Permission to Work Form for Minors

According to the Fair Labor Standards Act, the minimum age of employment is 14 years of age.  In addition, the number of hours worked by minors is limited for those under the age of 16.  The FLSA prohibits the employment of a minor in work declared hazardous by the Secretary of Labor.  Below is a brief description of employment restrictions as determined by the age of the individual.

A youth 18 years or older – may perform any job, whether hazardous or not, for unlimited hours.

A youth 16 or 17 years old – may perform any non-hazardous job for unlimited hours. 

• The FLSA sets a 16-year-age minimum for employment in manufacturing or mining occupations.  Furthermore, this age minimum is applicable to employment in all other occupations unless otherwise provided by regulation or order issued by the Secretary of Labor.

A youth 14 and 15 years old – may work outside school hours in various non-manufacturing, non-mining, non-hazardous jobs.  They cannot work:

• More than 3 hours a day on school days, including Fridays;
• More than 18 hours per week in school weeks;
• More than 8 hours a day on non-school days;
• More than 40 hours per week when school is not in session.

*Also, 14- and 15-year-olds may not work before 7:00 a.m., or after 7:00 p.m., except from June 1 through Labor Day, when their permissible hours are extended to 9:00 p.m.

The following is a brief list of jobs/duties that a 14- and 15-year-old may NOT participate in …

• Construction or repair jobs
• Driving motor vehicles or helping a driver
• Power-driven machinery or hoisting apparatus other than typical office machines
• Public messenger jobs
• Warehousing and storage
• Boiler or engine room work, whether in or about
• Freezers or meat coolers work
• Maintenance or repair of a building or its equipment
• Warehouse work, except office and clerical work

• Baking and Cooking, except with gas or electric grilles that do not involve cooking over an open flame and with deep fat fryers that are equipped with and utilize devices that automatically lower and raise the baskets in and out of the hot grease or oil
• Operating, setting up, adjusting, cleaning, oiling, or repairing power-driven food slicers, grinders, choppers or cutters and bakery mixers
• Outside window washing, or work standing on a window sill, ladder, scaffold or similar equipment

Rosewood Academy & High School

Providing a church school cover for families homeschooling in Alabama

updated 06/2023