Teen Holiday Jobs in Maryland: Work Permits, Hour Limits and the New 2026 Penalties
Holiday hiring is underway, and a lot of Maryland teens are about to start their first job at a register, a restaurant, or a seasonal stockroom. Before the first shift, every one of them under 18 needs a Maryland work permit.
The permit is the easy part. The hour limits are where families and employers get tripped up, because Maryland law and federal law don't say the same thing about 14 and 15 year olds. And since June 1, 2026, the state can fine employers who get it wrong.
Here's what applies this holiday season, checked against Maryland child labor laws, the federal regulation, and the Maryland Department of Labor's own guidance.
Key Takeaways
Every Maryland worker under 18 needs a work permit, the state issues it only after a job offer, and the teen, a parent or guardian, and the employer all have to sign it before the first shift.
Maryland's statute lets 14 and 15 year olds work 4 hours on a school day and until 8 p.m., but the Maryland Department of Labor tells employers to follow the stricter federal limits: 3 hours on a school day, 18 hours in a school week, and nothing after 7 p.m. until June 1.
Federal rules count any week with at least one required school day as a school week, so Thanksgiving week stays capped at 18 hours for 14 and 15 year olds.
Teens who are 16 or 17 have no federal hour cap, but Maryland limits them to 12 combined school and work hours a day.
Since June 1, 2026, Maryland can fine employers up to $16,035 per child labor violation, and up to $72,876 for willfully or repeatedly putting a minor in a prohibited job.
Who needs a Maryland work permit?
Every minor age 14 through 17 needs a Maryland work permit to work for an employer in the state, including 16 and 17 year olds and teens taking a short seasonal job. Maryland doesn't issue permits to anyone under 14, except special permits for models, performers, and entertainers. Once a worker turns 18, no permit is needed.
The Maryland work permit for minors is issued by the state's Division of Labor and Industry, and the rule comes from the Maryland Department of Labor's work permit page. It doesn't change for holiday work. A three-week gift-wrapping job needs a permit the same way a year-round job does.
Some work isn't treated as employment under Maryland law, so no permit is needed. The state's fact sheet lists these activities, as long as the work happens outside the school day and isn't hazardous:
Babysitting and other domestic work in or around a home
Working in a business a parent owns or runs
Unpaid volunteering at a charity or nonprofit, with a parent's written consent
Delivering newspapers
Caddying on a golf course
Making evergreen wreaths at home
Farm work on a farm
The wreath exemption is real, and it's well timed for December. A teen selling wreaths made at the kitchen table doesn't need a permit. A teen hired to work the wreath stand at a garden center does.
How to get a Maryland work permit for a holiday job
Here's how to get a work permit in Maryland: a teen first needs a job offer. Then the teen or a parent fills out the state's online application, prints the permit, and collects three signatures: the teen's, a parent's or guardian's, and the employer's. The employer must have the signed permit before the teen works a single shift.
Step by step:
Get the offer first. The state does not issue a work permit until the minor has been offered a job.
Apply online. The application is on the Maryland Department of Labor's online work permit system. The department says some users have had trouble finishing it in Chrome and recommends another browser. A Spanish version is available from a button at the bottom of the page.
Print the permit. There's no mailing step. The teen or parent prints the permit at the end of the application.
Collect three signatures. The teen, the parent or guardian, and the employer each sign. The permit isn't valid until all three have signed.
Hand it over before day one. The employer has to hold the signed permit before the teen starts, and the state tells employers to keep it on file for three years.
A work permit belongs to one job. If a teen changes jobs, the state requires a new permit, so plan on a separate permit for each employer if a teen picks up two seasonal jobs.
That matters in November. Holiday hiring moves fast, and the permit is the one piece of paperwork that can hold up a start date if nobody has it ready.
How many hours can teens work in Maryland during the holidays?
It depends on age. Teens who are 14 or 15 can work 3 hours on a school day, 18 hours in a school week, and 40 hours in a week with no school, between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. Teens who are 16 or 17 have no weekly cap, but Maryland limits school plus work to 12 hours a day.
14 and 15 year olds: plan around the federal limits
Maryland's own child labor statute is looser than federal law for younger teens. Under Maryland Labor and Employment § 3-211, a minor under 16 can work 4 hours on a school day, 23 hours in a five-day school week, and until 8 p.m. after Labor Day.
