Last verified October 26, 2026 · How we verify
Oregon break laws
Meal and rest break rules for adult hourly workers in Oregon, what federal law adds, teen work limits and overtime. Check your own shift below.
Meal and rest break rules for adult hourly workers in Oregon, what federal law adds, teen work limits and overtime. Check your own shift below.
Oregon requires a 30-minute unpaid meal break for 6 or more hours, plus a paid 10-minute rest break for every 4 hours. Overtime is due after 40 hours in a workweek; there is no daily overtime.
For each 8-hour work period: one 30-minute unpaid meal break (and two paid 10-minute rest breaks). Shorter and longer shifts follow BOLI's chart.
“For each 8-hour work period you get these breaks free from work responsibilities: Two 10 minute paid rest breaks One 30 minute unpaid meal break”
Verified October 26, 2026 · Source: Oregon BOLI, Meals and breaks
Two paid 10-minute rest breaks in an 8-hour work period (one per 4 hours or major part), separate from the meal break.
“Two 10 minute paid rest breaks”
Verified October 26, 2026 · Source: Oregon BOLI, Meals and breaks
Most workers must be paid 1.5 times their regular rate for all hours over 40 in a workweek.
“must pay overtime at the rate of 1.5 times the worker’s regular pay rate for all hours worked over 40 in the workweek”
Verified October 26, 2026 · Source: Oregon BOLI, 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 | Overtime |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6-hour shift, no break | 30 min (6 or more hours) | 1 × 10 min, paid | Counted by the week: hours over 40 in the workweek |
| 8-hour shift, 30-min lunch | 30 min (6 or more hours) | 2 × 10 min, paid | Counted by the week: hours over 40 in the workweek |
| 10-hour shift, 30-min lunch | 30 min (6 or more hours) | 2 × 10 min, paid | Counted by the week: hours over 40 in the workweek |
| 12-hour shift, 30-min lunch | 30 min (6 or more hours) | 3 × 10 min, paid | Counted by the week: hours over 40 in the workweek |
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 Oregon have limits on how long and how late they can work. Where the Oregon and federal limits differ, the stricter one applies. Oregon 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 Oregon labor department for its details.
| Age | Hour limits | Can't work between |
|---|---|---|
| Under 16 (Oregon) | Non-school days and weeks: up to 8 hours a day and 40 a week, 6 days a week School days and weeks: up to 3 hours a day and 18 a week, 6 days a week | 7 p.m. (9 p.m. June 1 through Labor Day) to 7 a.m. |
| 16 and 17 (Oregon) | 44-hour week | 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 Oregon law requires, or not paid for time you worked, you can complain to the state. File a wage claim with Oregon's Bureau of Labor and Industries (BOLI) online at complaints.boli.oregon.gov. Late final pay can also earn you penalty wages of up to 30 days of pay. Official page ↗ Verified October 26, 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.
Your paycheck must come with an itemized statement that shows the amount and purpose of each deduction. Source ↗ Verified October 26, 2026
Paid break time counts as hours worked, at no less than Oregon's minimum wage of $15.55 an hour, $16.80 in the Portland metro area. Oregon minimum wage details ↗ Keep your own record to compare: the time card calculator totals your week with Oregon's rules and saves a PDF.
| State | Meal break | Rest breaks | Overtime |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| 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 |
| Nevada | A 30-minute meal break for 8 continuous hours of work | A paid 10-minute rest break for every 4 hours | Daily + weekly |
| 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 |
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 26, 2026, the oldest of those dates. How we verify.