A teen job in South Dakota: school-night hours, the 10 p.m. line, and $11.85

South Dakota says a worker under 16 may not work more than 4 hours on a school day or 20 hours in a school week, more than 8 hours on a non-school day or 40 hours in a non-school week, or later than 10 p.m. on a school night. Children under 14 may not work during school hours or after 7 p.m.

The federal rules for 14- and 15-year-olds are tighter. They allow 3 hours on a school day (Fridays included), 18 hours in a school week, 8 hours on a non-school day, and 40 hours in a non-school week. Work must fall between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m., or 9 p.m. from June 1 through Labor Day. So for the Sioux Falls cashier, if her employer is covered by the FLSA, the limit on a school night is 7 p.m., not 10.

The DLR page lists no state hours limits for 16- and 17-year-olds, and the federal hours rules above cover only ages 14 and 15.

South Dakota's minimum wage is $11.85 an hour, starting January 1, 2026. For tipped workers it is $5.925 an hour, and the employer must make sure tips bring the total up to at least $11.85. The rate rises each year with the cost of living, and the DLR posts the next year's rate by October 15. The DLR also lists a 'training wage' exemption in state law (SDCL 60-11-4.1). We could not confirm its details from an official page, so ask the DLR before accepting a lower rate.

The DLR's youth employment page does not describe a state work permit or age certificate. An employer may still ask for proof of your age.

Some jobs have their own exceptions: child actors, pumping gas, detasseling hybrid seed corn (pulling the tassels off corn plants, a common summer job in eastern South Dakota), working for your parents, and using farm equipment. If your job is one of these, ask the DLR which rules apply to you.

In Hammer v. Dagenhart (1918), the U.S. Supreme Court struck down an early federal child labor law. In United States v. Darby (1941), the Court upheld the FLSA and overruled Hammer, deciding that Congress can set wage and hour rules for work tied to trade between states. That 1941 decision is the reason the federal limits reach a job in Sioux Falls or Rapid City today.