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KidsKnowRights

Teen jobs in Nevada: hours, late nights, and the $12 wage

Nevada layers its own child labor chapter on top of the federal rules. Here is what that means for a 15-year-old at a snack bar or a 17-year-old closing a store in Reno.

Pa John Stavropoulos

Co-Founder and Vice President of KidsKnowRights7 min lekti

Ap tann revizyon yon pwofesyonèl legal

Sijè:Nevadawork hoursminimum wagestate law

Atik sa a bay enfòmasyon edikatif jeneral, se pa konsèy legal pou ka pa w. KidsKnowRights se pa yon kabinè avoka, e li atik sa a pa kreye yon relasyon avoka-kliyan. Lwa yo chanje selon eta a, laj ou, ak sikonstans yo, e yo chanje ak tan. Pou konsèy sou yon sitiyasyon reyèl, pale ak yon avoka ki gen lisans oswa yon òganizasyon èd legal.

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A 15-year-old in Henderson gets a summer job at a snack bar, and a 17-year-old in Reno is asked to close the store at midnight on a Sunday. Two different rule books apply to both of them. The federal Fair Labor Standards Act (the national law on wages and child labor) sets the floor. Chapter 609 of the Nevada Revised Statutes (NRS, the state's written laws) adds rules of its own. When the two differ, the stricter rule is the one an employer has to follow.

Hours for 14 and 15 year olds

Federal rules in 29 C.F.R. 570.35 limit 14 and 15 year olds to 3 hours on a school day (Fridays included) and 18 hours in a school week. When school is out, the limit is 8 hours a day and 40 hours a week. Work must fall between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m., stretched to 9 p.m. from June 1 through Labor Day.

Nevada's own chapter says no child under 16 may work more than 8 hours in a day or 40 in a week. That matches the federal summer limit, so in practice the tighter federal school-week rules still control. In 2025 Nevada added a law saying a break of those federal hour rules also counts as a violation of Nevada law. So the state Labor Commissioner can act on it, not only the U.S. Department of Labor.

Children under 14 face one more barrier. Nevada makes it unlawful to employ them in a store, shop, factory, or other inside job without written permission signed by a district judge. Farm work, housework, and acting in movies are the exceptions written into the law.

Late nights for high schoolers 16 to 18

Federal law sets no hour limits once you turn 16. Nevada does. If you are 16, 17, or 18, enrolled in a public or private high school, and not emancipated (legally treated as an adult early by a court), you may not work between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m. on a night before a school day.

That Sunday midnight close in Reno is exactly what this rule covers. The law lists a few jobs that are exempt: lifeguard, arcade employee, stage or theatrical performer, movie performer, and farm work. A school district or the juvenile court can also grant an exemption if it decides working late is in the student's best interest.

Pay, overtime, and the court case behind it

The U.S. Department of Labor lists Nevada's basic minimum wage as $12.00 an hour, well above the federal $7.25. Its summary shows no separate, lower rate for teens.

Nevada also has daily overtime. If you earn less than 1.5 times the state minimum wage, you get premium pay for hours past 8 in one day, as well as past 40 in a week.

These protections were not always allowed at the national level. In Hammer v. Dagenhart (1918), the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a federal law that blocked goods made by child workers from crossing state lines, ruling that factory labor was for the states to regulate. Today's federal rules came later, and Nevada's chapter sits on top of them.

If a schedule or paycheck looks wrong

Enpòtan

Nevada's child labor chapter does not set up a general work permit for teens 14 and older, though an employer can be asked by a school attendance officer to prove a young worker's age. Keep a copy of your ID and your own record of the hours you work.

If something is off, the Office of the Labor Commissioner handles child labor and wage complaints in Nevada, and its website is labor.nv.gov. The law requires that office to post a plain summary of the child labor chapter, and it can fine an employer up to $2,500 per violation. A parent, school counselor, or teacher can help you file.

Sonje sa

  • At 14 and 15, the federal limits apply in Nevada: 3 hours on a school day, 18 in a school week, and no work after 7 p.m. outside summer.
  • High school students aged 16 to 18 in Nevada generally cannot work between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m. before a school day.
  • Nevada's basic minimum wage is $12.00 an hour, with daily overtime after 8 hours for lower-paid workers.
  • Complaints go to the Nevada Office of the Labor Commissioner at labor.nv.gov.

Sous

Atik sa a bay enfòmasyon edikatif jeneral, se pa konsèy legal pou ka pa w. KidsKnowRights se pa yon kabinè avoka, e li atik sa a pa kreye yon relasyon avoka-kliyan. Lwa yo chanje selon eta a, laj ou, ak sikonstans yo, e yo chanje ak tan. Pou konsèy sou yon sitiyasyon reyèl, pale ak yon avoka ki gen lisans oswa yon òganizasyon èd legal.