Age Requirements

• Children must be at least 14 years old to work in Tennessee. While the state limits the hours and days children can work, parents should monitor schoolwork and the health of their child to be sure the job is not causing difficulty.
  
  

Hour Restrictions

• In Tennessee, children age 14 and 15 cannot work more than three hours in a day during a school week. The total number of hours children in this age group can work is 18 hours in one week when school is in session. The state restricts children from working past 7 p.m. during school weeks as well. During school vacations, children age 14 and 15 can work up to eight hours per day, 40 hours per week and up to 9 p.m.
  
  Teenagers age 16 and 17 cannot work during school hours or past 10 p.m. on school nights. The state does not restrict the number of hours 16- and 17-year-olds can work. Parents may sign a consent form that allows the 16- and 17-year-olds to work up to midnight on three school nights.
  
  

Prohibited Occupations

• Tennessee prohibits children under 18 from working in some occupations to protect them from potentially dangerous or unsafe situations. Some of the prohibited occupations include explosives manufacturing or storage, driving motor vehicles, coal mining, logging, using power driven equipment, meat packing, meat processing, brick manufacturing, demolition, roofing and occupations using saws or cutting equipment.
  
  

Required Breaks

• Tennessee law requires employers to provide a 30-minute meal or rest break for workers under 18 who have worked six hours uninterrupted.