Permits, hours & minimum wage: what California law actually requires before your first shift, and the federal rule that can legally cut your pay to $4.25 an hour.
Three things decide what your first job in California can look like: California wants a work permit in your hand before your first shift, not after, the state keeps setting hour limits after you turn 16, where most of the country stops, and the minimum wage is $16.90. They come from three different rulebooks, and two of them change on your 16th birthday.
Where the jobs are: Enormous and regional: entertainment and tourism in Los Angeles, tech-adjacent retail and food service in the Bay Area, agriculture in the Central Valley, and theme parks and beaches in San Diego and Orange County.
Yes, if you are under 18. California requires a work permit (an employment or age certificate) before you start work, issued by your school district. A permit is required even for a summer-only job, unless you have graduated or hold a certificate of proficiency.
The exact form differs by state, but the sequence is almost always the same, and skipping a step is the usual reason a permit gets delayed:
Two rulebooks apply depending on your age. Under 16 the federal Fair Labor Standards Act sets limits that hold in every state. At 16 and 17 federal law sets none at all, so what California adds is the entire limit you are working under.
These are the federal limits, and they apply in California:
| Limit | Rule |
|---|---|
| Hours per school day | 3 maximum |
| Hours per school week | 18 maximum |
| Hours per non-school day | 8 maximum |
| Hours per non-school week | 40 maximum |
| Earliest start | 7:00 a.m. |
| Latest finish | 7:00 p.m. |
| Latest finish, June 1 to Labor Day | 9:00 p.m. |
California is one of the states that does set rules here:
| Limit | Rule |
|---|---|
| School in session | 4 hours per school day and 48 hours per week, between 5:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m. |
| School not in session | 8 hours per day and 48 hours per week, between 7:00 a.m. and 12:30 a.m. |
| Night before a non-school day | You may work until 12:30 a.m. |
California requires a permit even for a summer-only job, unless you have graduated or hold a certificate of proficiency.
Federal law requires no breaks at any age, so anything you get in California comes from state law rather than federal. California requires a 30-minute meal break once you have worked 5 hours, plus a paid 10-minute rest break for every 4 hours worked. That is one of the few rules where being under 18 gets you more than the adults working beside you.
As of January 1, 2026 the California minimum wage is $16.90 an hour.
| Situation | 2026 rate |
|---|---|
| Most employees | $16.90/hr |
| Under 20, first 90 consecutive days | $4.25/hr (federal youth wage) |
| Tipped employees | A lower cash wage plus tips, which must reach the full rate |
Work rules stop at the state line, and if you live near one it is worth knowing which side is easier to get hired on:
| State | Work permit | Min wage 2026 | Hours at 16 to 17 |
|---|---|---|---|
| California | Under 18 | $16.90 | State limits |
| Oregon | Employer holds it | $15.55 | No state cap |
| Nevada | Under 14 only, and only with a district judge's written permission | $12.00 | No state cap |
| Arizona | None required | $15.15 | No state cap |
| Washington | Employer holds it | $17.13 | State limits |
Federal law bars anyone under 18 from occupations classed as hazardous, and states add their own lists on top. In practice that is why teen jobs cluster in food service, retail, recreation and childcare. The restrictions cover things like operating most power-driven machinery, roofing, demolition, and work at significant heights, and they are stricter at 14 and 15 than at 16 and 17. In a state where a lot of teen work is seasonal and outdoors, the ones to watch are lifeguarding certifications, boat and watercraft operation, and anything involving commercial kitchen equipment during a busy season. Before accepting anything involving machinery, ladders, or a commercial kitchen's slicers and mixers, check the current list with the California labor department.
Yes, if you are under 18. The certificate is issued by your school district, and it has to be in place before your first shift rather than after you are hired.
California sets specific limits at 16 and 17: school in session — 4 hours per school day and 48 hours per week, between 5:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m.; school not in session — 8 hours per day and 48 hours per week, between 7:00 a.m. and 12:30 a.m.; night before a non-school day — You may work until 12:30 a.m..
Up to 3 hours on a school day and 18 hours in a school week, or 8 hours a day and 40 hours a week when school is out, between 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. and extending to 9:00 p.m. from June 1 through Labor Day. Those are the federal limits and they apply in California as they do everywhere. On top of the hours, a 15-year-old in California needs a work permit from your school district.
$16.90 an hour as of January 1, 2026. Federal law separately allows a youth wage of $4.25 an hour for workers under 20 during their first 90 consecutive calendar days with an employer, after which you move to the full rate.
Federal law requires no breaks at any age, so anything you get in California comes from state law rather than federal. California requires a 30-minute meal break once you have worked 5 hours, plus a paid 10-minute rest break for every 4 hours worked. That is one of the few rules where being under 18 gets you more than the adults working beside you.
Fourteen for most non-farm jobs, which is the federal floor and applies in California as everywhere else. Below 14 the exceptions are narrow: babysitting, newspaper delivery, working for your parents in a non-hazardous business, and performing. If you are not 14 yet, babysitting is the realistic route, and the age and licensing rules for that in California are different from the employment rules on this page.