The federal Fair Labor Standards Act is stricter, and Maryland employers are generally covered by both laws. The Maryland Department of Labor says it plainly: an employer covered by the federal law that follows only the looser Maryland rule is violating federal law. That's why the state's own fact sheet prints the federal numbers, each marked with an asterisk.
Rule for 14 and 15 year olds | Maryland statute | Federal law | What to plan around |
|---|---|---|---|
School day | 4 hours | 3 hours, Fridays included | 3 hours |
Week with school | 23 hours (five-day week) | 18 hours | 18 hours |
Day with no school | 8 hours | 8 hours | 8 hours |
Week with no school | 40 hours | 40 hours | 40 hours |
Latest end time, fall and winter | 8 p.m. | 7 p.m. | 7 p.m. |
Latest end time, summer | 9 p.m. (Memorial Day to Labor Day) | 9 p.m. (June 1 to Labor Day) | 9 p.m., June 1 to Labor Day |
Earliest start time | 7 a.m. | 7 a.m. | 7 a.m. |
This is where a lot of online guides go wrong. Several quote the state's 4 hour and 23 hour figures without mentioning the federal rule. That's accurate to the Maryland statute and still wrong for most employers.
For holiday jobs, the 7 p.m. line is the one that bites. A 15 year old can't close a store at 9 p.m. on Black Friday or during winter break, because the later end time only runs from June 1 through Labor Day.
Thanksgiving week vs. winter break
Federal rules count any week with at least one required school day as a school week. So Thanksgiving week, even with only two or three days of class, is still capped at 18 hours for a 14 or 15 year old. A full week of winter break, with no school at all, opens up to 40 hours.
That definition comes from 29 CFR 570.35, the federal regulation on hours for 14 and 15 year olds. The same regulation says the school calendar that counts belongs to the local public school district where the teen lives, not the one where the job is.
Here's how that plays out for a 15 year old whose district holds class Monday through Wednesday of Thanksgiving week. Check your own district's calendar, because the days vary.
Week | Daily limit | Weekly limit | Latest end time |
|---|---|---|---|
Thanksgiving week (class Mon to Wed) | 3 hours on class days, 8 hours on days off | 18 hours | 7 p.m. |
Week with the last school day before winter break | 3 hours on class days, 8 hours on days off | 18 hours | 7 p.m. |
Full week of winter break, no class | 8 hours | 40 hours | 7 p.m. |
The practical read: a 14 or 15 year old hired for "full-time over the holidays" can only work full-time hours in a week with zero school days. Look at the district calendar before agreeing to a schedule.
16 and 17 year olds: no weekly cap, but a 12 hour day
Federal law sets no hour limits for workers 16 and older. Maryland does. Under Maryland Labor and Employment § 3-210, a minor's school hours plus work hours can't go past 12 in a day, and the minor needs at least 8 consecutive hours with no school and no work.
On a school day, the 12 hour cap does most of the work. A 16 year old in class from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. has 5 hours left for a shift.
The same section covers breaks for every minor, 16 and 17 year olds included. No one under 18 can work more than 5 hours in a row without a break of at least 30 minutes. On a long holiday shift, that break has to be scheduled, not hoped for.
Which holiday jobs are off limits for teens?
Teens who are 14 or 15 can run a register, stock shelves, and bag orders, but they can't bake, load trucks, or operate power-driven machinery. No one under 18 can operate a forklift, a cardboard baler, or a power-driven meat slicer. Maryland adopts the federal hazardous job list and adds its own restrictions.
Most teen holiday jobs are in retail and food service, and the U.S. Department of Labor's child labor guide lists both among the most common industries for child labor violations. The risky tasks usually live in the back room, not at the register.
Here's how the rules land on common holiday tasks:
Running a register, stocking shelves, bagging orders: allowed at 14 and up.
Unloading the holiday freight truck: off limits at 14 and 15.
Baking holiday orders: off limits at 14 and 15.
Working in a freezer or meat cooler: off limits at 14 and 15.
Operating the cardboard baler or compactor: off limits under 18.
Running a forklift in a seasonal warehouse: off limits under 18.
Using a power-driven meat slicer at a deli counter: off limits under 18.
Driving or riding as an outside helper on a delivery vehicle: on the federal hazardous list for minors.
Maryland's extra rules hit younger teens hardest. A minor under 16 can't work in a workroom where goods are manufactured or processed, and can't operate, clean, or adjust power-driven machinery other than office machines. The state's minor fact sheet has the full list.
