# Hiring minors at a restaurant in Massachusetts (2026)

*Guides · Mays Team · October 25, 2026*

![The Modifiers page in Mays: add-ons such as avocado, grilled chicken, salmon, extra cheddar and a brioche bun, each with its cost, menu price and cost percentage](https://mays-uploads.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/site/blog__hiring-minors-restaurant-massachusetts-2026__cover.5c093f6d01.png)

Massachusetts limits the hours of every worker under 18, not just the youngest: 16- and 17-year-olds may work up to 9 hours a day and 48 a week, and no teen works past 10 p.m. on a school night. Every minor also needs a work permit, and after 8 p.m. an adult supervisor has to be on site.

This page is about hiring teenagers in Massachusetts: the youngest age you can hire, how long and how late 14- to 17-year-olds may work, work permits, breaks, the kitchen jobs they can't do, posters, two example weeks checked against every limit, and what Mays checks for you. Wages, tips and overtime are on [Massachusetts restaurant pay rules (2026)](https://www.mays.app/blog/massachusetts-restaurant-pay-rules-2026); they apply to teenagers too, and this page adds only what is different for them.

**Checked October 5, 2026:** every figure on this page was read on its official source; the Sources list at the end gives the date of each check.

*This is general information, not legal advice. Whether a rule applies can depend on your business's size and your own facts; the note at the end says more.*

## Federal and Massachusetts law: follow the stricter one

Two sets of child labor rules can apply to a restaurant in Massachusetts: the federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and Massachusetts's own law. Where the state law is less strict, the federal law applies, and where the state law is stricter, the state law applies ([US DOL, state child labor](https://www.dol.gov/agencies/whd/state/child-labor)). The FLSA covers a business with at least two employees and annual sales of at least $500,000 ([DOL Fact Sheet #14](https://www.dol.gov/agencies/whd/fact-sheets/14-flsa-coverage)), and it can cover workers at a smaller one individually, when their work regularly involves trade between states.

## Massachusetts at a glance

| Rule | Massachusetts |
| --- | --- |
| Youngest age for restaurant work | 14 ([M.G.L. c. 149, § 86](https://malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartI/TitleXXI/Chapter149/Section86)) |
| Work permit | Required for every worker under 18, from the school superintendent ([M.G.L. c. 149, § 87](https://malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartI/TitleXXI/Chapter149/Section87)) |
| 14–15, school day | 3 hours, 18 a week, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.; 9 p.m. from July 1 through Labor Day ([Mass. AG, minors work hours](https://www.mass.gov/info-details/work-hours-restrictions-for-minors)) |
| 16–17 | 9 hours a day, 48 a week, 6 days, 6 a.m. to 10 p.m.; midnight at a restaurant on nights not before a school day ([Mass. AG, minors work hours](https://www.mass.gov/info-details/work-hours-restrictions-for-minors)) |
| Adult supervisor | On site after 8 p.m., for every minor ([M.G.L. c. 149, § 66](https://malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartI/TitleXXI/Chapter149/Section66)) |
| Serving alcohol | From 18 ([M.G.L. c. 138, § 34](https://malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartI/TitleXX/Chapter138/Section34)) |

## How young can you hire?

Under federal law, 14 is the youngest age for restaurant work ([29 CFR 570.2](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-29/section-570.2)).

Massachusetts sets the same minimum: you may employ a teen of 14 or older who holds a work permit ([M.G.L. c. 149, § 86](https://malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartI/TitleXXI/Chapter149/Section86)).

