Four States Revise Child Labor Rules for Under-18 Workers, With Changes Running Through 2027
Updated
Updated · Ogletree Deakins · May 22
Four States Revise Child Labor Rules for Under-18 Workers, With Changes Running Through 2027
1 articles · Updated · Ogletree Deakins · May 22
Colorado, Indiana, New Jersey and New York have updated child labor rules, with effective dates spanning Dec. 2025 to May 2027 and changes covering hazardous jobs, records, hours and work permits.
Colorado’s Feb. 1, 2026 regulations under the Youth Employment Opportunity Act sharpen bans on under-18 work in liquor stores, marijuana dispensaries, tobacco shops, casinos and some power-driven machine jobs, while extending record retention.
Indiana’s H.B. 1302, effective July 1, 2026, drops registration requirements for employers with at least five minors after the state in 2025 expanded allowable work hours for teens.
New Jersey already exempted professional athletes age 14 or older from hour limits, while New York will shift employment certificates to a state-run electronic system on May 9, 2027.
The changes reflect a broader state push to recalibrate youth-employment rules for labor-market needs, leaving employers to track differing effective dates and compliance duties across states.
Are relaxed labor laws giving teens a career head start or setting them up for future exploitation?
As states open more jobs to teens, is AI simultaneously closing the door on their future careers?