2015 Connecticut General Statutes
Title 31 - Labor
Chapter 557 - Employment Regulation
Section 31-18 - Hours of labor of minors, elderly and handicapped persons in certain other establishments.

(a) No public restaurant, cafe, dining room, barber shop, hairdressing or manicuring establishment, amusement or recreational establishment, bowling alley, shoe-shining establishment, billiard or pool room or photograph gallery shall employ or permit to work any person under eighteen years of age (1) between the hours of ten o’clock in the evening and six o’clock in the morning, or any of the persons described below under conditions herein set forth more than nine hours in any day: (A) Persons sixty-six years of age or older, except with their consent; (B) handicapped persons, so designated by medical or governmental authority, except with their consent and after certification by a physician or an advanced practice registered nurse that the extended hours of work will not be injurious to their health; (C) disabled veterans, as defined under state or federal law, except with their consent and after certification by a physician or an advanced practice registered nurse that the extended hours of work will not be injurious to their health; provided any such person may be permitted to work in any such establishment one day in a week for not more than ten hours on such day, but not more than six days or forty-eight hours in any one week, and provided further, persons between sixteen and eighteen years of age may be employed in any amusement or recreational establishment, restaurant, cafe or dining room, or employed in any theater until twelve o’clock midnight unless such persons are regularly attending school in which case such minors may be employed until eleven o’clock in the evening on days which precede a regularly scheduled school day and until twelve o’clock midnight during any regular school vacation season and on days which do not precede a regularly scheduled school day, and (2) more than (A) six hours in any regularly scheduled school day unless the regularly scheduled school day immediately precedes a nonschool day or eight hours in any other day, and (B) thirty-two hours in any calendar week during which the school in which such person is enrolled is in session or forty-eight hours in any other calendar week during which the school in which such person is enrolled is not in session. Notwithstanding any provision of this section, the number of hours such person participates in a work experience that is part of an approved educational plan, cooperative program or school-to-work program shall not be counted against the daily or weekly limits set forth in this section.

(b) The hours of labor of such persons shall be conspicuously posted in such establishment in such form and manner as the Labor Commissioner determines.

(c) The provisions of this section shall not apply to any person under eighteen years of age who has graduated from a secondary educational institution.

(1949 Rev., S. 7349; 1963, P.A. 160; 1971, P.A. 479; P.A. 73-83, S. 2, 3; 73-84; 73-616, S. 63; P.A. 77-204; P.A. 81-114; P.A. 85-28, S. 5; P.A. 97-263, S. 9; P.A. 98-210, S. 5; P.A. 06-139, S. 3; P.A. 12-197, S. 35.)

History: 1963 act extended applicability to cover amusement or recreational establishments, bowling alleys, shoe-shining establishments and billiard or pool rooms; 1971 act added provision re employment of minors between 16 and 18 years old who do not regularly attend school, in restaurants, cafes or dining rooms; P.A. 73-83 deleted provision prohibiting employment of women for more than nine hours a day in specified establishments and extended nine-hour limit to persons 66 or older, handicapped persons and disabled veterans; P.A. 73-84 allowed employment of persons 16 to 18 years old who do not regularly attend school, in restaurants, cafes and dining rooms until midnight rather than eleven p.m. as was previously the case; P.A. 73-616 extended midnight limit for employment of minors in eating establishments to persons who regularly attend school, during vacations and days which do not precede school days; P.A. 77-204 made provisions re minors between 16 and 18 years old applicable to those employed as ushers in nonprofit theaters; P.A. 81-114 allowed minors who regularly attend school to work in restaurants, cafes or theaters until eleven o’clock in the evening on days preceding school days and replaced alphabetic Subdiv. indicators with numeric indicators; P.A. 85-28 exempted persons who have graduated from a secondary educational institution from the employment restrictions placed on minors; P.A. 97-263 increased the amount of fine from $100 to $200; P.A. 98-210 allowed employment of persons between 16 and 18 years of age who do not regularly attend school, in amusement and recreational establishments and for-profit theaters until midnight rather than ten p.m. as was previously the case, limited employment of persons between 16 and 18 years of age who regularly attend school, in public restaurants, cafes, dining rooms, barber shops, bowling alleys, hairdressing, manicuring, amusement, recreational or shoe shining establishments while school is in session, deleted the exemption for hotel establishments, created an exemption for graduates under 18 years of age, replaced the term “minor” with the term “person” throughout the section and added alphabetic Subsec. indicators and numeric Subdiv. indicators; P.A. 06-139 deleted former Subsec. (d) re penalty for violation of section, effective January 1, 2007; P.A. 12-197 amended Subsec. (a)(1)(B) and (C) by adding provisions allowing certification by an advanced practice registered nurse.

See Secs. 31-15a, 31-69a re penalties for violation of section.

Former statute a valid exercise of police power; women entertainers within statute. 126 C. 678.

Constitutionality; prohibition of employment of females between designated hours in certain establishments held to be valid exercise of police powers. 14 CS 485.