MargaritaGirl

I too am in Iowa - This info is on the Iowa Workforce Development website under labor laws;

Youth under the age of 16 in Iowa, are required to have a work permit before starting work. The following information is intended to clarify some of the Iowa Child Labor laws.

Who needs a work permit? People under 16 years of age cannot be employed or permitted to work, with or without compensation, unless the person, firm, or corporation employing the youth receives and keeps a work permit on file, accessible to any officer charged with the enforcement of the child labor laws. The employer also is required to keep a complete list of the names and ages of anyone under 16 years of age in his employ.

How to get a work permit. A youth first must go in person to the local school official designated as an issuing officer or the Iowa Workforce Development Center and provide one of the following acceptable forms of evidence of age: a certified copy of a birth certificate, current passport or certified copy of baptismal record showing the date and place of birth and the place of the child’s baptism. If none of these is available, then a written certification from a physician appointed by the local board of education certifying that, in the physician’s opinion, the applicant is 14 years of age or older, is required. The employer then must complete the work permit (Child Labor Form), specifically listing all work the minor will be performing, equipment he will use, and hours to be worked. After completing this section, the minor’s parent completes and signs his portion of the form. The form then is returned to the issuing officer for review and approval.

What hours can 14- or 15-year-olds work? Outside school hours, between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m., from the day after Labor Day (in September) through May 31, and no more than four hours per day, Monday through Friday, or eight hours per day on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays. No more than a total of 28 hours per week is allowed. From June 1 through Labor Day, a minor may work up to eight hours per day between 7 a.m. and 9 p.m., but not more than 40 hours per week.