North Dakota Meal and Rest Period Law

The North Dakota meal and rest period law is located in Title 34, Chapters 34-06 and 34-07 of the state's Century Code.

34-06-05.1. One day of rest in seven - Penalty.

1. An employer may not require an employee to work seven consecutive days in a business that sells merchandise at retail. An employer may not deny an employee at least one period of twenty-four consecutive hours of time off for rest or worship in each seven-day period. The time off must be in addition to the regular periods of rest allowed during each day worked. An employer shall accommodate the religious beliefs and practices of an employee unless the employer can demonstrate that to do so would constitute an undue hardship on the conduct of the employer's business. However, if an employee requests time off to attend one regular worship service a week, an employer may not require the employee to work during that period unless:

a. Honoring the employee's request would cause the employer substantial economic burdens or would require the imposition of significant burdens on other employees required to work in place of the Sabbath observer; or

b. The employer has made a reasonable effort to accommodate the employee's request.

2. A violation of this section is a class B misdemeanor. It is an affirmative defense to prosecution under this section that the employee volunteered for work on the seventh consecutive day and the employee executed a written statement so stating. The statement must also contain a provision, signed by the employer or the employer's agent, that the employer did not require such work.

3. This section applies only to an employer in a business that sells merchandise at retail.

34-07-15. Maximum hours of labor of minors fourteen or fifteen years of age -Notice to be posted.

A minor fourteen or fifteen years of age may not be employed or permitted to work at any occupation, except in domestic services and at farm labor, before the hour of seven a.m. nor after the hour of seven p.m., except that these hours are seven a.m. to nine p.m. from June first through labor day, nor more than eighteen hours during schoolweeks, nor more than three hours on schooldays, nor more than forty hours during nonschoolweeks, nor more than eight hours on nonschooldays. A schoolweek is considered to be any week Monday through Sunday in which a youth is required to be in attendance, for any period of time, four or more days. Provided, however, that the limitations restricting hours of work during schoolweeks and schooldays do not apply to minors who are not attending school because they are excepted from compulsory school attendance by subdivisions b, c, and d of subsection 1 of section 15.1-20-02. Every employer shall post, in a conspicuous place where minors are employed, a printed notice stating the hours of work required of the minors each day of the week, the hours of commencing and stopping work, and the hours allowed for dinner or other meals. The printed form of the notice must be furnished by the labor commissioner. The employment of any minor for a longer period than that stated in the notice is a violation of this chapter.