## Hours for 14- and 15-year-olds

| Limit | Federal | Massachusetts |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Hours on a school day | 3 ([29 CFR 570.35](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-29/section-570.35)) | 3 ([Mass. AG, minors work hours](https://www.mass.gov/info-details/work-hours-restrictions-for-minors)) |
| Hours in a school week | 18 ([29 CFR 570.35](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-29/section-570.35)) | 18 ([Mass. AG, minors work hours](https://www.mass.gov/info-details/work-hours-restrictions-for-minors)) |
| Hours on a day with no school | 8 ([29 CFR 570.35](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-29/section-570.35)) | 8, on a weekend day or holiday in the school year and on any day when school is out ([Mass. AG, minors work hours](https://www.mass.gov/info-details/work-hours-restrictions-for-minors)) |
| Hours in a week with no school | 40 ([29 CFR 570.35](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-29/section-570.35)) | 40 ([Mass. AG, minors work hours](https://www.mass.gov/info-details/work-hours-restrictions-for-minors)) |
| Days a week | No federal limit | 6 when school is out ([Mass. AG, minors work hours](https://www.mass.gov/info-details/work-hours-restrictions-for-minors)) |
| Time of day | 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.; 9 p.m. from June 1 through Labor Day ([29 CFR 570.35](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-29/section-570.35)) | 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.; 9 p.m. from July 1 through Labor Day ([Mass. AG, minors work hours](https://www.mass.gov/info-details/work-hours-restrictions-for-minors)) |
| During school hours | Not allowed ([29 CFR 570.35](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-29/section-570.35)) | Not allowed ([M.G.L. c. 149, § 60](https://malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartI/TitleXXI/Chapter149/Section60)) |

At this age Massachusetts and federal law set the same hours, so one set of numbers covers both. Two Massachusetts rules go further: no more than 6 days a week when school is out, and the later 9 p.m. evening starts on July 1, not on June 1, so in June a 14- or 15-year-old still stops at 7 p.m. ([Mass. AG, minors work hours](https://www.mass.gov/info-details/work-hours-restrictions-for-minors)). These are the limits the Attorney General's office publishes for employers.

## Hours for 16- and 17-year-olds

| Limit | Federal | Massachusetts |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Hours on a school day | No federal limit | 9, any day ([Mass. AG, minors work hours](https://www.mass.gov/info-details/work-hours-restrictions-for-minors)) |
| Hours in a school week | No federal limit | 48, any week ([Mass. AG, minors work hours](https://www.mass.gov/info-details/work-hours-restrictions-for-minors)) |
| Hours on a day with no school | No federal limit | 9 ([Mass. AG, minors work hours](https://www.mass.gov/info-details/work-hours-restrictions-for-minors)) |
| Hours in a week with no school | No federal limit | 48 ([Mass. AG, minors work hours](https://www.mass.gov/info-details/work-hours-restrictions-for-minors)) |
| Days a week | No federal limit | 6 ([Mass. AG, minors work hours](https://www.mass.gov/info-details/work-hours-restrictions-for-minors)) |
| Time of day | No federal limit | 6 a.m. to 10 p.m., or until 10:15 p.m. where the employer stops serving customers at 10 p.m.; on nights not before a school day, until 11:30 p.m., or midnight at a restaurant ([Mass. AG, minors work hours](https://www.mass.gov/info-details/work-hours-restrictions-for-minors); [M.G.L. c. 149, § 66](https://malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartI/TitleXXI/Chapter149/Section66)) |

Federal law sets no hours at this age, so the Massachusetts limits are the ones to schedule by. A day's work split into parts has to fall within 12 consecutive hours ([M.G.L. c. 149, § 67](https://malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartI/TitleXXI/Chapter149/Section67)), and after 8 p.m. an adult supervisor has to be on site (see the jobs section below).

## Work permits and age certificates

Every worker under 18 needs an employment permit before they start ([M.G.L. c. 149, § 86](https://malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartI/TitleXXI/Chapter149/Section86)). The superintendent of schools, or someone they authorize, issues it, in the town where the teen lives or goes to school. Before it's issued, you sign a pledge with the teen and a parent that describes the job and the hours a day the teen will regularly work, and promises to follow the child labor law ([M.G.L. c. 149, § 87](https://malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartI/TitleXXI/Chapter149/Section87)). A 17-year-old with a high school diploma or the equivalent can get a permit without the superintendent's signature ([M.G.L. c. 149, § 87](https://malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartI/TitleXXI/Chapter149/Section87)).

Each permit names the employer and the job, and it is free ([M.G.L. c. 149, § 89](https://malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartI/TitleXXI/Chapter149/Section89)). Keep it on file where school attendance officers and the Attorney General's inspectors can see it, with a list of the names and ages of every minor you employ ([M.G.L. c. 149, § 86](https://malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartI/TitleXXI/Chapter149/Section86)), and return it to the school within 2 days after the teen leaves ([M.G.L. c. 149, § 86](https://malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartI/TitleXXI/Chapter149/Section86)).

