# Labor and Employment (GLE)

## Title 3. Employment Standards and Conditions

### Subtitle 2. Employment of Minors

#### Section 3-213

(a) Except as otherwise provided in this subtitle, a minor may not be employed or allowed to work:

  (1) in, about, or in connection with the manufacturing of a hazardous substance;

  (2) in, about, or in connection with:

    (i) a blast furnace;

    (ii) a distillery where an alcoholic beverage is manufactured, bottled, wrapped, or packed;

    (iii) a railroad;

    (iv) an engineer, firefighter, or pilot on a vessel that is engaged in commerce; or

    (v) a dock or wharf other than a marina where pleasure vessels are sold or served; or

  (3) in, about, or in connection with:

    (i) the erection or repair of an electrical wire;

    (ii) the cleaning, oiling, or wiping of machinery; or

    (iii) an occupation that is prohibited by law.

(b) Except as otherwise provided in this subtitle, a minor under the age of 16 may not be employed or allowed to work:

  (1) during the school hours set for that minor;

  (2) about or in connection with an acid, dye, gas, lye, or paint;

  (3) at, about, or in connection with:

    (i) an airport;

    (ii) a brickyard;

    (iii) a lumberyard;

    (iv) a workroom or work site where goods are manufactured or processed;

    (v) scaffolding; or

    (vi) a vessel when engaged in navigation or commerce; or

  (4) in, about, or in connection with:

    (i) construction;

    (ii) an occupation that causes dust in an injurious quantity;

    (iii) a manufacturing occupation;

    (iv) a mechanical occupation;

    (v) a processing occupation; or

    (vi) the adjustment, cleaning, or operation of power-driven machinery except:

      (1) an office machine; or

      (2) machinery used in a school or government institution as part of vocational training.

(c) The Commissioner may prohibit minors being employed in an occupation if:

  (1) after a public hearing, the Commissioner determines that employment in the occupation should be prohibited to minors;

  (2) the Commissioner adopts by reference a determination by the United States Secretary of Labor under the federal Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 that the occupation is hazardous; or

  (3) after investigation, the Commissioner determines that the occupation is injurious to:

    (i) the health or welfare of minors; or

    (ii) the morals of minors under the age of 16 years.

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Md. Code Ann., Lab. & Empl. (as displayed at mgaleg.maryland.gov, October 16, 2026)