Everybody hopes to find a job and start earning an income sooner or later. That’s why many young people are eagerly waiting to attain their legal working age so that they can start making money for their upkeep.
Different American states have varying legal working age limits that parents, young people, and employers must be aware of to avoid getting into trouble with the law for child labor. So, what is the legal working age in California?
What’s the Legal Working Age in California?
In California, juveniles are generally allowed to start working for a salary at the age of 14 years. But they need to get a work permit, commonly referred to as the “Permit to Employ and Work”. Furthermore, there are several exemptions to these requirements.
As a parent to a minor who wants to work or as a potential employer in California receiving job applications from minors who have attained 14 years, you need to be aware of these requirements and the existing exceptions. Although California labor law requires 14-year-olds to have a work permit, it allows 12-year-olds to mow lawns, babysit, and have paper routes without a work permit. For jobs in the entertainment industry, there are special regulations that put the minimum legal working age at 15 days old.
Please note that minors seeking employment in California before they graduate from high school must get a permit to employ and work. This permit can be obtained from your school because the form is generated by the California Department of Education. This form is titled “Statement of Intent to Employ Minor and Request for Work Permit.”
Parents and/ or legal guardians of minors seeking employment in California are required to sign the form. Once the parent and/ or guardian sign the form, the school administration in the local school district will issue the permit to the minor. Important details are included in the work permit, including where the minor can work, the roles they can work in, the maximum number of hours they can work in a day or week, the range of workers they can work during the day, and any other limitations and restrictions.
The department of education in California reserves the right to issue and revoke the work permit for minors. Several reasons can compel the department to revoke the permit, including any evidence showing that the work has negatively affected the work is negatively affecting minor’s safety, education, and overall well-being. This permit can also be withdrawn if its special requirements aren’t fulfilled.
It’s important to note that minors in California don’t need a work permit when they are self-employed or work irregular jobs in private homes like mowing lawns and babysitting. Otherwise, minors need to obtain this permit and their employers must keep a copy of it at their workplace all the time. The employer is required to produce this work permit upon request by school attendance officials, probation officers, officers of the Division of Labor Standards Enforcement, and workers for the State Board of Education.
As an employer in California, you must have a permit to employ or work as long as you’ve employed a minor, even if the minor is your own kid. The only exception to this requirement is if the minor is working in agriculture, viticulture, domestic labor, horticulture, or work related to a property that their parent or guardian owns or controls. Additionally, the Permit to Employ and Work expires five days after the start of the next school year.
Jobs That Minors in California Can’t Work
As a parent, guardian, or employer, you need to be aware of the kind of work that minors can and can’t do in California to avoid getting into trouble with the law. The federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) prohibits minors from working certain jobs based on their age.
For instance, minors below the age of 16 years should not work on railroads, in boats, on scaffolding, in tunnels or mines, in factories that manufacture or package tobacco products, as truck or car drivers, and in places where they have to deal with dangerous chemicals. This law basically prohibits minors from working in any dangerous environment.
The Federal law further prohibits minors below 18 years of age from working in various dangerous industries like the logging and sawing industry, powerlifting and hoisting industry, meat processing industry, bakery, roofing industry, and excavation industry. When the state and federal laws conflict, the most protective law prevails. It’s also important for you to be aware of the restricted occupations for minors in California.
Although minors are allowed to work in these occupations, there are specific conditions that must be met. For instance, minors can work in stores that package alcoholic beverages for off-site consumption, but they must be under constant surveillance of someone who is above 21 years old. In certain limited situations, minors younger than 14 years can be allowed to work in the entertainment industry as actors.
But they must have a work permit for this job. Minors working in the entertainment industry are allowed to work in specific areas, including theatre, photography, rodeos, circuses, movies, modeling, publicity, musical performances, recording studios, and television. Employers of such minors must comply with the laid-down regulations regarding the number of hours that minors can work and school attendance.
Kids who are above 12 years are allowed to distribute newspapers, circulars, periodicals, and magazines, as long as they do not go beyond 50 miles away from their homes. They are also permitted to go door-to-door or set up a stand at a fixed location on the street to sell cookies, flowers, and candy. But kids engaging in these activities must work as a group or in pairs, be under the constant supervision of an adult, and be returned home or to their meeting place each day.
Minors who are working any of these occupations and haven’t graduated from high school must continue to attend school on a full-time basis. If the minors are over 16 years of age and haven’t graduated from high school, they must attend their continuation school for a minimum of 4 hours a week and at least 15 hours a week if it’s not regular employment.
According to child labor laws in California, the number of hours that minors can work every day depends on their age and schooling schedule. If the minor is below 16 years of age and isn’t attending school, they can work up to 8 hours a day and 40 hours a week. Minors above 16 years who aren’t attending school can work up to 8 hours a day and 48 hours a week.
When a minor is supposed to go to school, these rules change depending on their age. For instance, minors between 12 and 13 years of age are only allowed to work during school holidays. So, it’s illegal to allow a school-going minor within this age bracket to work on a school day.
If the minor is above 14 years, they can work on a school day provided they’ve completed grade 7. But even these minors should only work for three hours a day outside school hours. If the school isn’t in session, the minors are allowed to work 8 hours a day and 18 hours a week.
Minors who are between 16 and 17 years old are allowed to work 4 hours a day on a school day, but outside school hours, and 8 hours a day on non-school days. They should only work a maximum of 48 hours a week. California’s child labor law also regulates the time of day that minors should work.
Minors below 15 years of age are allowed to work between 7 am and 7 pm, or between 1st June and Labor Day, between 7 am and 9 pm. Those aged between 16 and 17 years can work between 5 am and 10 pm. But if the following day isn’t a school day, they can work between 5 am and 12 am.