What changed in 2026: Maryland's new child labor penalties
Starting June 1, 2026, Maryland can impose civil fines for child labor violations, not just criminal charges. Chapter 167 of 2026 lets the state fine an employer up to $16,035 per violation for knowingly employing a minor illegally, and up to $72,876 per violation for willfully or repeatedly employing a minor in a prohibited occupation.
Before this law, Maryland child labor laws were enforced through criminal penalties only. Knowingly employing a minor illegally was already a misdemeanor carrying a fine of up to $10,000, up to a year in jail, or both, and that hasn't changed.
The civil penalties come from Chapter 167 of 2026 (Senate Bill 831), which Gov. Wes Moore signed on April 28, 2026. This holiday season is the first one they cover.
Penalty tier | Maryland civil penalty (new § 3-217) | Federal civil penalty (FLSA) |
|---|---|---|
Standard violation | Up to $16,035 per violation, including knowingly employing a minor illegally or giving the state false information | Up to $16,035 per minor involved |
Higher tier | Up to $72,876 for willfully or repeatedly employing a minor in a prohibited occupation | Up to $72,876 when a violation causes a minor's death or serious injury, doubled to $145,752 if repeated or willful |
Future changes | Rises with inflation each July 15, starting in 2027 | Adjusted under federal inflation rules |
One detail is easy to miss. Maryland borrowed the federal dollar amounts but attached the bigger one to a different trigger. Under federal law, the $72,876 tier applies when a minor is killed or seriously hurt. Under Maryland's new § 3-217, it applies to willful or repeated hazardous-job violations, whether or not anyone is injured.
So a store that keeps letting a 16 year old run the cardboard baler faces Maryland's top civil penalty before anyone gets hurt. Federal penalties, set in 29 CFR 579.1, are a separate system, and a Maryland penalty doesn't replace them.
To report a problem, file the state's child labor violation claim form or call the Maryland Division of Labor and Industry at 410-767-2357.
Teen work permit FAQ
Do 16 and 17 year olds need a work permit in Maryland?
Yes. Maryland requires a work permit for every minor under 18, so 16 and 17 year olds need one just like younger teens. The requirement ends on the 18th birthday.
How long does it take to get a Maryland work permit?
The application is online and the permit prints at the end, so there's no mailing wait. The real delay is collecting signatures from the teen, a parent or guardian, and the employer. The state won't issue a permit until the teen has a job offer.
Do homeschooled teens need a work permit in Maryland?
Yes. The permit requirement covers every minor under 18. For the federal hour limits on 14 and 15 year olds, school days follow the calendar of the local public school district where the teen lives, so a homeschooled teen's limits track that district's schedule.
Can a 15 year old work until 9 p.m. during winter break?
No. Under federal law, 14 and 15 year olds can work until 9 p.m. only from June 1 through Labor Day. During winter break, the latest end time is 7 p.m., even on days with no school.
Does babysitting require a work permit in Maryland?
No. Maryland doesn't treat domestic work in or around a home as employment, so babysitting doesn't need a permit, as long as it happens outside the school day. The same goes for working in a parent's business.
What to do before the first shift
The work permit for minors takes minutes to print. The schedule is what needs attention. If you're 14 or 15, hold the line at 7 p.m. and 18 hours in any week with school, and save full-time hours for a week with no class at all. If you're 16 or 17, count school and work together and keep the day under 12 hours.
Employers have a new reason to get it right. Since June 1, 2026, Maryland's civil penalties reach $16,035 per violation, and $72,876 for willful or repeated hazardous-job violations.
Then comes the first paycheck, and it's usually smaller than expected. D2D's guide to reading a pay stub walks through every line, and starting in January 2027, Maryland pay stubs gain a new FAMLI payroll deduction too.
Diapers 2 Deposits has been a Baltimore YouthWorks worksite for three summers. YouthWorks serves city residents ages 14 to 21, and D2D's youth workers teach their peers what to do with a paycheck right after receiving their own. See how that YouthWorks worksite pipeline runs, or explore D2D's financial literacy classes for students. Employers and youth programs hiring teens this season can bring D2D in through its financial literacy programs for organizations.
This article is general information, not legal advice. For a specific situation, contact the Maryland Division of Labor and Industry or the U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division.
Whitney Ramirez is an Accredited Financial Counselor (AFC) and the Founder and CEO of Diapers 2 Deposits, Inc.
