U.S. Department of Labor 

Wage and Hour Division 

 (Revised July 2009) 

Fact Sheet #8: Police and Fire Fighters Under the Fair Labor Standards Act 

(FLSA)

This fact sheet provides general information concerning the application of the FLSA to law enforcement and 

fire protection personnel of State and local governments. 

Characteristics 

Fire protection personnel employed by a fire department include firefighters, paramedics, emergency medical 

technicians, rescue workers, ambulance personnel, or hazardous materials workers who are: 

1. trained in fire suppression, 

2. have the legal authority and responsibility to engage in fire suppression, and 

3. are engaged in the prevention, control and extinguishment of fires or response to emergency situations 

where life, property, or the environment is at risk. 

Law enforcement personnel are employees who are empowered by State or local ordinance to enforce laws 

designed to maintain peace and order, protect life and property, and to prevent and detect crimes; who have the 

power to arrest; and who have undergone training in law enforcement. 

Coverage

Employees of State and local governments are covered by the FLSA (section 3(s)(1)(C)). 

Requirements 

Hours of work include all of the time an employee is on duty at the employer's establishment or at a prescribed 

work place, as well as all other time during which the employee is suffered or permitted to work for the 

employer. Under certain specified conditions time spent in sleeping and eating may be excluded from 

compensable time. 

The FLSA requires that all covered nonexempt employees be paid the statutory minimum wage of not less than 

$7.25 per hour effective July 24, 2009. 

The FLSA requires that all covered nonexempt employees be paid overtime pay at no less than time and onehalf their regular rates of pay for all hours worked in excess of 40 in a workweek. 

Section 13(b)(20) of the FLSA provides an overtime exemption to law enforcement or fire protection 

employees of a public agency which employs less than five employees in law enforcement or fire protection 

activities. 

Section 7(k) of the FLSA provides that employees engaged in fire protection or law enforcement may be paid 

overtime on a "work period" basis. A "work period" may be from 7 consecutive days to 28 consecutive days in 

length. For example, fire protection personnel are due overtime under such a plan after 212 hours worked 

during a 28-day period, while law enforcement personnel must receive overtime after 171 hours worked during 
a 28-day period. For work periods of at least 7 but less than 28 days, overtime pay is required when the number 

of hours worked exceeds the number of hours which bears the same relationship to 212 (fire) or 171 (police) as 

the number of days in the work period bears to 28. 

Under certain prescribed conditions, a State or local government agency may give compensatory time at a rate 

of not less than one and one-half hours for each overtime hour worked, in lieu of cash overtime compensation. 

Employees engaged in police and fire protection work may accrue up to 480 hours of compensatory time. 

An employee should be permitted to use compensatory time within a reasonable period after making the 

request, if doing so does not "unduly disrupt" the operations of the employer. 

At the time of termination an employee must be paid the higher of (1) his/her final regular rate of pay or (2) the 

average regular rate during his\her last three years of employment for any compensatory time remaining "on the 

books" when termination occurs. For more information on state and local governments under the FLSA, see 

Fact Sheet #7. 

No covered employer may employ any minor in violation of the youth employment provisions of the FLSA. 

The Act establishes specific provisions concerning prohibited occupations and/or hours of employment of 

minors under age 18. 

Covered employers must make, keep and preserve payroll-related records as described by regulations 29 CFR 

Part 516. 

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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