Editing State Laws (section)

== State Laws on Meal Breaks  ==

Fewer than half the states require employers to provide a meal break. In those states that require meal breaks, employees who work more than five or six hours at a time typically must be allowed to take a half hour to eat. Some states prohibit employers from giving this time off near the beginning or end of the work shift. You can find a list of state meal break laws at the Department of Labor's website at www.dol.gov/whd/state/meal.htm. 

You aren't entitled to be paid for this time off if you don't have to work while eating. If you do have to work while eating -- for example, by answering phones or waiting for a delivery while eating lunch -- then you have the right to be paid for that time.<br>State Laws on Rest Breaks 

Only a handful of states -- California, Colorado, Kentucky, Minnesota, Nevada, Oregon, Vermont, and Washington -- currently require employers to allow employees to take rest breaks. With the exception of Minnesota and Vermont, which simply requires employers to give employees enough break time to use the restroom, these laws generally provide that employees can take a ten-minute rest break, with pay, for every four hours they work. A few other states allow employers to choose between giving a meal break or rest breaks. 

You can find a list of state rest break laws at the Department of Labor's website at www.dol.gov/whd/state/rest.htm.<br>