• The Utah Labor Commission enforces state child labor laws.arches national park, utah image by Albo from Fotolia.com
  
  The state of Utah has child labor laws in addition to all relevant federal laws. These laws are enforced by the Utah Labor Commission. Child labor laws in Utah prevent children from exploitative and dangerous employment. Parents, employers and young workers in the state should familiarize themselves with Utah child labor laws.
  
  

Hours

• Utah child labor laws specify what hours minors under the age of 16 may work and when these hours may occur. Minors of this age may not work more than four hours on school days or eight hours on all other days. Further, Utah child labor laws prevent minors of this age from working more than 40 hours in a week. The labor of minors under 16 cannot occur between the hours of 9:30 p.m and 5 a.m. Utah child labor laws do not restrict the labor hours of workers after their 16th birthday.
  
  

Work Permits

• Generally speaking, minors do not require work permits to work in Utah. However, there is one major area of exception. Employers seeking to allow their minor employees to work during hours generally off-limits for their age may seek an exemption permit from the Utah Labor Commission.
  
  

Breaks

• Child labor laws in Utah provide legal guidelines for breaks in the state. All minors must have a half-hour meal break that begins within five hours of punching in. Further, state law requires that minor employees receive a ten-minute break for every three hours worked.
  
  

Prohibited Occupations

• Generally speaking, children are not allowed to work until they are 14 years old. Some occupations such as newspaper routes, babysitting and lawn mowing can be performed by younger children.
  
  Utah child labor laws prohibit all minors from working in 17 occupations defined by the state as hazardous. These include the manufacture and warehousing of explosives, excavation, roofing, demolition, mining, logging, jobs that expose the child to radioactive material, meat processing, the manufacture of tile and the operation of most power-driven machinery. The onus is on the employer to determine whether or not the job to be performed by a minor employee is prohibited by state law.