Wisconsin labor laws for minors require a work permit for most workers under 16, cap how many hours and how late a minor can work based on age, prohibit a long list of hazardous jobs, and set the minimum wage at $7.25 per hour with a limited 90-day training rate. The Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development (DWD) enforces these rules through its Equal Rights Division, and because the federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) also covers most Wisconsin employers, the stricter of the two laws controls any given situation.
Work Permits
Any minor under 16 must have a work permit before the first shift. Agricultural work and domestic service are the main exceptions.1Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development. Work Permits The parent or guardian submits the application and pays a $10 fee, which the employer has to reimburse by the minor’s first paycheck. The permit application requires proof of the minor’s age and a signed letter from the prospective employer on company letterhead stating the intent to hire.2Wisconsin State Legislature. Wisconsin Code 103 – Employment Regulations – Section 103.73
Once issued, the permit goes to the employer electronically, and the employer must keep it on file for the entire time the minor is employed.1Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development. Work Permits Workers who are 16 or 17 do not need a work permit under Wisconsin law.
Hours a Minor Can Work
Hour limits in Wisconsin split sharply between the 14–15 group and the 16–17 group. For the younger group, federal rules under the FLSA are often tighter than state rules, and FLSA-covered employers have to follow the stricter standard. Most businesses with at least $500,000 in annual sales or any involvement in interstate commerce are covered.
Ages 14 and 15
Wisconsin’s administrative code allows 14- and 15-year-olds to work up to 4 hours on a school day (8 hours on the last school day of the week), 8 hours on a non-school day, 18 hours in a school week, and 40 hours in a non-school week. They may not work more than 6 days in a week outside street trades and farming.3Wisconsin State Legislature. DWD 270.11 – Hours of Labor of Minors State time-of-day rules let them work from 7:00 a.m. until 8:00 p.m. on nights before a school day, and until 11:00 p.m. otherwise.
Federal law is tighter. The FLSA limits this age group to 7:00 a.m. through 7:00 p.m. during the school year, extending the evening cap to 9:00 p.m. only from June 1 through Labor Day, and caps school-day hours at 3 rather than 4.4U.S. Department of Labor. Fact Sheet 43 – Child Labor Provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act for Nonagricultural Occupations For any FLSA-covered employer, those federal numbers are what actually apply.
Ages 16 and 17
Older minors can work up to 5 hours on a school day (8 on the last school day of the week), 8 hours on a non-school day, 26 hours in a school week, and up to 50 hours in a non-school week. Beyond 10 hours in a day or 40 in a week, the employer owes time-and-a-half, whichever calculation produces higher pay.3Wisconsin State Legislature. DWD 270.11 – Hours of Labor of Minors On school days they cannot start before 7:00 a.m., and on non-school days not before 5:00 a.m. Any minor working past 11:00 p.m. must get at least 8 consecutive hours of rest before the next shift. Federal law adds no separate hour or time-of-day limits for 16- and 17-year-olds, so Wisconsin’s rules control.
Jobs Minors Cannot Do
Wisconsin keeps two separate lists of banned occupations, one covering every worker under 18 and a second that layers additional restrictions on anyone under 16.
Banned for Everyone Under 18
Under DWD 270.12, no minor may work in coal mining or excavation; operate, set up, or clean power-driven bakery machines; operate or repair amusement rides and ski-hill machinery; enter confined spaces; perform duties involving asbestos exposure; work in logging or sawmill operations; or do roofing, demolition, or wrecking work.5Wisconsin State Legislature. DWD 270.12 – Hazardous Occupations Prohibited to All Minors The full regulation lists more categories, including explosives manufacturing, slaughtering, and power-driven metalworking. Employers should check the regulation itself before placing a minor in anything that touches heavy equipment or industrial processes.
Additional Bans for Minors Under 16
DWD 270.13 adds restrictions for workers under 16. They cannot work on construction, demolition, or repair sites except in office or sales roles away from the site; cannot work in auto repair involving pits, racks, or lifts (though pumping gas, courtesy service, and car washing are allowed); cannot provide personal care in hospitals or nursing homes; cannot work in freezers, meat coolers, or meat preparation areas; cannot cook without direct adult supervision; and cannot work in or around airport landing strips, taxi areas, or maintenance aprons.6Cornell Law Institute. Wisconsin Administrative Code DWD 270.13 – Hazardous Employment Prohibited to Minors Under 16
Federal Hazardous-Occupation Overlay
Federal rules add their own prohibitions. The FLSA generally bans minors from driving motor vehicles on public roads for work, with narrow daylight exceptions for 17-year-olds driving cars or small trucks under limited conditions.4U.S. Department of Labor. Fact Sheet 43 – Child Labor Provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act for Nonagricultural Occupations Federal law also bans minors from operating compactors, balers, and power-driven paper-products machines, though 16- and 17-year-olds may use certain lightweight countertop mixers and pizza dough rollers.
