Last verified October 25, 2026 · How we verify
Nevada break laws
Meal and rest break rules for adult hourly workers in Nevada, what federal law adds, teen work limits and overtime. Check your own shift below.
Meal and rest break rules for adult hourly workers in Nevada, what federal law adds, teen work limits and overtime. Check your own shift below.
Nevada requires a 30-minute meal break for 8 continuous hours of work, plus a paid 10-minute rest break for every 4 hours. Overtime starts after 40 hours in a week, and after 8 hours in a day if you earn under $18.00 an hour.
A 30-minute uninterrupted meal period for a continuous 8 hours of work (employers with two or more employees; exemptions possible). Who it covers: employers with two or more employees.
“an employer must provide a minimum of a 30-minute uninterrupted meal period, for a continuous 8 hours of work.”
Verified October 26, 2026 · Source: Nevada Labor Commissioner, Meals and Rest Periods
An uninterrupted, paid 10-minute rest period for every 4 hours of work or major fraction.
“an employer must provide an uninterrupted 10-minute rest period for every 4 hours of work or major fraction thereof.”
Verified October 26, 2026 · Source: Nevada Labor Commissioner, Meals and Rest Periods
Employees of a residential facility on duty for 24 hours or more may agree to exclude up to 8 hours of sleep time from paid hours if adequate sleeping facilities are provided. Interrupted sleep is paid, and if sleep is cut to less than 5 hours the whole sleep period is paid (not firefighters, rescue crews or peace officers). U.S. DOL ↗
If you earn less than $18.00 an hour, you get time and a half for hours over 8 in a 24-hour period, as well as over 40 in a week. A mutually agreed four 10-hour-day schedule is the exception.
“EMPLOYEES WHO EARN LESS THAN $18.00 PER HOUR”
Verified October 26, 2026 · Source: Nevada Labor Commissioner, 2026 Annual Bulletin: Daily Overtime
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. More on the federal rules.
Nursing employees also have a federal right to reasonable unpaid break time and a private place, not a bathroom, to pump breast milk for one year after the birth. What the federal pump-break rule covers.
How the rules above apply to four typical shifts. Hours worked exclude the unpaid lunch.
| Shift | Meal break | Rest breaks | Daily overtime |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6-hour shift, no break | Not required for this shift | 1 × 10 min, paid | None (under 8 hours) |
| 8-hour shift, 30-min lunch | 30 min (8 or more hours) | 2 × 10 min, paid | None (under 8 hours) |
| 10-hour shift, 30-min lunch | 30 min (8 or more hours) | 2 × 10 min, paid | 2h at 1.5× |
| 12-hour shift, 30-min lunch | 30 min (8 or more hours) | 3 × 10 min, paid | 4h at 1.5× |
Rules for adult, non-exempt private-sector workers. Industry orders, union contracts, local laws and exemptions can change the answer. General reference, not legal advice.
Teen workers in Nevada have limits on how long and how late they can work. Where the Nevada and federal limits differ, the stricter one applies. Nevada is also one of 33 states with a separate meal-break rule for minors; when a teen is covered by both the adult and the minor rule, the employer must follow the higher standard (U.S. DOL). Ask the Nevada labor department for its details.
| Age | Hour limits | Can't work between |
|---|---|---|
| Under 16 (Nevada) | Up to 8 hours a day and 48 a week | ---- |
| 16 and 17 (Nevada) | No state limit listed | No state limit listed |
| Under 16 (federal) | Non-school days and weeks: up to 8 hours a day and 40 a week School days and weeks: up to 3 hours a day and 18 a week | 7 p.m. (9 p.m. June 1 through Labor Day) to 7 a.m. |
| 16 and 17 (federal) | No hour limits | No night limits |
Verified October 26, 2026 · Source: U.S. Department of Labor, Selected State Child Labor Standards Affecting Minors Under 18 in Non-farm Employment, as of July 15, 2025. School-day limits usually apply only to students.
If you are denied breaks that Nevada law requires, or not paid for time you worked, you can complain to the state. File a wage claim with the Nevada Labor Commissioner, online or on its claim form. The office will not accept a claim about anything that happened more than 24 months before you file. Official page ↗ Verified October 25, 2026
You can also call the federal Wage and Hour Division free at 1-866-487-9243. Firing or punishing you for a wage complaint is illegal.
Each time you are paid, your employer must give you an itemized list of deductions. Payroll records showing gross pay, deductions, net pay and daily hours must be given to you within 10 days if you ask. Source ↗ Verified October 25, 2026
Paid break time counts as hours worked, at no less than Nevada's minimum wage of $12.00 an hour. Nevada minimum wage details ↗ Keep your own record to compare: the time card calculator totals your week with Nevada's rules and saves a PDF.
| State | Meal break | Rest breaks | Overtime |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nevada | A 30-minute meal break for 8 continuous hours of work | A paid 10-minute rest break for every 4 hours | Daily + weekly |
| Arizona | 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 |
| Idaho | 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 |
| Utah | None required | None required | Weekly, 40 h |
See all 50 states and DC.
Every rule on this page was checked against the official source below; the quotes are verbatim and were found in the source on the date shown next to each rule. This page was last verified on October 25, 2026, the oldest of those dates. How we verify.