All 50 states + DC · Last verified October 26, 2026 · How we verify
Break laws by state
Which states require lunch breaks and paid rest breaks for adult hourly workers, taken from each state's official source.
Which states require lunch breaks and paid rest breaks for adult hourly workers, taken from each state's official source.
Federal law does not require meal or rest breaks. 21 states require a meal break for at least some adult workers, and 8 require paid rest breaks. Everywhere, short breaks of about 5 to 20 minutes that an employer gives must be paid.
| State | Meal break | Rest breaks | Overtime |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | None required | None required | Weekly, 40 h |
| Alaska | None required | None required | Daily + weekly |
| Arizona | None required | None required | Weekly, 40 h |
| Arkansas | None required | None required | Weekly, 40 h |
| California | A 30-minute unpaid meal break for shifts over 5 hours, and a second one over 10 hours | A paid 10-minute rest break for every 4 hours | Daily + weekly |
| Colorado | A 30-minute duty-free meal break for shifts over 5 hours | A paid 10-minute rest break for every 4 hours | Daily + weekly |
| Connecticut | A 30-minute meal break for 7.5 or more consecutive hours | None required | Weekly, 40 h |
| Delaware | A 30-minute meal break for 7.5 or more consecutive hours | None required | Weekly, 40 h |
| District of Columbia | None required | None required | Weekly, 40 h |
| Florida | None required | None required | Weekly, 40 h |
| Georgia | None required | None required | Weekly, 40 h |
| Hawaii | None required | None required | Weekly, 40 h |
| Idaho | None required | None required | Weekly, 40 h |
| Illinois | A 20-minute meal break for shifts of 7.5 hours or more | None required | Weekly, 40 h |
| Indiana | None required | None required | Weekly, 40 h |
| Iowa | None required | None required | Weekly, 40 h |
| Kansas | None required | None required | 46 h/week (state law, if not federally covered) |
| Kentucky | A reasonable lunch period, starting between the 3rd and 5th hour of the shift | A paid 10-minute rest break in each 4 hours | Weekly, 40 h |
| Louisiana | None required | None required | Weekly, 40 h |
| Maine | A 30-minute break after 6 consecutive hours | None required | Weekly, 40 h |
| Maryland | Meal breaks only in large retail stores (15 minutes for 4 to 6 hours, 30 minutes over 6) | None required | Weekly, 40 h |
| Massachusetts | A 30-minute meal break for more than 6 hours of work | None required | Weekly, 40 h |
| Michigan | None required | None required | Weekly, 40 h |
| Minnesota | A 30-minute meal break for 6 or more consecutive hours | A paid 15-minute rest break in each 4 consecutive hours | 48 h/week (state law) |
| Mississippi | None required | None required | Weekly, 40 h |
| Missouri | None required | None required | Weekly, 40 h |
| Montana | None required | None required | Weekly, 40 h |
| Nebraska | A 30-minute lunch break only in assembling plants, workshops and mechanical establishments | None required | Weekly, 40 h |
| Nevada | A 30-minute meal break for 8 continuous hours of work | A paid 10-minute rest break for every 4 hours | Daily + weekly |
| New Hampshire | A 30-minute meal break after 5 consecutive hours | None required | Weekly, 40 h |
| New Jersey | None required | None required | Weekly, 40 h |
| New Mexico | None required | None required | Weekly, 40 h |
| New York | A 30-minute lunch for shifts over 6 hours that cover 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. | None required | Weekly, 40 h |
| North Carolina | None required | None required | Weekly, 40 h |
| North Dakota | A 30-minute meal break for shifts over 5 hours when two or more employees are on duty | None required | Weekly, 40 h |
| Ohio | None required | None required | Weekly, 40 h |
| Oklahoma | None required | None required | Weekly, 40 h |
| Oregon | A 30-minute unpaid meal break for 6 or more hours | A paid 10-minute rest break for every 4 hours | Weekly, 40 h |
| Pennsylvania | None required | None required | Weekly, 40 h |
| Rhode Island | A 20-minute meal break in a 6-hour shift and 30 minutes in an 8-hour shift | None required | Weekly, 40 h |
| South Carolina | None required | None required | Weekly, 40 h |
| South Dakota | None required | None required | Weekly, 40 h |
| Tennessee | A 30-minute meal break for 6 consecutive scheduled hours | None required | Weekly, 40 h |
| Texas | None required | None required | Weekly, 40 h |
| Utah | None required | None required | Weekly, 40 h |
| Vermont | Reasonable chances to eat and use the restroom, with no fixed length | Reasonable opportunities to rest | Weekly, 40 h |
| Virginia | None required | None required | Weekly, 40 h |
| Washington | A 30-minute meal break, with no more than 5 hours of work without one | A paid 10-minute rest break for every 4 hours | Weekly, 40 h |
| West Virginia | A 20-minute meal break for workdays of 6 or more hours | None required | Weekly, 40 h |
| Wisconsin | None required | None required | Weekly, 40 h |
| Wyoming | None required | None required | Weekly, 40 h |
Adult, non-exempt private-sector workers. Rules for minors, public employees and some industries differ. General reference, not legal advice.
California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Maryland, Maine, Minnesota, North Dakota, Nebraska, New Hampshire, Nevada, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Vermont, Washington, West Virginia.
California, Colorado, Kentucky, Minnesota, Nevada, Oregon, Vermont, Washington.
These 33 states have a separate meal-period rule for workers under 18, on top of any adult rule; when both apply, the employer must follow the higher standard: Alabama, Alaska, California, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Utah, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin. Each state page also shows its hour and night-work limits for teens.
Federal law does not require meal or rest breaks. Short breaks (about 5 to 20 minutes) that an employer gives count as paid work time; meal periods of 30 minutes or more can be unpaid if the employee is completely relieved of duty. Federal law also does not require extra pay for weekends or holidays as such; only hours over 40 in a workweek earn overtime. If your employer deducts short breaks from your pay, or you work through an unpaid lunch, that is unpaid work time you can report to the U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division at 1-866-487-9243.
“Rest periods of short duration, running from 5 minutes to about 20 minutes, are common in industry”— 29 CFR 785.18-785.19 (rest and meal periods)
Federal law gives most nursing employees reasonable break time to pump, each time they need to, for one year after the child's birth, and a private place that is not a bathroom. Pump breaks can be unpaid only if you are completely relieved of duty; if your employer already gives paid breaks and you use them to pump, they stay paid. Employers with fewer than 50 employees can be excused only if complying would cause undue hardship. State law can give more protection.
“An employer may not deny a covered employee a needed break to pump.”
Source: U.S. Dept. of Labor, Fact Sheet #73: FLSA Protections for Employees to Pump Breast Milk at Work
To check a week of hours with your state's overtime rules and break warnings, use the time card calculator or the weekly timesheet and pick your state.
Each state page links the state agency or statute it is based on. Where a state has no break law, the U.S. Department of Labor's state tables are the source. Every state's rules were last verified on or after October 26, 2026. How we verify.