Child Labor Laws in Michigan: Permits, Hour Limits, and Penalties

Child labor laws in Michigan are set by the Youth Employment Standards Act, Public Act 90 of 1978. The law covers anyone under 18: it sets a minimum working age of 14 for most jobs, requires a work permit tied to each specific employer, caps daily and weekly hours (with tighter limits during the school year), bans hazardous work outright, and sets a reduced minimum wage for minors. Here is what parents, teens, and employers need to know before that first shift.

How Old You Have to Be to Work

For most non-agricultural jobs in Michigan, you have to be at least 14.1Michigan Legislature. Michigan Compiled Laws 409.103 – Employment of Minor; Prohibited Occupations; Minimum Age; Exceptions and Limitations Two narrow exceptions let younger children work:

  • Age 11 and older: golf caddy, or bridge caddy at events sanctioned by the American Contract Bridge League or a similar national organization.
  • Age 13 and older: certain farming operations.

No child under 14 may work in retail, food service, or any other standard commercial setting. The younger-age exceptions are limited to light-duty tasks with no hazardous equipment.

Work Permits

Every worker under 18 needs a valid work permit before the first shift. Michigan uses two forms:

A permit is tied to one specific job with one specific employer, so switching jobs means getting a new permit. The minor must already have a firm offer before applying; there is no “just in case” permit.

The minor and a parent or guardian fill out the personal-details section. The employer completes the section covering the business, the job title, the duties, and any equipment involved. An issuing officer — usually at the student’s school — verifies age with a birth certificate, driver’s license, hospital birth record, or school record and signs off. The employer keeps the completed permit on site for as long as the minor is employed. Letting a minor start work without that permit on file is already a violation.4Bloomfield Hills Schools. State of Michigan Combined Offer of Employment and Work Permit/Age Certificate

Hour Limits by Age

Michigan sets different work-hour rules for minors under 16 and those who are 16 or 17, and the limits tighten while school is in session. When federal Fair Labor Standards Act rules also apply, the stricter of the two standards controls.5State of Michigan. The Youth Employment Standards Act Public Act 90 of 1978, as Amended Frequently Asked Questions

Ages 14 and 15

During a school week, a 14- or 15-year-old can work no more than 3 hours on a school day and no more than 18 hours in the week, and only outside school hours. In non-school weeks, the cap rises to 40 hours.6Michigan Legislature. Michigan Compiled Laws 409.110 – Hours of Employment for Minors Under 16

Time of day matters too. From the day after Labor Day through May 31, work is allowed only between 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. From June 1 through Labor Day, the evening cutoff extends to 9:00 p.m. That 7:00 p.m. cutoff during the school year catches many employers off guard.

Ages 16 and 17

Older teens get more flexibility. On school nights, they cannot work between 10:30 p.m. and 6:30 a.m. On Friday and Saturday nights and during school vacations, that prohibited window shifts to 11:30 p.m. to 6:30 a.m. When the minor is not enrolled in school at all, the window is 11:30 p.m. to 6:00 a.m.7U.S. Department of Labor. Selected State Child Labor Standards Affecting Minors Under 18 in Non-farm Employment

During non-school weeks, 16- and 17-year-olds can work up to 10 hours a day and 48 hours a week.8University of Michigan. Employment of Minors – Standard Practice Guides When school is in session, combined school attendance and work hours cannot exceed 48 hours in a single week. A student in class 35 hours a week can work no more than 13 hours that week. This combined cap is the rule employers most often miss.

Meal Breaks

Every minor, regardless of age, must get at least a 30-minute meal and rest break after 5 continuous hours of work. A shorter break does not count and does not reset the clock.

Jobs Minors Cannot Do

Michigan flatly bans minors from work classified as hazardous, and no parental consent or safety training gets around the ban. The prohibited list is long, but the major categories are:9Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity. Youth Employment Standards Act, 1978 Public Act 90 – Hazardous Occupations Table

Working Around Alcohol

The alcohol rules are not a blanket ban. A minor 16 or older may work at a restaurant or store that sells alcohol, but only if food or other goods account for at least 50% of the establishment’s gross receipts. If alcohol sales dominate, no minor may work there. Fourteen- and fifteen-year-olds face a tighter rule: even at a qualifying establishment, they cannot work in or around the area where alcohol is consumed or sold for on-premises consumption. No minor of any age may sell, serve, or furnish alcoholic beverages.