Federal law itself doesn't require work permits ([DOL Fact Sheet #43](https://www.dol.gov/agencies/whd/fact-sheets/43-child-labor-non-agriculture)). An age certificate on file protects you from unknowingly hiring someone too young, and the federal rules suggest getting one whenever a teen says they are only a year or two over the minimum age for the job ([29 CFR 570.5](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-29/section-570.5)).

## Breaks for minors

Massachusetts has no break rule of its own for minors ([M.G.L. c. 149, § 67](https://malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartI/TitleXXI/Chapter149/Section67)).

Teens get the adult meal break: no one may be required to work more than 6 hours in a day without at least 30 minutes for a meal ([M.G.L. c. 149, § 100](https://malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartI/TitleXXI/Chapter149/Section100)).

Federal law doesn't require meal or rest breaks at any age ([DOL Fact Sheet #43](https://www.dol.gov/agencies/whd/fact-sheets/43-child-labor-non-agriculture)).

## Jobs minors can't do in your restaurant

Some jobs are off limits whatever the hours. Under federal law, no one under 18 may do these ([DOL Fact Sheet #2A](https://www.dol.gov/agencies/whd/fact-sheets/2a-child-labor-restaurants)):

- Meat or deli slicer, meat grinder, patty former ([29 CFR 570.61](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-29/section-570.61))
- Dough or batter mixer, dough sheeter or brake ([29 CFR 570.62](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-29/section-570.62))
- Cardboard baler or trash compactor ([29 CFR 570.63](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-29/section-570.63))
- Delivery driving ([29 CFR 570.52](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-29/section-570.52))

And 14- and 15-year-olds also may not do these:

- Baking ([29 CFR 570.33](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-29/section-570.33))
- Cooking other than on an electric or gas grill with no open flame, or a fryer that lowers and raises its baskets automatically ([29 CFR 570.33](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-29/section-570.33))
- Power-driven food slicers, grinders, choppers, processors, cutters or mixers ([29 CFR 570.33](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-29/section-570.33))
- Work in freezers or meat coolers (more than stepping in to fetch an item) ([29 CFR 570.33](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-29/section-570.33))
- Ladders or scaffolds ([29 CFR 570.33](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-29/section-570.33))
- Filtering, pouring or carrying hot oil or grease above 100 °F ([29 CFR 570.34](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-29/section-570.34))
- Loading or unloading trucks ([29 CFR 570.33](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-29/section-570.33))

### Massachusetts's own rules

- Under 16: no running or helping to run washing, grinding or mixing machinery, dough brakes or cracker machinery, no oiling or cleaning hazardous machinery, no work on scaffolding, and no work of any kind on moving motor vehicles ([M.G.L. c. 149, § 61](https://malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartI/TitleXXI/Chapter149/Section61)).
- Under 18: no oiling or cleaning hazardous machinery while it is moving, no driving, and no work more than 30 feet above the floor or the ground ([M.G.L. c. 149, § 62](https://malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartI/TitleXXI/Chapter149/Section62)).
- Alcohol: a licensed restaurant may employ a teen under 18 only in work that doesn't directly handle, sell, mix or serve alcohol; handling and selling it starts at 18 ([M.G.L. c. 138, § 34](https://malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartI/TitleXX/Chapter138/Section34)). No minor may work in a saloon or bar room ([M.G.L. c. 149, § 64](https://malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartI/TitleXXI/Chapter149/Section64)).
- After 8 p.m., every minor has to be under the direct and immediate supervision of an adult supervisor who is in the workplace and reasonably accessible ([M.G.L. c. 149, § 66](https://malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartI/TitleXXI/Chapter149/Section66)). Plan closing shifts around it.

## Pay: the minimum wage, youth rates and tips

Minors earn the full Massachusetts minimum wage, $15.00 an hour: the law sets it for any occupation, with no youth or student rate ([M.G.L. c. 151, § 1](https://malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartI/TitleXXI/Chapter151/Section1)). A lower rate needs a special certificate from the state's Department of Labor Standards, for a learner or an apprentice in an approved program ([M.G.L. c. 151, § 9](https://malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartI/TitleXXI/Chapter151/Section9)). Because the state minimum makes no exception for workers under 20, the federal youth wage below doesn't apply in Massachusetts.

Federal law lets an employer pay $4.25 an hour to a worker under 20 during their first 90 consecutive calendar days on the job, but not to push out other workers, and not where a state or local law requires more and makes no exception for workers under 20 ([DOL Fact Sheet #32](https://www.dol.gov/agencies/whd/fact-sheets/32-minimum-wage-youth)).

