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Summary of differences between federal and state regulations
The Massachusetts Department of Labor and Workforce Development administers the child labor laws.
Work age
Youths must be:
- 9 for newspaper delivery (with parental consent)
- 12 for other street trade jobs
- 14 for most non-hazardous jobs
- 16 for most jobs involving machine operation
- 18 to work in all jobs
Work hours
After 8 pm, all minors must have the direct and immediate supervision of an adult supervisor who is located in the workplace and is reasonably accessible to the minor, unless the minor works at a kiosk, cart or stand in the common area of an enclosed shopping mall that has security from 8 p.m. until the mall is closed to the public.
Youth under age 14 may perform farm work 4 hours/day, 24 hours/week
Youth 14 and 15 may work:
- Between 7 am and 9 pm during the summer (from July 1 to Labor Day)
- Between 7 am and 7 pm during the school year (not during school hours)
- Maximum hours when school is in session: 18 hours a week; 3 hours a day on school days; 8 hours a day Saturday, Sunday, and holidays; 6 days a week.
- Maximum hours when school is not in session: 40 hours a week, 8 hours a day, 6 days a week.
Youth 16-17 may work:
- Only between 6 am and 10 pm (on nights preceding a regularly scheduled school day) – if the establishment stops serving clients or customers at 10:00 pm, the minor may be employed until 10:15 pm
- Only between 6 am and 11:30 pm (on nights not preceding a regularly scheduled school day).
- Exception for restaurants and racetracks: only between 6 a.m. and 12:00 midnight (on nights not preceding a regularly scheduled school day).
- Maximum hours of work - whether or not school is in session: 48 hours a week, 9 hours a day, 6 days a week
Permits
All teens under 18 years of age must complete a work permit application and obtain a work permit before starting a new job.
See www.mass.gov/lwd/docs/dos/youth-employment/youth-application.pdf
Postings
Employer must post printed notice with number of hours youth is permitted to work each day of the week, with total for the week; meal breaks; and start and stop times for each day of the week.
State
Contact
Massachusetts Department of Labor and Workforce Development Division of Occupational Safety
Regulations
The Massachusetts child labor requirements can be found in Part I, Title XXI, Chapter 149, Sections 54 through 105 of the General Laws of Massachusetts.
Website: https://malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartI/TitleXXI/Chapter149
Federal
Contact
The Department of Labor is the sole federal agency that monitors child labor and enforces child labor laws. Enforcement of the Fair Labor Standard Act's child labor provisions is handled by the Wage and Hour Division of the Department’s Employment Standards Administration.
Regulations
U.S. child labor regulations can be found in CFR 29:
Part 570 Child Labor Regulations, Orders and Statements of Interpretation
Part 575 Waiver of Child Labor Provisions for Agricultural Employment of 10 and 11 Year Old Minors In Hand Harvesting of Short Season Crops
Part 579 Child Labor Violations – Civil Money Penalties