Kentucky: Meal and Rest Break Requirements

Requirements one by one

Meal period

Kentucky requires a "reasonable period for lunch" under KRS 337.355. The
statute does not give adults a fixed minimum number of minutes. It instead
controls placement: lunch should be as close to the middle of the scheduled
shift as possible, and an employee may not be required to take it sooner than
three hours or later than five hours after the shift begins.

Paid rest periods

Under KRS 337.365, an employee must receive at least 10 minutes of rest
during each four hours worked, in addition to lunch. The statute says no
reduction in compensation may be made, so the required rest time is paid.

Agreements and on-duty meals

The lunch statute preserves provisions in a collective-bargaining agreement or
a mutual agreement between employer and employee, but it does not prescribe a
specific waiver form or an on-duty-meal procedure. Pay treatment still follows
the federal floor: 29 C.F.R. § 785.19(a) permits an unpaid bona fide meal
only when the employee is completely relieved from duty. Any required work,
active or inactive, makes the meal time compensable.

Coverage

Both adult break statutes exclude employees under the Federal Railway Labor
Act. The rest statute also recognizes a collective-bargaining alternative, but
only when the agreement supplies total rest minutes equal to or greater than
10 minutes accrued for each four hours worked. If the agreement supplies no
rest periods, the statutory 10-minute rule applies.

Workers under 18

The child-labor rule in KRS 339.270 is more specific than the adult lunch
rule. A worker under 18 may not work more than five continuous hours without a
lunch period of at least 30 minutes; anything shorter does not interrupt the
five-hour clock. The minor also receives a paid 10-minute rest during each four
hours worked.

Enforcement

The Kentucky Education and Labor Cabinet investigates wage-and-hour complaints,
including lunch- and rest-period complaints. Current KRS 337.990(10) sets a
$100-to-$1,000 civil penalty for violating the paid-rest requirement in
§ 337.365. The current penalty section does not list § 337.355 for a
matching lunch-period penalty and does not create California-style premium pay
for a missed meal.

What trips people up

Kentucky's two adult rules use different measures. Lunch is not written as
"30 minutes every five hours" for adults: § 337.355 calls for a reasonable
period and regulates when it occurs. The 30-minute, five-continuous-hour rule
belongs to workers under 18 under § 339.270.

The 10-minute rest rule is separate from lunch and is paid. Combining a paid
rest with the meal does not necessarily satisfy both statutes, because
§ 337.365 says the rest period is "in addition to" the regularly scheduled
lunch period.

Common questions

Does an adult Kentucky employee always get a 30-minute lunch?

The state adult statute does not name 30 minutes. It requires a reasonable
lunch period placed between the third and fifth hours after the shift begins.
Federal law says 30 minutes is ordinarily long enough for an unpaid bona fide
meal, but a shorter period can qualify under special conditions if the worker
is completely relieved from duty.

Can my employer make the 10-minute rest unpaid?

No. KRS 337.365 says no reduction in compensation may be made for hourly or
salaried employees. Federal § 785.18 independently treats short rests of
about five to 20 minutes as paid working time.

What if I have to answer calls while eating?

That is not an unpaid bona fide meal under 29 C.F.R. § 785.19(a). The rule
says an employee is not relieved when required to perform any duties, active or
inactive, while eating.

Statutes and sources

• KRS 337.355. The current official statute requires a reasonable lunch
  period and sets its third-to-fifth-hour placement window.
  Official text
  (accessed July 12, 2026).
• KRS 337.365. The current official statute requires a paid 10-minute rest
  during each four hours worked and states the railway and CBA rules.
  Official text
  (accessed July 12, 2026).
• KRS 339.270. The current official child-labor statute supplies the
  30-minute lunch and paid-rest rules for workers under 18.
  Official text
  (accessed July 12, 2026).
• KRS 337.990(10). The current official penalty section sets the
  $100-to-$1,000 civil penalty for a violation of the rest-period statute.
  Official text
  (accessed July 12, 2026).
• 29 C.F.R. §§ 785.18-.19. The current federal rules treat short rests as
  paid work and require complete relief from duty for an unpaid bona fide meal.
  Short rests
  and meals
  (accessed July 12, 2026).