How many hours can minors work in Texas?
Child labor rules layer federal and Texas standards, and the employer is responsible for following whichever rule is stricter in each situation.
Last updated: July 03, 2026
Direct Answer
In Texas, 14 and 15 year olds face the tightest limits: under federal rules that apply to most employers, they may work no more than 3 hours on a school day, 18 hours in a school week, 8 hours on a non-school day, and 40 hours in a non-school week, and only between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. during the school year (9 p.m. in summer). Workers aged 16 and 17 have no federal hour limits but are barred from hazardous occupations until 18.
What This Means for Employers
Two systems apply at once. Federal law under the FLSA sets the hour and time-of-day limits for 14 and 15 year olds and the hazardous occupation bans for everyone under 18. Texas law adds its own child labor provisions enforced by the Texas Workforce Commission, with state hour restrictions for 14 and 15 year olds and its own penalty structure. The employer must satisfy both.
Age 16 changes the hours but never the hazards. Sixteen and seventeen year olds may work long and late, but they may not operate most power-driven machinery, drive as a routine job duty except under narrow rules, work in roofing or excavation, or perform other listed hazardous occupations. Restaurants and retail trip on the details: dough mixers, meat slicers, and trash compactors are on the prohibited list.
What Employers Usually Miss
Proof of age is the cheap insurance. Employers should verify and retain age documentation for every worker under 18, because a good-faith age record is a meaningful protection when a minor turns out to be younger than claimed.
Scheduling software does not know the law. If your scheduling tool cannot flag school-day limits and curfews for 14 and 15 year olds, a supervisor must, and that responsibility should be written down rather than assumed.
Child Labor Risks to Watch
Child labor penalties are assessed per violation and are rising in enforcement priority. Watch for these.
- 14 or 15 year olds scheduled past curfew or beyond school-day limits
- Minors operating slicers, mixers, compactors, or other prohibited equipment
- 16 or 17 year olds driving for the business outside the narrow permitted rules
- No age verification records on file
- Volunteer or intern labels used to sidestep the rules for minors
What to Review Before You Act
List every employee under 18, verify ages with documents on file, and check each schedule against the applicable limits. Then walk the job duties against the hazardous occupation list, which catches more employers than the hour rules do.
Assign one owner for minor scheduling compliance in each location. Distributed responsibility is how curfew violations happen.
When to Get HR Help
Get help before hiring minors for the first time, or before a summer hiring wave, because building the schedule template correctly once prevents violations all season.
If you have already received a child labor inquiry from the TWC or Department of Labor, respond with guidance rather than improvisation.
Get a Straight Answer for Your Situation
General rules only go so far. If this question is live in your organization right now, talk it through with a senior HR consultant before you act. One conversation now costs less than one claim later.
Contact UsThis page provides general HR information for employers and is not legal advice. For legal interpretation or representation, consult qualified employment counsel.