State labor laws

Overtime and break laws by state.

What each state requires for overtime and for meal and rest breaks, written for the person who builds the schedule and runs payroll. Every page cites the state labor department or statute and shows the date we checked it.

Pick a state

CA

California

Daily overtime after 8 hours, double time after 12, and a one-hour premium for every missed meal or rest break.

TX

Texas

No state overtime or break law; the federal FLSA sets the 40-hour rule and Texas requires no meal or rest breaks.

FL

Florida

No state overtime or adult break law; the FLSA governs, and only minors get a required 30-minute meal break.

NY

New York

Weekly overtime after 40 hours (44 for live-in workers) and meal periods that depend on the industry and the hours of the shift.

PA

Pennsylvania

Weekly overtime after 40 hours under the state Minimum Wage Act, no adult break law, and a 30-minute break for minors after 5 hours.

IL

Illinois

Weekly overtime after 40 hours, a 20-minute meal break by the fifth hour on shifts of 7.5 hours or more, and a required day of rest each week.

OH

Ohio

Weekly overtime after 40 hours under state law for employers grossing $150,000 or more, no adult break law, and a 30-minute break for minors after 5 hours.

GA

Georgia

No state overtime or break law; Georgia's Department of Labor points employers to the federal FLSA for both.

NC

North Carolina

Weekly overtime after 40 hours under the state Wage and Hour Act, no breaks required for anyone 16 or older, and breaks under 30 minutes must be paid.

MI

Michigan

Weekly overtime after 40 hours under the Improved Workforce Opportunity Wage Act, no adult break law, and a documented 30-minute break for minors after 5 hours.

NJ

New Jersey

Weekly overtime after 40 hours under the state Wage and Hour Law, no adult break law, and a 30-minute meal break for minors after 6 continuous hours.

VA

Virginia

Weekly overtime after 40 hours under a state law that adopts the FLSA and has been state-enforced since July 2026, and no breaks required except for workers under 16.

WA

Washington

Weekly overtime after 40 hours with no daily overtime, a 30-minute meal that starts between the second and fifth hour, and a paid 10-minute rest break for every 4 hours.

AZ

Arizona

No state overtime or break law for private employers; the federal FLSA sets the 40-hour rule, and Arizona requires no meal or rest breaks for adults or minors.

TN

Tennessee

No state overtime law, so the federal 40-hour rule applies, and a 30-minute unpaid break is required for anyone scheduled to work 6 hours in a row.

MA

Massachusetts

Weekly overtime after 40 hours with treble damages for unpaid overtime, a 30-minute meal break after 6 hours, and no rest break law for adults.

CO

Colorado

Overtime after 40 hours a week, 12 hours a day, or 12 consecutive hours, a 30-minute meal break on shifts over 5 hours, and a paid 10-minute rest break per 4 hours.

MN

Minnesota

State overtime after 48 hours (40 for employers covered by the FLSA), a paid 15-minute rest break within every 4 hours, and a 30-minute meal break at 6 hours.

OR

Oregon

Weekly overtime after 40 hours (daily after 10 in manufacturing), a 30-minute meal on shifts of 6 hours or more, and a paid 10-minute rest break for every 4 hours.

NV

Nevada

Weekly overtime after 40 hours, daily overtime after 8 hours for staff paid under $18.00 an hour, a 30-minute meal per 8 continuous hours, and paid 10-minute rest breaks.

What we cover

  • Overtime laws. When time and a half starts (weekly, and daily where a state adds it), who is covered, and how to calculate the check.
  • Meal and rest break laws. Whether the state requires meal or rest breaks for adults, how long they must be, when they must start, and what a missed break costs.

Each topic page gives the rule in a table, a worked example for a 10 to 30 person team, and how to track it on the time clock. Where a state has no rule of its own, the page says so and explains what the federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) requires instead. More states and topics (final pay, time clock rounding, minimum wage) are on the way.

All pages

This is general information, not legal advice. Rules change; check the linked source.