Florida Labor Laws for 17-Year-Olds: Hours, Breaks, and Pay

Florida labor laws for 17-year-olds cap work at 30 hours per week and 8 hours per day when school is in session, forbid shifts before 6:30 a.m. or after 11 p.m. on nights before a school day, and bar anyone under 18 from a long list of hazardous jobs. During summer and school breaks, the hour and curfew limits fall away, but the hazardous-work rules and the meal-break rule stay in place all year. Everything below comes from Chapter 450 of the Florida Statutes and the federal rules that layer on top of it.

School-Year Hour Limits

When school is in session, three restrictions apply to 17-year-olds:

No work before 6:30 a.m. or after 11 p.m. on any night when school is scheduled the following day.
No more than 8 hours in a day when school is scheduled the next day, unless the workday is a Sunday or holiday.
No more than 30 hours in a week while school is in session.¹

A separate rule bars a 17-year-old who is not enrolled in a career education program from working at all during school hours on a school day, no matter how many weekly hours they have left.¹

The phrase “when school is scheduled the following day” is doing real work. A Friday night shift with no Saturday school is not bound by the 11 p.m. cutoff or the 8-hour daily cap. The limits return Sunday night if Monday is a school day.

Summer and School Breaks

Florida ties its hour restrictions to the school calendar, not the season. The 11 p.m. curfew, the 8-hour day, and the 30-hour week all apply only “when school is scheduled the following day” or “when school is in session.”¹ Once summer vacation or an extended break starts, none of those caps apply under state law, and federal law adds no hour restrictions for 16- and 17-year-olds either. In practice, a 17-year-old can work full-time hours over the summer. The hazardous-occupation rules and the meal-break requirement still apply.

Meal Breaks

When a 17-year-old works 8 or more hours in a day, the employer has to provide at least a 30-minute meal break, and it has to come before the worker hits 4 continuous hours without one. A shorter break does not count.¹

This holds whenever the 8-hour threshold is hit, school year or summer. Employers sometimes miss it because Florida has no general meal-break law for adult workers. For minors, skipping it is a child labor violation.

Raising the 30-Hour Cap With a Waiver

The 30-hour weekly cap can be lifted to 40 hours with a signed waiver. Either a parent or legal guardian, or a school superintendent (or designee), can sign a form prescribed by the Department of Business and Professional Regulation. The form has to be notarized, the employer has to keep a copy in the minor’s employment records, and it has to be produced on request. Each waiver is good for one year or until the minor turns 18, whichever comes first.²

Who Is Exempt From the Hour Rules

Some 17-year-olds are exempt from every hour restriction listed above, including the curfew, the daily and weekly caps, and the meal-break rule:

A 17-year-old who has already graduated high school or holds a high school equivalency diploma.
A minor who holds a valid certificate of exemption from the school superintendent under Florida’s compulsory attendance law.
A minor still enrolled in school who receives a written hardship waiver from the superintendent based on economic necessity or a family emergency. The waiver has to be issued to both the minor and the employer.¹

Jobs a 17-Year-Old Cannot Do

Florida bars everyone under 18 from a long list of hazardous occupations, and no waiver, parental consent, or school sign-off changes that. The state list in Section 450.061 includes explosives and radioactive materials, scaffolding or roofs above six feet, toxic substances including pesticides, mining, power-driven woodworking or metalworking machines, slaughtering and meat-packing, demolition, excavation, and logging.³

Federal law adds a second layer. The U.S. Department of Labor’s 17 Hazardous Occupation Orders apply to all 16- and 17-year-olds nationwide and cover things like power-driven bakery machines, coal mining, and brick or tile manufacturing. The state and federal lists overlap but are not identical, so if either one prohibits a task, a 17-year-old cannot do it.⁴

Federal rules do carve out narrow openings for a 17-year-old enrolled in a recognized cooperative vocational training program. As a student-learner, they can perform certain otherwise-prohibited tasks when the work is incidental to training, done in short periods under close supervision, and covered by a written agreement signed by both the employer and the school. A handful of the Hazardous Occupation Orders, including those for power-driven woodworking machines, roofing, and excavation, also permit registered apprentices on similar conditions.⁵

One restriction catches employers off guard: a 17-year-old cannot serve, prepare, or sell alcoholic beverages. Florida allows alcohol-related work only for workers who are 18 or older under the beverage law’s licensing provisions.⁶ A 17-year-old can work in a restaurant that serves alcohol but cannot pour, mix, or carry drinks to tables.