Everything else about pay, from the tipped cash wage to tip pools and overtime, is on [Massachusetts restaurant pay rules (2026)](https://www.mays.app/blog/massachusetts-restaurant-pay-rules-2026).

## Posters and records

Every employer the federal minimum wage law covers must display the federal poster, *Employee Rights Under the Fair Labor Standards Act*, where employees can readily read it; it includes a section on child labor ([US DOL, FLSA poster](https://www.dol.gov/agencies/whd/posters/flsa)).

Post a printed notice in the room where each minor works, with the hours they work each day and the week's total, the times they start and stop, and their meal times ([M.G.L. c. 149, § 74](https://malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartI/TitleXXI/Chapter149/Section74)); the Attorney General supplies the form on request ([M.G.L. c. 149, § 75](https://malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartI/TitleXXI/Chapter149/Section75)). Working a minor outside the posted hours is a violation, and the week's notice can't change once the week has started without the Attorney General's written consent ([M.G.L. c. 149, § 74](https://malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartI/TitleXXI/Chapter149/Section74)).

## Two example weeks

Two made-up schedules for a week in October, when school is in session Monday to Friday: Maya, 15, and Leo, 17. Each line under a schedule is a limit from this page, and the week stays inside every one of them.

### Maya, 15, in a school week

| Day | Shift | Unpaid break | Hours | School day? |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Monday | Off |  |  | Yes |
| Tuesday | 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. | None | 3 | Yes |
| Wednesday | Off |  |  | Yes |
| Thursday | 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. | None | 3 | Yes |
| Friday | Off |  |  | Yes |
| Saturday | 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. | 30 minutes at 1 p.m. | 6 | No |
| Sunday | Noon to 4:30 p.m. | None | 4.5 | No |

That's 16.5 hours over 4 days. How the week measures up:

- Longest school day: 3 hours; the limit is 3 (federal, [29 CFR 570.35](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-29/section-570.35)).
- The week: 16.5 hours; the limit is 18 (federal, [29 CFR 570.35](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-29/section-570.35)).
- Earliest start: 10 a.m.; not before 7 a.m. (federal, [29 CFR 570.35](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-29/section-570.35)).
- Latest finish: 7 p.m.; not after 7 p.m. (federal, [29 CFR 570.35](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-29/section-570.35)).
- Longest school day: 3 hours; the limit is 3 (Massachusetts, [Mass. AG, minors work hours](https://www.mass.gov/info-details/work-hours-restrictions-for-minors)).
- Longest day with no school: 6 hours; the limit is 8 (Massachusetts, [Mass. AG, minors work hours](https://www.mass.gov/info-details/work-hours-restrictions-for-minors)).
- The week: 16.5 hours; the limit is 18 (Massachusetts, [Mass. AG, minors work hours](https://www.mass.gov/info-details/work-hours-restrictions-for-minors)).
- Earliest start: 10 a.m.; not before 7 a.m. (Massachusetts, [Mass. AG, minors work hours](https://www.mass.gov/info-details/work-hours-restrictions-for-minors)).
- Latest finish: 7 p.m.; not after 7 p.m. (Massachusetts, [Mass. AG, minors work hours](https://www.mass.gov/info-details/work-hours-restrictions-for-minors)).

### Leo, 17, in a school week

| Day | Shift | Unpaid break | Hours | School day? |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Monday | Off |  |  | Yes |
| Tuesday | 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. | None | 4 | Yes |
| Wednesday | Off |  |  | Yes |
| Thursday | 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. | None | 4 | Yes |
| Friday | 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. | None | 4 | Yes |
| Saturday | 10 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. | 30 minutes at 2 p.m. | 8 | No |
| Sunday | Off |  |  | No |

That's 20 hours over 4 days. How the week measures up:

- Longest day: 8 hours; the limit is 9 (Massachusetts, [Mass. AG, minors work hours](https://www.mass.gov/info-details/work-hours-restrictions-for-minors)).
- The week: 20 hours; the limit is 48 (Massachusetts, [Mass. AG, minors work hours](https://www.mass.gov/info-details/work-hours-restrictions-for-minors)).
- Days worked: 4; the limit is 6 (Massachusetts, [Mass. AG, minors work hours](https://www.mass.gov/info-details/work-hours-restrictions-for-minors)).
- Latest finish: 9 p.m.; not after 10 p.m. (Massachusetts, [Mass. AG, minors work hours](https://www.mass.gov/info-details/work-hours-restrictions-for-minors)).
- Earliest start: 10 a.m.; not before 6 a.m. (Massachusetts, [Mass. AG, minors work hours](https://www.mass.gov/info-details/work-hours-restrictions-for-minors)).

