Alabama Child Labor Law

In reviewing the current child labor laws, I learned that Alabama’s child labor law is similar to the federal law in many respects, while placing tighter restrictions on other aspects of minors’ work.

Alabama is one of a number of states that require a work permit for all workers under the age of 18.  Teenagers who have graduated from high school or are married are not exempt – they must get a permit as well.  Even the newspaper carrier needs a permit, and must carry it on his or her person while on the delivery route! Work permits can be obtained from the local board of education or the minor’s school.  Several items are required of the minor who wishes to get a work permit, including proof of age, a statement from a parent, and a statement from his or her prospective employer.

The state law in Alabama regulating the work hours of 14 and 15 year olds is very similar to the federal child labor law. While school is in session, minors of this age may not work during school hours.  They are allowed to work up to three hours per day on school days, but this work must be between the hours of 7am and 7pm. The total hours per week must not exceed 18.  While school is not in session during the summer months, a 14 or 15 year old minor may work between 7am and 9pm.  However, a minor of this age may still work no more than 40 hours per week during the summer months.

While federal law does not place any restrictions on the work hours of 16 and 17 year old minor employees, Alabama child labor law does place some restrictions.  A 16 or 17 year old who is enrolled in a secondary school may not work earlier than 5am or later than 10pm on any night preceding a school day.  No other restrictions are placed on the work hours of minors this age.

Finally, as in most other states, Alabama’s child labor law places restrictions on the types of jobs that minors may hold.  Minors under the age of 16 may not be employed in any manufacturing environments, and are restricted in some aspects of they job duties in other environments – for example, they are very limited in the types of cooking they may perform.  Any minor under the age of 18 is also prohibited from being employed in over two dozen hazardous environments, including mining, meatpacking, logging and roofing.

All child labor laws pertaining to Alabama can be found alongside the federal laws on the Alabama Complete Labor Law posters.