United States · hours and breaks
Lunch and rest break laws by state.
Pick your state and enter how long your shift is. See whether you are owed a meal or rest break, how long it must be, whether it is paid, and what to check for under-18 workers.
General information, not legal advice
This applies the state rules listed below to the numbers you enter. It does not cover collective bargaining agreements, industry exemptions, local rules or the minor-worker rules. Nothing you enter leaves your browser and nothing is stored.
Your shift
Result
How it works
The tool looks up your state's rule and compares it with your shift length: a meal period is owed when the shift is over (or at least) the state's trigger hours. The trigger is written into the table below, for example more than 5 hours in California and Washington, 7.5 hours or more in Connecticut and Delaware. Rest breaks follow the same logic. Where a statute counts breaks per 4 hours "or major fraction", a fraction of more than 2 hours is counted as another 4-hour block, which is how California applies it. Counts for Colorado and Oregon are not computed because the thresholds sit in rules this tool does not reproduce. Rest-break counts are minimums.
Federal baseline. The federal Fair Labor Standards Act does not require meal or rest breaks. States with no entry below have no general adult rule in the DOL table, which was last revised January 1, 2023. Minnesota is a case where state law has since changed (effective January 1, 2026), so check your state labor department for anything newer.
| State | Meal period | Rest break | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| California | 30 min if the day is over 5 hours (waivable at 6 hours or less); second 30 min if over 10 hours | 10 min paid per 4 hours or major fraction; none under 3.5 hours | Lab. Code 512 |
| Colorado | 30 min if the shift is over 5 consecutive hours (covered industries) | Required (DOL list); see COMPS Order | DOL state table |
| Connecticut | 30 min at 7.5 or more consecutive hours, after the first 2 and before the last 2 hours | No state rest break rule | Gen. Stat. 31-51ii |
| Delaware | Unpaid 30 min at 7.5 or more consecutive hours, after the first 2 and before the last 2 hours | No state rest break rule | 19 Del. C. 707 |
| Illinois | 20 min at 7.5 or more continuous hours, starting within 5 hours; +20 min per extra 4.5 hours | No state rest break rule | 820 ILCS 140/3 |
| Kentucky | A reasonable lunch period between the 3rd and 5th hour of the shift | 10 min paid per 4 hours worked | KRS 337.355, 337.365 |
| Maine | 30 min after 6 consecutive hours (opportunity to take it) | No state rest break rule | 26 MRSA 601 |
| Maryland | Large retail only: 15 min at 4 to 6 hours, 30 min over 6, +15 min per 4 hours from 8 | No state rest break rule | Lab. & Empl. 3-710 |
| Massachusetts | 30 min if working more than 6 hours in a calendar day | No state rest break rule | G.L. c.149 s.100 |
| Minnesota | 30 min at 6 or more consecutive hours (from Jan 1, 2026) | 15 min (or restroom time) per 4 consecutive hours (from Jan 1, 2026) | Stat. 177.253, 177.254 |
| Nebraska | 30 min per 8-hour shift in plants, workshops and mechanical establishments | No state rest break rule | Rev. Stat. 48-212 |
| Nevada | 30 min at 8 continuous hours | 10 min paid per 4 hours or major fraction; none under 3.5 hours | NRS 608.019 |
| New Hampshire | 30 min after 5 consecutive hours unless you can eat while working | No state rest break rule | RSA 275:30-a |
| New York | 30 min across the 11:00 to 14:00 noon period for shifts over 6 hours; extra 20 min and 45 min rules by shift time | No state rest break rule | Labor Law 162 |
| North Dakota | 30 min if the shift is over 5 hours and 2 or more employees are on duty | No state rest break rule | NDAC 46-02-07-02 |
| Oregon | 30 min for each work period of 6 to 8 hours; more in Appendix A | 10 min paid per 4 hours or major part | OAR 839-020-0050 |
| Rhode Island | 20 min within a 6-hour shift, 30 min within an 8-hour shift | No state rest break rule | Gen. Laws 28-3-14 |
| Tennessee | 30 min at 6 or more scheduled consecutive hours, not in the first hour | No state rest break rule | DOL state table |
| Vermont | Reasonable opportunities to eat and use toilet facilities | No state rest break rule | 21 V.S.A. 304 |
| Washington | 30 min if over 5 consecutive hours, starting 2 to 5 hours in; extra 30 min with 3+ overtime hours | 10 min paid per 4 hours; no more than 3 hours without one | WAC 296-126-092 |
| West Virginia | 20 min for a workday of 6 or more hours | No state rest break rule | Code 21-3-10a |
Not modeled: collective bargaining agreements, industry-specific orders (California has 16 wage orders and the tool applies the general Wage Order 4 text), health care and agricultural carve-outs, local ordinances, the Oregon Appendix A schedule, Colorado's shift thresholds for rest breaks, Washington's overtime meal period, and the separate meal rules for minors in 35 jurisdictions. Pennsylvania (seasonal farm workers), Wisconsin (migrant workers, plus a recommended-only meal standard) and New Mexico (meal period only if granted) have narrow provisions that are also not modeled.
