Iowa repealed child labor work permits in 2023.
While work permits are no longer required for minors in Iowa, significant restrictions on hours and hazardous occupations remain in effect. Employers must still comply with federal and state child labor laws regarding permissible work times, breaks, and prohibited duties for employees under 18 years of age. Special attention is needed for workers under 16 concerning consecutive work hours and mandated rest periods.
Iowa child labor (work permits repealed 2023)
Iowa repealed work permit requirement for minors in 2023. Hour and hazardous occupation restrictions remain. Workers under 16 working 5+ consecutive hours must receive 30-minute break. Workers under 18 cannot perform hazardous occupations.
What those rules do as a Iowa shift is created.
Teambridge automatically incorporates Iowa's child labor restrictions into scheduling and time tracking, ensuring compliance with both federal and state mandates regarding work hours, breaks, and prohibited duties for minors, even without the former work permit system.
Block hazardous assignments
Teambridge prevents scheduling minors (under 18) for any tasks or shifts designated as hazardous occupations, aligning with Iowa Code § 92.8 and federal FLSA child labor provisions.
Flag minor break violations
For workers under 16, Teambridge monitors consecutive work hours and flags any schedule or time entry that fails to provide a mandatory 30-minute break after five consecutive hours of work, as required by Iowa law.
Verify age-appropriate hours
The system cross-references employee age against shift duration and timing (e.g., school hours, night work) to ensure compliance with permissible work hours for minors under 14, 16, and 18 years old, flagging any potential overages or out-of-bounds shifts.
Stop worrying about child labor compliance.
Let Teambridge handle the complexities of Iowa's child labor laws, so you can focus on your business.
Iowa has eliminated work permit requirements for minors, but retains strict limits on hours and hazardous work.
Effective July 1, 2023, Iowa House File 578 repealed the requirement for minors to obtain work permits. However, employers must still adhere to specific state and federal child labor provisions concerning work hours, breaks, and prohibited occupations for minors, with different rules applying based on age groups.
Iowa Code Chapter 92 (Child Labor)
Work Hours and Breaks for Minors
Iowa law, while removing work permit requirements, continues to regulate the hours minors can work. For minors under 16 years of age, if they work five or more consecutive hours, they must be provided with a thirty-minute break. This break must be taken during the work period and not at the beginning or end of the shift. Additionally, federal FLSA rules on work hours for minors under 16 still apply, limiting work during school hours, restricting evening work, and capping weekly hours.
For minors aged 16 and 17, Iowa law generally aligns with federal FLSA standards, which do not typically restrict the number of hours or times of day they can work, except for hazardous occupations. However, employers must always ensure that minor employees are not placed in situations that endanger their health, safety, or well-being.
Hazardous Occupations
Iowa law strictly prohibits minors under the age of 18 from working in occupations deemed hazardous. These prohibitions largely mirror the hazardous occupation orders issued by the U.S. Department of Labor under the FLSA. Examples include, but are not limited to, working with power-driven machinery, operating hoisting apparatus, manufacturing explosives, and certain occupations in mining, logging, or meatpacking. Employers are responsible for identifying and preventing minors from engaging in these dangerous tasks to avoid significant penalties.
Teambridge ensures Iowa's child labor rules are always in effect.
Teambridge integrates Iowa's specific child labor laws directly into its platform, providing automated compliance checks for scheduling, shift management, and time tracking. This means you can confidently employ minors knowing all state and federal regulations are being met.
Automatic age verification and restriction application.
Upon employee onboarding, Teambridge records birth dates and automatically applies the correct set of child labor rules (e.g., under 14, 16, or 18) to their profile, ensuring all scheduling and task assignments are age-appropriate.
Mandatory break scheduling for younger minors.
For employees under 16, Teambridge's scheduling engine will automatically prompt for or insert a 30-minute break after five consecutive hours of work, preventing unintentional violations of Iowa's break requirements.
Prevents assignment to prohibited duties.
Tasks and job roles flagged as hazardous are automatically blocked from being assigned to employees under 18, protecting both the minor and the employer from non-compliance with Iowa Code Chapter 92 and federal FLSA.
Comprehensive records for compliance audits.
Teambridge maintains detailed records of all scheduled shifts, actual hours worked, and break compliance for minors, providing an indisputable audit trail for any state or federal labor department inquiries.