – Youth Minimum Wage Most large employers skip it, but smaller businesses sometimes use it. Confirm your pay rate before accepting any offer.
When These Rules Don’t Apply
A few kinds of work fall outside Georgia’s child labor rules entirely. Jobs for a parent or someone acting as a parent who owns the business, agricultural work, and domestic service in a private home are all exempt from the state’s restrictions.13Georgia Department of Labor. Child Labor Law Exceptions You wouldn’t need a work permit for those under state law, though federal protections against hazardous tasks still apply.
“Working for a parent” means a parent who actually owns the business, not one who manages a store owned by someone else. Georgia’s agricultural exemption is broad and covers farm labor along with lawn and garden care. Mowing lawns for neighbors as a self-employed gig also sits outside these regulations.