Leo's weeknight shifts run past 8 p.m., so an adult supervisor has to be in the workplace until he leaves ([M.G.L. c. 149, § 66](https://malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartI/TitleXXI/Chapter149/Section66)).

## How Mays handles this

Mays builds the schedule, runs the time clock and keeps each person's details for every location. For teenagers in Massachusetts:

- **Turn on minors' rules per location.** Work rules for minors are part of Labor law compliance: switch on **Minors (under 18)** on the location's Labor & compliance card. Mays then works out each person's age on every shift date from their date of birth.
- **The federal limits, and Massachusetts marked "Not checked yet".** Mays checks the federal limits everywhere. Massachusetts's own limits aren't built into Mays yet: the location's card lists Massachusetts as **Not checked yet**, so check the Massachusetts rules on this page yourself, above all the ones stricter than federal law.
- **Warnings on the schedule, never a block.** A shift that breaks a limit is outlined with **Minor rule**, each minor's row shows their age band and the week's hours against their limit, and the warnings before publishing name the law. You can still publish.
- **The auto-scheduler stays inside the limits.** It never puts a minor on a shift that would break one of their limits: it gives the shift to someone else or leaves it open, and tells you why.
- **Tasks by position.** Give a position a minimum age and tick the federal tasks it involves, such as a meat slicer or delivery driving. A minor scheduled in it gets a warning, and the auto-scheduler won't put them there.
- **School days from a calendar.** By default Mays counts Monday to Friday as school days from the day after Labor Day through May, with school from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. You can add your school district's own calendar, breaks included.
- **Hours across every location.** A teen who works at two of your locations is held to one weekly limit, because the limits apply per employer.
- **What Mays doesn't check yet:** minors' meal breaks, work permits and clock-ins. Keep the permits on file yourself, and schedule the breaks above.

How to set it up: [Scheduling minors](https://www.mays.app/help/scheduling/scheduling-minors).

## Sources

Every figure on this page comes from these official pages, as they read on the date shown.

