Connecticut · Minors · Updated April 2026

CT minors: hour caps, time-of-day, working papers.

Connecticut imposes layered restrictions on workers under 18 under Conn. Gen. Stat. § 31-23 et seq. Workers ages 14-15 face the strictest limits: maximum 18 hours per school week, 40 hours non-school week, no work between 7 PM and 7 AM (school days) or 9 PM and 7 AM (non-school days). Workers 16-17 face moderate limits: maximum 32 hours per school week (8 hours per school day), 48 hours non-school week, no work between 11 PM and 6 AM (school days). All under-18s require working papers (Form 1A or B) issued by school or town clerk. Hazardous occupations (operating power equipment, working at heights, certain chemical exposure) prohibited entirely for under-18s. Violations trigger civil penalties under § 31-23 plus potential federal FLSA exposure.

14-15 Cap (school week)
18 hours
16-17 Cap (school week)
32 hours
Working Papers
Required
Active

Minor Employment Compliance

Validates minor age and working papers at hire. Enforces hour caps and time-of-day restrictions in scheduling. Blocks hazardous occupation assignments.

Block schedule violating minor hour caps or time-of-day
Block hazardous occupation assignment for under-18s
Flag · working papers required for hire
Avoid · school week vs non-school week boundaries
Always running

What those rules do at hire and at scheduling.

The hero card configuration: Block on hour/time/hazard violations, Flag on papers, Avoid on week boundaries.

Block · schedule violating hour caps or time-of-day

Schedules exceeding minor hour caps (18/40 for 14-15, 32/48 for 16-17) or time-of-day restrictions (7-9 PM cutoffs for 14-15, 11 PM cutoff for 16-17 on school days) fail to save.

Block · hazardous occupation assignment

Federal FLSA Hazardous Occupations Orders (HOs) prohibit under-18s from operating power equipment, working at heights, certain chemical exposure, and other dangerous tasks. Assignment to these tasks is blocked.

Flag · working papers required for hire

Workers under 18 require working papers (Form 1A for 16-17, Form B for 14-15) issued by school or town clerk. Papers must be on file before first shift.

Avoid · school week vs non-school week boundaries

Hour caps differ by school session status. Week of school holidays gets non-school treatment. Summer weeks (when school not in session) get non-school caps. Pattern misclassification risk during transitions.

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Tell us about your Connecticut workforce. We'll spin up working papers validation, age-based hour cap enforcement, time-of-day blocking, hazardous occupation prevention, and 21 other Connecticut policies in a sandbox tenant.

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The rule, plainly stated

Layered restrictions by age, school session, time-of-day, occupation hazard.

Connecticut's minor employment framework is among the more restrictive in the country — layered to address education, safety, and developmental concerns.

Conn. Gen. Stat. § 31-23 et seq. — Minor Employment: No minor under the age of eighteen years shall be employed or permitted to work in any occupation declared by the Labor Commissioner to be hazardous, and minor employment shall be subject to maximum hours and time-of-day restrictions established by the regulations of Connecticut state agencies.

Ages 14-15: strictest limits

Workers ages 14-15 face the strictest limits: School week (when school in session): maximum 18 hours per week, 3 hours per school day, 8 hours per non-school day. Non-school week (summer or school break): maximum 40 hours per week, 8 hours per day. Time-of-day: no work between 7 PM and 7 AM during the school year; between June 1 and Labor Day, may work until 9 PM. Workers under 14 are generally prohibited from employment except in narrow exceptions (newspaper delivery, agricultural work, family business).

Ages 16-17: moderate limits

Workers ages 16-17 face moderate limits: School week: maximum 32 hours per week (typically 8 hours per school day, with breaks). Non-school week: maximum 48 hours per week. Time-of-day: on school days, no work between 11 PM and 6 AM; on non-school days, may work until 1 AM (with parental consent). Restaurants and retail employing 16-17 year olds during school year face the 32-hour cap as the operational gate.

On autopilot

Teambridge validates working papers, enforces hour caps and time-of-day, blocks hazardous tasks.

The layered restrictions plus dual state/federal enforcement makes minor employment compliance an operational gate at scheduling.

01 · Working papers validation at hire

Form B / 1A on file before first shift.

When a minor is hired, working papers (Form B for 14-15, Form 1A for 16-17) must be on file before the first shift. Hire workflow blocks first shift if papers are missing.

02 · Hour cap enforcement

Age + school session = applicable cap.

Each worker's age and the school session status determine the applicable hour caps. Schedules attempting to exceed the cap fail to save.

03 · Time-of-day enforcement

No work in restricted windows.

Time-of-day windows enforced: 14-15 ages can't work 7 PM-7 AM (school days), 9 PM-7 AM (summer); 16-17 ages can't work 11 PM-6 AM (school days). Schedules in restricted windows blocked.

04 · Hazardous occupation block

FLSA HOs prevent assignment.

Tasks subject to FLSA Hazardous Occupations Orders are prevented from assignment to under-18s. The block is absolute — no exceptions.

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FAQ

People also ask.

What are Connecticut's minor employment hour caps?
Ages 14-15: 18 hours/school week (3 per school day, 8 per non-school day), 40 hours/non-school week. Ages 16-17: 32 hours/school week, 48 hours/non-school week.
What are the time-of-day restrictions?
Ages 14-15: no work 7 PM-7 AM during school year; until 9 PM allowed June 1 through Labor Day. Ages 16-17: no work 11 PM-6 AM on school days; until 1 AM allowed on non-school days with parental consent.
Do under-18s need working papers in Connecticut?
Yes. Form B for ages 14-15; Form 1A for ages 16-17. Issued by the worker's school or local town clerk. Must be on file before the first shift — first-shift employment without papers triggers civil penalty exposure.
What occupations are prohibited for under-18s?
Federal FLSA Hazardous Occupations Orders (HO 1-17): operating power machinery (saws, slicers, mixers, hoists); working at heights; operating motor vehicles; certain chemical exposure; meatpacking; mining; and other dangerous occupations. Connecticut adopts federal HOs.
What's the exposure on minor employment violations?
State civil penalties under § 31-23: $500-$2,500 per violation, separate violations counted per minor and per week. Federal FLSA child labor: civil penalties up to $11,000-$70,000 per violation. Combined state + federal exposure on multi-worker violations reaches 6-figures.
Are minors exempt from PSL or PFML?
No. Minor workers are covered by Paid Sick Leave on the same accrual schedule as adult workers. CT PFML covers all employees regardless of age (subject to the $2,325 quarterly earnings test).