Child labor - Ohio

Summary of differences between federal and state regulations

The Ohio Department of Commerce, Division of Labor and Worker Safety, Wage and Hour Bureau administers the child labor laws.

Work age

Youths must be:

• No age specified for newspaper carrier, performer, working for parents, high school graduate, head of household, or occasional lawn care and snow clearance
• 14 for most non-hazardous jobs
• 16 for certain jobs involving machinery
• 18 for clerking in a liquor store and most other jobs
• 19 for waiter/waitress serving liquor
• 21 for bartending

Work hours

Youths under age 16 may work:

• 7 am to 7 pm (9 pm from June 1 through Labor Day and school vacations of 5 or more days)
• 8 hours/day, 40 hours/week (3 hours/day, 18 hours/week when school is in session)

Youth 16 or older may work:

• 7 am to 11 pm when school is in session (6 am if not employed after 8 pm the night before)
• 7 am to 8 pm for door-to-door sales

Breaks

Youth must be given a 30-minute rest period for every 5 consecutive hours of work.

Permits

Youth under 18 years of age must have age and school certificates issued by local school officials, to be returned within 5 days of termination. Records of occupations, daily hours, starting and stopping times, mealtimes, and wages must be retained for two years.

Postings

Summary of child labor laws and a list of all employed minors.

State

Contact

Ohio Department of Commerce, Division of Labor and Worker Safety

Regulations

Ohio Revised Code – Employment of Minors - Title 41, Chapter 4109

Ohio Administrative Code – Employment of Minors in Occupations Hazardous or Detrimental to Health and Well-Being - Chapter 4101:9-2

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.

Department of Labor

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