Minimum Wage and the Opportunity Wage
Minors in Wisconsin earn the standard $7.25 per hour minimum wage, the same as adults.7Wisconsin State Legislature. Wisconsin Administrative Code DWD 272.03 – Minimum Wage Rates The rate has been in place since 2009 and is set by statute, so the DWD cannot change it through rulemaking.
During the first 90 calendar days with any employer, workers under 20 can be paid an “opportunity wage” of $5.90 per hour.7Wisconsin State Legislature. Wisconsin Administrative Code DWD 272.03 – Minimum Wage Rates After day 90, pay has to rise to at least $7.25. For tipped work, the base cash wage is $2.33 per hour, or $2.13 for opportunity employees, with the employer responsible for making up any shortfall between cash wages plus tips and the full minimum wage.
Meal Breaks and Rest Between Shifts
No minor may work more than 6 consecutive hours without a 30-minute meal break, scheduled reasonably close to a standard mealtime or the midpoint of the shift. The minor has to be fully off duty; a break spent at the workstation or on call becomes paid time.8Cornell Law Institute. Wisconsin Administrative Code DWD 270.16 – Meal Periods and Rest Periods
For 16- and 17-year-olds, Wisconsin also requires at least 7 consecutive hours off between the end of one shift and the start of the next shift or school day. Any minor who works past 11:00 p.m. must get 8 consecutive hours of rest afterward.
Penalties for Violations
Wisconsin fines employers $25 to $1,000 per day for a first offense. A second or later violation within five years raises the range to $250 to $5,000 per day and can carry up to 30 days in jail. Parents or guardians who let a minor work illegally face $10 to $250 per day for a first offense and $25 to $1,000 per day for repeat violations within five years.9Wisconsin State Legislature. Wisconsin Statutes 103.82 – Penalties
Employers who break the hour rules also owe each affected minor liquidated damages equal to twice the regular rate of pay for every hour worked in violation, in addition to the wages already paid. Injuries make it worse. An employer who hired the minor legally but without a required work permit must match the workers’ compensation payout and send that matching amount to the state’s Work Injury Supplemental Benefit Fund. If the minor was working in a prohibited hazardous occupation, the employer may owe double the primary compensation to the fund, roughly tripling the total cost.10Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development. Guide to Wisconsin’s Employment of Minors Laws
Federal penalties stack on top. Civil penalties under the FLSA reach $16,035 per minor involved, $72,876 when a violation causes serious injury or death to anyone under 18, and $145,752 for a willful or repeated violation causing serious injury or death. These figures are inflation-adjusted and reflect the schedule effective as of January 2025.11U.S. Department of Labor. Civil Money Penalty Inflation Adjustments Willful violations can also carry criminal fines up to $10,000, and a second criminal conviction can bring up to six months of imprisonment.12U.S. Department of Labor. FLSA – Child Labor Rules Advisor
Federal “hot goods” enforcement is a separate hazard. If a child labor violation happened at a business within the past 30 days, the U.S. Department of Labor can get a court order blocking interstate shipment of any goods produced there. The injunction can reach distributors and retailers who hold the goods, not just the employer.13U.S. Department of Labor. The Prohibition against Shipment of Hot Goods Under the Fair Labor Standards Act
Jobs That Fall Outside These Rules
Several categories of work operate under different rules. Agricultural work and domestic service are exempt from the work permit requirement, though hazardous-occupation bans still apply.1Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development. Work Permits A minor of any age may work for a parent or guardian in connection with that parent’s business under direct supervision, as long as the job is not in a prohibited category.14Wisconsin State Legislature. Wisconsin Code 103.67 – Minimum Ages in Various Employments
Minors 12 and older may caddy, work in their own school’s lunch program, participate in street trades, perform domestic tasks around private homes unconnected to any business, and work in farming (with hazardous farming tasks still off-limits under 16). Public exhibitions such as acting in a theater production follow a separate permit process under Wis. Stat. § 103.78 rather than the standard work permit rules.
Records the Employer Has to Keep
The work permit stays on file with the employer for the full duration of a minor’s employment. Federally, employers must record the date of birth for every employee under 19, keep payroll records for at least three years, and keep time cards, wage rate tables, and work schedules for at least two years.15U.S. Department of Labor. Fact Sheet 21 – Recordkeeping Requirements Under the Fair Labor Standards Act In a wage dispute or child labor investigation, the burden of proof usually lands on whoever should have kept the paperwork.