Driving for the Job

Under the federal rules that apply to most Michigan employers, no one under 17 may drive on public roads as part of the job. Seventeen-year-olds may drive only under narrow conditions: the vehicle must be 6,000 pounds gross vehicle weight or less, driving must be during daylight, within a 30-mile radius of the workplace, and occasional and incidental (no more than one-third of the workday or 20% of the workweek). Route deliveries, pizza delivery, and transporting passengers for hire are excluded outright.12U.S. Department of Labor. Fact Sheet – Hazardous Occupations Order No. 2 Youth Employment Provision and Driving Automobiles and Trucks Under the FLSA

What Minors Get Paid

Pay for minors is governed by the Improved Workforce Opportunity Wage Act (Public Act 337 of 2018). Two reduced rates matter:

  • Training wage: an employer may pay any new employee under 20 a training wage of $4.25 per hour for the first 90 days. After 90 days, at least the applicable minimum wage must apply.13Michigan Legislature. Michigan Compiled Laws 408.934b – Training Hourly Wage
  • Minor wage: employees under 18 may be paid 85% of Michigan’s standard minimum wage. As of January 1, 2026, the state minimum wage is $13.73 per hour, so the minor rate is $11.67.14State of Michigan. LEO – Minimum Wage and Overtime

The two rates work together. A 16-year-old new hire earns the $4.25 training wage during the first 90 days, then at least $11.67. Once the worker turns 18, the full $13.73 applies. Employers cannot use the training wage to displace an existing worker and refill the job at a lower rate.

Overtime rules apply to minors the same way they apply to adults: any non-exempt worker who works more than 40 hours in a week must be paid 1.5 times the regular rate for the excess. Given the weekly caps, this rarely comes up for workers under 16 but can apply to 16- and 17-year-olds during summer and school breaks.

Losing a Permit Over Grades or Attendance

A work permit is not permanent. If a minor’s school attendance or academic performance drops after they start working, the issuing officer can suspend the permit. The law specifically targets a pattern of erratic or unexcused absences that pulls schoolwork below the level the student maintained before employment.15Michigan Legislature. Michigan Compiled Laws 409.107 – Refusal, Suspension, or Revocation of Work Permit

The process is staged. The officer must first suspend the permit and notify both the minor and the employer, giving the student a chance to correct the problem. An attendance-based suspension cannot last longer than 30 days after notification. If things do not improve, the permit can then be formally revoked, and the student must be told how to appeal.

Penalties and How to Report a Violation

Michigan’s penalty structure is tiered, and the most serious offenses carry felony charges:

  • Employing a minor in violation of the Act, or obstructing enforcement, is a misdemeanor punishable by up to 1 year in jail, a fine of up to $500, or both.
  • A first offense under Section 12a (hour and permit violations) carries up to 1 year in jail and a $2,000 fine. A second offense: up to 2 years and $5,000. A third or subsequent offense becomes a felony, with up to 10 years in prison and a $10,000 fine.
  • Employing a minor in violation of Section 14a is a felony from the first offense, punishable by up to 20 years in prison and a $20,000 fine.16Michigan Legislature. Michigan Compiled Laws 409.122 – Violation as Misdemeanor or Felony; Penalties

Federal penalties stack on top when the employer is covered by the FLSA.17U.S. Department of Labor. Fact Sheet – Child Labor Provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act for Nonagricultural Occupations

Anyone who suspects a violation can file a complaint with the Wage and Hour Division of the Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity. File online through the state’s Youth Employment Standards Act complaint portal, or download form WHD-9406 and mail or fax it to the Wage and Hour Division at PO Box 30476, Lansing, MI 48909-7976 (fax 517-763-0110). Complaints may be anonymous. For questions or case status, call 855-464-9243.18State of Michigan. YESA Complaint Form