labor lawAdivision of labor law center

On the California Department of Labor website, I found a huge chart describing all of the child labor laws in the state. It is quite an extensive chart, but when boiled down the laws are similar to other states’ laws. You can find detailed descriptions on the California Child Labor Law Posters. Each employer in the state needs to have the California Child Labor Law Posters in an area where they are accessible by all employees, like a work area or break room. There are many restrictions for when and how many hours minors are permitted to work. Minors aged 12 and 13 are permitted only to work during school holidays. Minors aged 14 and 15 can work up to 3 hours on a school day, 8 hours on a non-school day, 18 hours per week during the entire school year, and 40 hours per week when school is not in session. Both of the previous listed sets of minors can work between 7 AM and 7 PM (extended to 9 PM June 1^st through Labor Day). Minors aged 16 and 17 can work up to 4 hours on a school day, 8 hours on a non-school day and 48 hours during both the school year and when school is not in session. These minors can work between 5 AM and 10 PM (extended to 12:30 AM when the following day is not a school day).

In California, work permits are required for all minors until they graduate from high school or pass a high school equivalency test.
As in all of the states, California restricts which jobs a minor may work in. These jobs are considered by the federal government to be hazardous to the minor’s health. Some of these jobs are mining, roofing, demolition, wrecking, and other similar jobs.

I hope this basic overview of the child labor laws in California has come in handy. If you need additional information, the California Child Labor Law Posters are a great source. Or, if you want even more information, find a copy of the California Complete Labor Law poster.

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