Permits, hours & minimum wage: what Ohio 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 Ohio can look like: Ohio 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 $11.00. They come from three different rulebooks, and two of them change on your 16th birthday.
Where the jobs are: Columbus, Cleveland and Cincinnati carry year-round retail and food service, Cedar Point and the Lake Erie shore run big summer seasons, and the suburbs are where babysitting and yard-work rates run highest.
Yes, if you are 14 to 17. Ohio requires a work permit (an employment or age certificate) before you start work, issued by your school district. It is 16- and 17-year-olds are exempt for non-hazardous work between the last day of the spring term and the first day of the fall term.
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 Ohio adds is the entire limit you are working under.
These are the federal limits, and they apply in Ohio:
| 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. |
Ohio is one of the states that does set rules here:
| Limit | Rule |
|---|---|
| Hour cap | None under state law |
| Earliest start | 7:00 a.m., or 6:00 a.m. if you did not work past 8:00 p.m. the night before |
| Latest finish before a school day | 11:00 p.m. |
Federal law requires no breaks at any age, so anything you get in Ohio comes from state law rather than federal. Ohio requires a rest period of at least 30 minutes for any minor working more than 5 consecutive hours, and that break may be unpaid. 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 Ohio minimum wage is $11.00 an hour.
| Situation | 2026 rate |
|---|---|
| Most employees | $11.00/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 |
Ohio adds a wrinkle almost no wage page mentions: the state rate applies to employers grossing more than $405,000 a year, and 14- and 15-year-olds are paid the federal $7.25 regardless. A 15-year-old and a 16-year-old can legally be paid $3.75 an hour apart for identical work.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ohio | Ages 14 to 17 | $11.00 | State limits |
| Michigan | Under 18 | $13.73 | State limits |
| Indiana | None required | $7.25 | No state cap |
| Pennsylvania | Under 18 | $7.25 | State limits |
| West Virginia | Ages 14 and 15 | $8.75 | No state cap |
| Kentucky | None required | $7.25 | 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 Ohio labor department.
Yes, if you are 14 to 17. 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.
Ohio sets specific limits at 16 and 17: hour cap — None under state law; earliest start — 7:00 a.m., or 6:00 a.m. if you did not work past 8:00 p.m. the night before; latest finish before a school day — 11:00 p.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 Ohio as they do everywhere. On top of the hours, a 15-year-old in Ohio needs a work permit from your school district.
$11.00 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 Ohio comes from state law rather than federal. Ohio requires a rest period of at least 30 minutes for any minor working more than 5 consecutive hours, and that break may be unpaid. 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 Ohio 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 Ohio are different from the employment rules on this page.