You must comply with child labor laws if you hire employees who are under the age of 18. And chances are you’ll have a number of employees that are high school students. In fact, you’ll notice that several of “regulars” that attend teen nights or lock-in parties  may ask for a job application.

Federal and state laws limit your right to hire employees younger than 18 years of age. Generally, these laws seek to protect younger workers by restricting the type of work they can do and the number of hours that they can work.

Prior to hiring any worker younger than 18, you should check both federal and state laws. The federal law is described below, but your state may be more protective of younger workers. To find out about your state’s child labor law, contact your state department of labor.

The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA, 29 U.S.C. §§ 2201, and following) is the federal law that governs child labor. Virtually all employees and businesses must follow the FLSA, although a handful of businesses, including small farms, are not required to. To find out about exceptions to FLSA requirements, refer to the website of the U.S. Department of Labor, the federal agency that enforces the FLSA, at www.dol.gov.