Meal and Rest Break Requirements in Louisiana
At a glance
| Governing law | No general adult mandate; La. R.S. 23:213 requires a meal interval only for workers under 16 |
|---|---|
| Required meal break | Under 16: one 30-min interval within each 5-hour period; ≤10-min timing overrun and a break of at least 20 min are de minimis (§ 23:213) |
| Required paid rest break | None required for adults; § 23:213 describes the under-16 interval as a meal period, not a paid short rest |
| Paid or unpaid? | § 23:213 excludes the minor meal interval from working hours; federal law still requires pay for short rests and meals with duties (§§ 785.18-.19) |
| Waiver and on-duty meals | No waiver; limited statutory tolerance for ≤10-min timing overrun or a break lasting at least 20 min, with timekeeping and edit acknowledgments (§ 23:213) |
| Who is covered or exempt | General break mandate applies only to workers under 16; no state meal/rest mandate for adults or workers age 16-17 |
| Separate rule for minors | Under 16: documented 30-min meal within each 5-hour period, subject to the statute's de minimis tolerances (§ 23:213) |
| Remedy for a missed break | $100-$500 fine and/or 30 days-6 months; additional civil penalty up to $500, imposed after agency hearing (§ 23:231) |
Louisiana's rule in practice
Louisiana does not require an ordinary private employer to schedule a meal period or short rest break for an adult employee. The state's general labor-law resources direct work-hours questions to federal law, while Louisiana's own meal mandate appears in the child-labor law and applies only to workers under 16.
For a worker under 16, La. R.S. 23:213 requires one interval of at least 30 minutes for meals within each five-hour work period. The interval must be recorded in the employer's normal timekeeping system. If a time edit is needed, the minor and the manager making the edit must acknowledge it in writing.
The statute excludes the interval from the day's working hours. Federal law still controls whether the time is compensable under federal wage law: 29 C.F.R. § 785.18 counts short rests as paid work, while § 785.19(a) permits an unpaid bona fide meal only when the employee is completely relieved from duty.
What trips people up
The current age cutoff is under 16. Act 603 of 2024 removed the former meal requirement for workers age 16 and older. Older materials that describe the rule for all minors are stale.
The nominal requirement remains 30 minutes within each five-hour period, but § 23:213 now treats two limited shortfalls as de minimis: the pre-break work may exceed five hours by no more than 10 minutes, and a break of at least 20 minutes does not produce a violation merely because it is shorter than 30. Those tolerances are not a general waiver and do not displace federal pay rules.
Common questions
Must a Louisiana employer provide lunch on an eight-hour adult shift?
No general Louisiana law requires it. The employer may still promise a meal period through its handbook, policy, collective-bargaining agreement, or employment agreement.
Does a 15-year-old need a meal break?
Yes. R.S. 23:213 requires a documented meal interval within each five-hour work period. The stated interval is 30 minutes, subject to the statute's narrow de minimis rules.
What can happen if the minor's break is denied?
Under R.S. 23:231, a violation can produce a $100-to-$500 fine, 30 days to six months of imprisonment, or both, plus a civil penalty up to $500. The civil penalty requires an agency adjudicatory hearing.
Statutes and sources
- La. R.S. 23:213. The current official statute supplies the under-16 meal interval, de minimis tolerances, and documentation requirements. Official text (accessed July 12, 2026).
- La. R.S. 23:231. The current official statute supplies the criminal and civil consequences and the hearing requirement. Official text (accessed July 12, 2026).
- Louisiana Works, Minor Labor Law Placard. The official state placard confirms that the meal rule is limited to workers under 16. The current statute adds details not shown on the placard. Official placard (accessed July 12, 2026).
- 29 C.F.R. §§ 785.18-.19. The current federal rules treat provided short rests as paid time and require complete relief from duty for an unpaid bona fide meal. Short rests and meals (accessed July 12, 2026).
Source links
Every statute quoted above, linked, with the date we checked it.
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