Sources, checked October 2026. Colorado and Tennessee are taken from the DOL table only, because their state text was not re-read.
- U.S. Department of Labor, Minimum Length of Meal Period Required under State Law (revised January 1, 2023)
- Federal: 29 CFR 785.18 (rest periods) and 785.19 (meal periods)
- California: Lab. Code 512 and IWC Wage Order 4, sections 11 and 12
- Oregon: OAR 839-020-0050
- Washington: WAC 296-126-092
- Minnesota: Stat. 177.253 and 177.254
- New York: Labor Law 162
- Other states: linked in the table above.
Frequently asked questions
Does my employer have to give me a lunch break?
Under federal law, no. The Fair Labor Standards Act does not require meal or rest breaks for adults. It is state law, and the U.S. Department of Labor lists 21 states and territories with a general meal period rule. In the other states, whether you get a break is up to your employer or a contract. Pick your state above to see the rule that applies.
How many hours do I have to work before I get a lunch break?
It depends on the state. California and Washington require a 30-minute meal period once you work more than 5 hours, Maine and Massachusetts after 6, Connecticut and Delaware at 7.5 consecutive hours, and Nevada and Nebraska at 8. Enter your shift length above to see whether you are over the line.
Do I get paid for my lunch break?
Usually not, if you are fully relieved of duty. In California, Colorado, Oregon and Washington a meal period is paid when you are not relieved of all duty or the employer requires you to stay on the premises. The federal rule is the same idea: a bona fide meal period is not worktime only if you are completely relieved of duty (29 CFR 785.19). Short rest breaks of 5 to about 20 minutes are counted as hours worked (29 CFR 785.18).
Which states require paid rest breaks?
The DOL lists seven: California, Colorado, Kentucky, Minnesota, Nevada, Oregon and Washington. California, Nevada and Oregon set 10 paid minutes per 4 hours or major fraction. Washington sets 10 minutes per 4 hours and no more than 3 hours of work without one. Kentucky sets 10 minutes per 4 hours worked. Minnesota now requires at least 15 minutes, or enough time to reach a restroom, within each 4 consecutive hours, effective January 1, 2026.
What happens if my employer skips my break?
In California the employer owes one extra hour of pay at your regular rate for each workday a meal period is missed, and separately for a missed rest period. Minnesota, from 2026, makes the employer liable for the missed break time at your regular rate plus an equal amount as liquidated damages. Massachusetts, for example, sets a fine of $300 to $600 for a violation of its meal interval law. Keep a record of the dates and times and ask your state labor department how to file a complaint.
Are minors covered by different break rules?
In many states, yes. The DOL says 35 jurisdictions have separate meal period rules for minors, and where both apply the employer must follow the higher standard. This tool shows the adult rule and tells you when your state has a separate rule for workers under 18.