Pay

Florida’s minimum wage is $14.00 per hour through September 29, 2026, and rises to $15.00 per hour on September 30, 2026. The rate applies to all workers, including 17-year-olds. Florida does not have a state youth or training wage that lets employers pay less.

Federal law allows a “youth opportunity wage” of $4.25 per hour for workers under 20 during their first 90 calendar days with any employer, with the clock running on calendar days rather than days worked.⁷ Because Florida’s state minimum is higher than the federal rate, the state rate controls. The federal youth wage only comes into play in states where the state minimum equals the federal $7.25.

No Work Permit, But Proof of Age Required

Florida does not use work permits or working papers for minors. What the employer has to do is obtain and keep proof of the minor’s age on file for the entire period of employment.⁸ A birth certificate, driver’s license, or passport does the job. The Department of Business and Professional Regulation can enter a workplace unannounced during business hours and inspect these records.⁹

Despite what some employers ask for, no school “authorization” is required for a 17-year-old to work during the school year. Schools are involved only in issuing a 30-hour waiver or a compulsory attendance exemption certificate. General parental consent is not a legal requirement to hire a 17-year-old either, though a parent can sign the 30-hour waiver.

Penalties for Employers

Florida enforces child labor rules through both civil fines and criminal charges. The Department of Business and Professional Regulation can impose civil fines of up to $2,500 per offense, but only after issuing a written notice describing the violation and giving the employer time to correct it. Fines follow when the employer fails to act within that window.¹⁰

On the criminal side, any child labor violation is a second-degree misdemeanor, carrying up to 60 days in jail.¹¹ Each day a violation continues is a separate offense, and each affected minor is a separate offense. An employer who schedules three 17-year-olds past the curfew for five nights has committed 15 offenses, not one. The most severe penalty applies when an employer causes or permits a minor under 18 to suffer physical pain, mental suffering, or danger to life or health, which is a second-degree felony.¹²

How to Report a Violation

A 17-year-old or their parent can report a child labor violation to the Department of Business and Professional Regulation online, by mail, or by calling the Customer Contact Center at (850) 487-1395.¹³ The department’s Child Labor Program has a direct line at 1-800-226-2536.⁹

Wage disputes, including unpaid hours or pay below minimum wage, go to the federal Wage and Hour Division. You can file online or call 1-866-487-9243. The nearest field office will make contact within two business days, and if an investigation confirms the violation, you can receive a check for the wages owed.¹⁴

Florida law prohibits retaliation against workers who file complaints or report violations. A 17-year-old cannot legally be fired, have hours cut, or be otherwise punished for reporting a child labor issue.

1
Florida Senate. Florida Code 450.081 – Hours of Employment of Minors
2
Department of Business and Professional Regulation. Parental School 30-Hour Waiver Form
3
The Florida Legislature. Florida Statutes 450.061 – Hazardous Occupations Prohibited; Exemptions
4
eCFR. 29 CFR Part 570 – Child Labor Regulations, Orders and Statements of Interpretation
5
eCFR. 29 CFR Part 570 Subpart E – Occupations Particularly Hazardous for Minors Between 16 and 18
6
The Florida Legislature. Florida Statutes 562.111 – Possession of Alcoholic Beverages by Persons Under Age 21
7
U.S. Department of Labor. Fact Sheet 32 – Youth Minimum Wage – Fair Labor Standards Act
8
The Florida Legislature. Florida Statutes 450.045 – Proof of Identity and Age; Posting of Notices
9
Department of Business and Professional Regulation. Child Labor FAQs
10
The Florida Legislature. Florida Statutes 450.141 – Employing Minor Children in Violation of Law; Penalties
11
Florida Senate. Florida Code 775.082 – Sentencing for Crimes
12
The Florida Legislature. Florida Statutes 450.151 – Hiring and Employing; Infliction of Pain or Suffering; Penalty
13
Department of Business and Professional Regulation. File a Complaint
14
Worker.gov. Filing a Complaint With the Wage and Hour Division