Employers in North Carolina may be subject to either the federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) child labor or the North Carolina Wage and Hour Act (NCWHA) youth employment provisions or both.
The NCWHA youth employment provisions generally apply to all employers doing business in North Carolina regardless of their size or number of employees. However, governmental, agricultural and domestic employers are totally exempt from the North Carolina youth employment provisions, including the requirement to obtain a North Carolina work permit for youths under 18 and some other limited exemptions apply. The FLSA child labor provisions apply to the same employers that are covered under the other provisions of the FLSA.
Farm work is completely exempt from any of the youth employment provisions of the NCWHA.
An employer may not employ any youth less than 18 years of age until that youth has obtained a Youth Employment Certificate (YEC). Newspaper delivery outside of school hours is excepted from this requirement. YECs are obtained through an online process at: