U.S. Department of Labor 

Employment Standards Administration 

Wage and Hour Division 

 (Revised July 2008) 

Fact Sheet #40: Federal Youth Employment Laws in Farm Jobs 

The Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 (FLSA) as amended, sets standards for youth employment in agriculture. 

These standards differ from those for nonfarm jobs. 

To Which Agricultural Workers does the FLSA Apply? 

The FLSA covers employees whose work involves production of agricultural goods which will leave the state 

directly or indirectly and become a part of interstate commerce. 

What are the Minimum Age Standards for Agricultural Employment? 

Youths ages 16 and above may work in any farm job at any time. 

Youths aged 14 and 15 may work outside school hours in jobs not declared hazardous by the Secretary of 

Labor. 

Youths 12 and 13 years of age may work outside of school hours in non-hazardous jobs on farms that also 

employ their parent(s) or with written parental consent. 

Youths under 12 years of age may work outside of school hours in non-hazardous jobs with parental consent, 

but only on farms where none of the employees are subject to the minimum wage requirements of the FLSA. 

Local youths 10 and 11 may hand harvest short-season crops outside school hours for no more than 8 weeks 

between June 1 and October 15 if their employers have obtained special waivers from the Secretary of Labor. 

Youths of any age may work at any time in any job on a farm owned or operated by their parents. 

What are the Hazardous Occupations in Agriculture? 

Minors under 16 may not work in the following occupations declared hazardous by the Secretary of Labor: 

• operating a tractor of over 20 PTO horsepower, or connecting or disconnecting an implement or any of 

its parts to or from such a tractor; 

• operating or working with a corn picker, cotton picker, grain combine, hay mower, forage harvester, hay 

baler, potato digger, mobile pea viner, feed grinder, crop dryer, forage blower, auger conveyor, 

unloading mechanism of a nongravity-type self-unloading wagon or trailer, power post-hole digger, 

power post driver, or nonwalking-type rotary tiller; 

• operating or working with a trencher or earthmoving equipment, fork lift, potato combine, or powerdriven circular, band or chain saw; 

• working in a yard, pen, or stall occupied by a bull, boar, or stud horse maintained for breeding purposes; 

a sow with suckling pigs; or a cow with a newborn calf (with umbilical cord present); 

• felling, buckling, skidding, loading, or unloading timber with a butt diameter or more than 6 inches; 

• working from a ladder or scaffold at a height of over 20 feet; 

• driving a bus, truck or automobile to transport passengers, or riding on a tractor as a passenger or helper; 
• working inside: a fruit, forage, or grain storage designed to retain an oxygen-deficient or toxic 

atmosphere; an upright silo within 2 weeks after silage has been added or when a top unloading device is 

in operating position; a manure pit; or a horizontal silo while operating a tractor for packing purposes; 

• handling or applying toxic agricultural chemical identified by the words "danger," "poison," or "warning 

or a skull and crossbones on the label; 

• handling or using explosives; and 

• transporting, transferring, or applying anhydrous ammonia. 

The prohibition of employment in hazardous occupations does not apply to youths employed on farms owned 

or operated by their parents. In addition, there are some exemptions from the prohibitions: 

• 14 and 15-year old student learners enrolled in vocational agricultural programs are exempt from certain 

hazardous occupations when certain requirements are met; and 

• minors aged 14 and 15 who hold certificates of completion of training under a 4-H or vocational 

agriculture training program may work outside school hours on certain equipment for which they have 

been trained. 

What if state youth employment standards differ from federal standards? 

Many states have laws setting standards for youth employment in agriculture. When both state and federal 

youth employment laws apply, the law setting the most stringent standard must be observed. 

Who enforces the federal youth employment laws? 

The Wage and Hour Division of the U.S. Labor Department's Employment Standards Administration enforces 

the laws. Employers may be fined up to $11,000 for each youth employment violation. 

Where to Obtain Additional Information 

For additional information, visit our Wage and Hour Division Website: http://www.wagehour.dol.gov

and/or call our toll-free information and helpline, available 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. in your time zone, 1-866-

4USWAGE (1-866-487-9243). 

This publication is for general information and is not to be considered in the same light as official statements of 

position contained in the regulations. 

U.S. Department of Labor

Frances Perkins Building 

200 Constitution Avenue, NW 

Washington, DC 20210 

1-866-4-USWAGE

 TTY: 1-866-487-9243

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