Hiring Minors in California: Permits, Hours, and Penalties
Michael Trust founded Michael Trust Law, APC after more than 35 years in HR leadership across entertainment, healthcare, higher education, finance, banking, solar energy, and other industries, including managing approximately 35,000 disability and leave-of-absence cases. He holds the SPHR, PHRca, and SHRM-SCP credentials. The PHRca is a California-specific HR credential focused on California employment law and HR practice. The SPHR, PHRca, and SHRM-SCP are HR credentials, not State Bar certifications. Michael Trust does not hold a State Bar certified specialization, and currently the State Bar of California does not offer a specialization in employment law. According to HRCI’s published pass-rate statistics at https://www.hrci.org/pass-rates, the PHRca has the lowest pass rate of all HRCI credentials (47% as of December 31, 2025, compared with 71% to 84% for HRCI’s other certifications), and only 293 candidates worldwide tested for it in 2025. That HR-systems background helps identify HR process issues early, which can shape legal analysis on both sides. Here, that background helps employers schedule and pay young workers correctly.
On this page: Work permits | Hours | Jobs minors cannot do | Pay and breaks | Penalties
Work Permits
A minor under 18 needs a permit to work, issued by the school after a parent or guardian files the request. A minor who has graduated from high school, or who holds an equivalent such as a certificate of proficiency or a GED, is generally treated as an adult for permits and hours. Ask for proof and keep it on file.
Hours
| Age | Daily and weekly limits | Earliest start and latest finish | While school is in session |
|---|---|---|---|
| 15 and younger | Eight hours a day and 40 hours a week | 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. (9 p.m. from June 1 through Labor Day each year) | Ages 14 and 15: no more than three hours on a school day and 18 hours in a school week, and no work during school hours |
| 16 and 17 | Eight hours a day and 48 hours a week | 5 a.m. to 10 p.m. on a night before a school day (12:30 a.m. before a non-school day) | No more than four hours on a school day, with exceptions for work experience programs and some permits |
Special rules apply to children under 14, to entertainment work, and to school-approved programs.
Jobs Minors Cannot Do
A minor under 16 cannot work on a railroad or vessel, in the hazardous processes the law lists, on scaffolding, in heavy building trades, in a mine, quarry, or excavation, in tobacco work, or driving a car or truck. Any job that endangers life or limb, or that harms health or morals, is off limits.
For safety programs that apply to every worker, see Employee Relations.
Pay and Breaks
Minors are employees, and overtime, meal period, and rest period rules apply to them too. See Wage and Hour and Pay Equity for those rules.
Penalties
Breaking the minors rules is a misdemeanor, with a fine of $1,000 to $5,000, or up to six months in county jail, or both. A willful violation carries a fine of up to $10,000, or up to six months in county jail, or both. These criminal penalties follow a conviction, and a court cannot send a person to jail unless the offense came after a conviction for an earlier offense under the same law. The state can also impose civil penalties through a citation from the Director of Industrial Relations or the director’s designee. A first violation of the hours rules carries a penalty of $500 to $1,000, and a second violation carries a penalty of $1,000. A third or later violation, hazardous work, or imminent danger carries a penalty of $5,000 to $10,000. Each penalty applies to each violation. Willful or repeated violations draw higher penalties than comparable first or nonwillful violations, and a penalty in the highest class cannot exceed $10,000. Cal. Lab. Code §§ 1286 (opens in a new tab), 1287 (opens in a new tab), 1288 (opens in a new tab), 1303 (opens in a new tab).
Pay problems cost more. When you do not pay overtime owed, you owe the unpaid wages. The Labor Commissioner can also issue a citation for a civil penalty of $50 for each underpaid employee in each pay period for a first violation and $100 for later violations. Cal. Lab. Code § 558 (opens in a new tab). When you do not allow a required meal or rest period, you owe one extra hour of pay for each day it happens. Cal. Lab. Code § 226.7 (opens in a new tab). These rules apply to minors the same way they apply to adult employees.
For other common employer questions, see Employer Rights FAQs.
When to Contact Us
If this or other issues arise in your workplace, contact Michael Trust Law, APC for help with resolving them or for a compliance review.
If your business has an employment matter that needs attention, contact Michael Trust Law, APC. That includes a lawsuit, a demand letter, or a letter or charge from an agency, where deadlines can be short, so please call or email right away. It also includes a compliance review, a handbook, a policy, or a workforce decision that you want done right the first time. A no-charge consultation is a first conversation about your own situation, and we will tell you whether and how we can help. Interpreting these laws for your business is legal work, and we do it as part of an engagement.
No attorney-client relationship exists until a fee agreement is fully executed by all parties. See Disclaimers.
Cal. Educ. Code §§ 49101 (opens in a new tab), 49110 (opens in a new tab), 49160 (opens in a new tab); Cal. Lab. Code §§ 226.7 (opens in a new tab), 510 (opens in a new tab), 558 (opens in a new tab), 1286 (opens in a new tab), 1287 (opens in a new tab), 1288 (opens in a new tab), 1294 (opens in a new tab), 1303 (opens in a new tab), 1391 (opens in a new tab).
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Hire and Schedule Young Workers the Right Way
Michael Trust Law, APC helps California employers follow the rules for hiring minors. Contact Michael Trust Law, APC to discuss your situation.
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