- [US Department of Labor, state child labor standards](https://www.dol.gov/agencies/whd/state/child-labor), checked October 5, 2026
- [US Department of Labor, Fact Sheet #14: coverage under the FLSA](https://www.dol.gov/agencies/whd/fact-sheets/14-flsa-coverage), checked October 5, 2026
- [Massachusetts General Laws, chapter 149, § 86](https://malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartI/TitleXXI/Chapter149/Section86), checked October 5, 2026
- [Massachusetts General Laws, chapter 149, § 87](https://malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartI/TitleXXI/Chapter149/Section87), checked October 5, 2026
- [Massachusetts Attorney General, work hours restrictions for minors](https://www.mass.gov/info-details/work-hours-restrictions-for-minors), checked October 5, 2026
- [Massachusetts General Laws, chapter 149, § 66](https://malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartI/TitleXXI/Chapter149/Section66), checked October 5, 2026
- [Massachusetts General Laws, chapter 138, § 34](https://malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartI/TitleXX/Chapter138/Section34), checked October 5, 2026
- [29 CFR 570.2 (minimum age standards)](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-29/section-570.2), checked September 24, 2026
- [29 CFR 570.35 (hours for 14- and 15-year-olds)](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-29/section-570.35), checked September 24, 2026
- [Massachusetts General Laws, chapter 149, § 60](https://malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartI/TitleXXI/Chapter149/Section60), checked October 5, 2026
- [Massachusetts General Laws, chapter 149, § 67](https://malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartI/TitleXXI/Chapter149/Section67), checked October 5, 2026
- [Massachusetts General Laws, chapter 149, § 89](https://malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartI/TitleXXI/Chapter149/Section89), checked October 5, 2026
- [US Department of Labor, Fact Sheet #43: child labor provisions for nonagricultural occupations](https://www.dol.gov/agencies/whd/fact-sheets/43-child-labor-non-agriculture), checked October 5, 2026
- [29 CFR 570.5 (certificates of age)](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-29/section-570.5), checked October 5, 2026
- [Massachusetts General Laws, chapter 149, § 100](https://malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartI/TitleXXI/Chapter149/Section100), checked October 5, 2026
- [US Department of Labor, Fact Sheet #2A: child labor rules for restaurants](https://www.dol.gov/agencies/whd/fact-sheets/2a-child-labor-restaurants), checked October 5, 2026
- [29 CFR 570.61 (Hazardous Occupations Order 10: meat slicers and processing machines)](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-29/section-570.61), checked October 5, 2026
- [29 CFR 570.62 (Hazardous Occupations Order 11: bakery machines)](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-29/section-570.62), checked October 5, 2026
- [29 CFR 570.63 (Hazardous Occupations Order 12: balers and compactors)](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-29/section-570.63), checked October 5, 2026
- [29 CFR 570.52 (Hazardous Occupations Order 2: driving)](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-29/section-570.52), checked October 5, 2026
- [29 CFR 570.33 (jobs barred at 14 and 15)](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-29/section-570.33), checked October 5, 2026
- [29 CFR 570.34 (jobs allowed at 14 and 15)](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-29/section-570.34), checked October 5, 2026
- [Massachusetts General Laws, chapter 149, § 61](https://malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartI/TitleXXI/Chapter149/Section61), checked October 5, 2026
- [Massachusetts General Laws, chapter 149, § 62](https://malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartI/TitleXXI/Chapter149/Section62), checked October 5, 2026
- [Massachusetts General Laws, chapter 149, § 64](https://malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartI/TitleXXI/Chapter149/Section64), checked October 5, 2026
- [Massachusetts General Laws, chapter 151, § 1](https://malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartI/TitleXXI/Chapter151/Section1), checked October 5, 2026
- [Massachusetts General Laws, chapter 151, § 9](https://malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartI/TitleXXI/Chapter151/Section9), checked October 5, 2026
- [US Department of Labor, Fact Sheet #32: youth minimum wage](https://www.dol.gov/agencies/whd/fact-sheets/32-minimum-wage-youth), checked October 5, 2026
- [US Department of Labor, the FLSA minimum wage poster](https://www.dol.gov/agencies/whd/posters/flsa), checked October 5, 2026
- [Massachusetts General Laws, chapter 149, § 74](https://malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartI/TitleXXI/Chapter149/Section74), checked October 5, 2026
- [Massachusetts General Laws, chapter 149, § 75](https://malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartI/TitleXXI/Chapter149/Section75), checked October 5, 2026

*This page is general information, not legal advice. Laws change, and coverage rules (your business's size, whether federal law covers you, a teen's schooling) decide which of them apply. Check the pages above, and ask an employment lawyer about your situation.*

## Schedule teenagers without the guesswork

Add each teen's date of birth, turn on minors' rules for the location, and Mays warns you before a shift runs too long or too late.

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## Related help articles

- Scheduling: [Scheduling minors](https://www.mays.app/help/scheduling/scheduling-minors) — Turn on work rules for minors at a location (part of Labor law compliance), and Mays checks the hours and times of anyone under 18 against federal and state law. You get warnings on the schedule, and the auto-scheduler stays inside the limits. Nothing is ever blocked.
- Time clock: [Labor & compliance (per location)](https://www.mays.app/help/time-clock/labor-compliance) — Where: Locations & Users → Locations → a location → Scheduling tab → Labor & compliance card.
- Scheduling: [Positions and wages](https://www.mays.app/help/scheduling/positions-and-wages) — Create the jobs people work — Barista, Cashier, Line Cook — with a colour and a default hourly wage, give people their positions and pay, and see where Mays uses them.
- Team & roles: [Add and invite team members](https://www.mays.app/help/team-roles/add-team-members) — Add people on the web or from the app. Employees get a text with a link to the app; managers and admins get an email to set a password. Plus resending invites and checking delivery.
- Scheduling: [Building the weekly schedule](https://www.mays.app/help/scheduling/build-the-schedule) — Build a location's week on the web — add, move, copy and edit shifts, add open shifts, and keep an eye on time off, availability and labor cost while you work.

Canonical: https://www.mays.app/blog/hiring-minors-restaurant-massachusetts-2026