Do I Need a Work Permit for a Summer Job? Rules, Hours, and Limits

If you’re a minor lining up a summer job, you probably need a work permit for that summer job in most states, even though school is out. Roughly 40 states require some form of employment certificate or work permit for workers under a certain age, and summer employment is not automatically exempt. Federal law doesn’t issue the permit itself, but it sets the hour and job rules the permit enforces. Sort the paperwork before your first shift; the penalties for skipping it land on your employer, but the disruption lands on you.

Does Your State Require One

Whether you need a permit depends on your age and your state. Some states require permits for every worker under 18. Others only require them under 16. A few have no mandatory permit system at all. The U.S. Department of Labor keeps a state-by-state chart you can check in a minute.¹

States that require permits for all workers under 18 include California (for minors enrolled in school), Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, and Washington. Illinois, Iowa, Maine, Missouri, and New Hampshire require them only for workers under 16. Ohio requires permits for anyone under 16 year-round and for 16- and 17-year-olds during the school term.¹

If you can’t tell where your state lands, call your school guidance office or your state labor department. Either can answer in one call.

One thing to know if the rules seem to conflict: when federal and state law differ on minor employment, whichever rule is stricter applies.¹ You can’t rely on either alone.

Summer Employment Isn’t a Loophole

A common assumption is that permits are only for the school year. In most states that require them, you need one for summer work too. What often changes in summer is a single component of the application: some states drop the requirement that a school official verify your enrollment and standing while school is out. The permit itself is still mandatory. Plan to apply a couple of weeks before your start date so processing time doesn’t push back your first paycheck.

How to Get a Permit

The forms differ by state, but the pieces you need to assemble are similar most places. Get the documents together, collect the signatures, and submit through the right office.

What to Bring

Proof of age. A birth certificate, passport, or state-issued ID. Most offices want to see the original document, not a photocopy.
A statement from your prospective employer. It covers the business name and address, the type of work, and your proposed hours.
A parent or guardian signature. Either on the application itself or as a separate written consent.
School standing verification. During the school year, many states want a signed statement from a principal or school official confirming enrollment and good academic standing. This is the piece often waived over the summer.

Where It Goes

In most states, your school’s guidance office or a designated school official issues the permit. Some states route applications through the state labor department, and a growing number offer online portals. Forms are usually available at the school office or on your state labor department’s website.

Processing usually takes a few days to two weeks. Once approved, you get a physical or digital permit to hand to your employer. Switch jobs and you generally need a new one. Many permits expire after a year or at the start of the next school year, so even staying at the same job can mean a renewal.

When You Don’t Need One

Federal law exempts a handful of situations from child labor requirements. The most common:

Working for a parent’s business. If you’re under 16 and working in a non-agricultural business solely owned by your parent, you’re exempt from federal child labor hour and occupation rules, though hazardous work is still off-limits.²
Farm work on a family farm. Minors of any age can work on a farm owned or operated by their parent, in any agricultural occupation except those declared hazardous for workers under 16.³
Casual work like babysitting or chores around a private home. This generally falls outside child labor rules.

These are federal exemptions. Your state may still require a permit even if federal rules don’t. Check before you assume you’re clear.

Summer Hour Limits

Once you have the permit, federal law caps how much you can work if you’re under 16. If you’re 14 or 15, during weeks when school isn’t in session you can work up to 8 hours a day, up to 40 hours a week, and between 7:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m. from June 1 through Labor Day. The evening cutoff drops back to 7:00 p.m. after Labor Day. During the school year the daily cap falls to 3 hours on school days, the weekly cap to 18 hours, and the end time to 7:00 p.m.⁴

If you’re 16 or 17, federal law sets no daily or weekly limit. State law often does, so check your state labor department for local caps.⁵

Jobs You Can and Can’t Take

Federal law sets a floor: you must be at least 14 for most non-agricultural jobs.⁶ What you’re allowed to do from there depends heavily on your age.

Ages 14 and 15

You’re limited to light, non-hazardous work. That covers retail cashiering and stocking, office and clerical tasks, some restaurant duties like dishwashing and limited cooking, errands and deliveries by foot or bicycle, tutoring, and lifeguarding at age 15 with proper certification.⁵

Off the table: manufacturing, construction, warehousing, mining, and any power-driven machinery beyond office equipment. In restaurants you can’t bake, cook over open flames, run commercial mixers or slicers, or work in freezers or meat coolers.⁷ A summer restaurant job at this age is mostly bussing tables and washing dishes.

Ages 16 and 17

The range of jobs opens up considerably. You can work in most occupations, including food service, retail, and light manufacturing. The main exceptions are 17 federal Hazardous Occupations Orders that stay off-limits until 18. These include mining, operating forklifts or cranes, working with explosives, logging and sawmill work, operating power-driven meat slicers or bakery machines, roofing and excavation, and exposure to radioactive materials. These bans apply in every state regardless of what state law says.⁶

Driving for the Job

This one surprises people. Even with a driver’s license, no one 16 or younger can drive a motor vehicle on public roads as part of a job. At 17 you can drive for work only under tight conditions: daylight hours, a vehicle under 6,000 pounds, a clean driving record, completed driver education, and driving can’t be the main part of the job. Delivery routes, pizza delivery, and transporting passengers for hire are all banned for 17-year-olds.⁸

What You’ll Get Paid

Federal law allows employers to pay workers under 20 a youth minimum wage of $4.25 per hour for the first 90 consecutive calendar days of employment. After that, or when you turn 20, the wage jumps to at least the full federal minimum of $7.25.⁹ Many states set minimum wages above the federal floor, and the higher one applies.¹⁰

In a tipped job like bussing or hosting, an employer can pay a lower direct wage ($2.13 per hour under federal rules) and count your tips toward the minimum. Your combined wages and tips still have to reach $7.25 per hour for every workweek; if they don’t, the employer makes up the difference. Several states prohibit the tip credit entirely.¹¹

The $4.25 youth wage is legal but uncommon. Most employers, especially national chains, pay the standard minimum from day one. An offer at $4.25 is allowed during your first 90 days, but it’s worth comparing with other openings.

If You Skip the Permit

Penalties for hiring minors without proper permits fall on the employer, not on you. But if a labor inspector flags the violation, you can lose shifts while the paperwork gets sorted, and some employers will just cut you loose rather than fix it. There’s a second signal worth taking seriously: if an employer asks you to start before your permit clears, that’s a warning. Employers who know the rules wait. Employers willing to skip the permit are more likely to cut corners on scheduling, safety, or pay too.¹²

1
U.S. Department of Labor. Employment/Age Certificate
2
U.S. Department of Labor. FLSA – Child Labor Rules Advisor – Complete Child Labor Exemptions
3
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 29 USC 213 – Exemptions
4
eCFR. 29 CFR 570.35 – Hours Limitations
5
U.S. Department of Labor. Non-Agricultural Jobs – 14-15
6
U.S. Department of Labor. Fact Sheet #43 – Child Labor Provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act for Nonagricultural Occupations
7
U.S. Department of Labor. Cooking and Baking Under the Federal Child Labor Provisions of Fair Labor Standards Act
8
U.S. Department of Labor. Teen Driving on the Job
9
U.S. Department of Labor. Youth Minimum Wage
10
U.S. Department of Labor. State Minimum Wage Laws
11
U.S. Department of Labor. Fact Sheet #15 – Tipped Employees Under the Fair Labor Standards Act
12
U.S. Department of Labor. Workers Under 18