--- title: "Connecticut Meal and Rest Break Laws | MCC Solutions" description: "Connecticut break rules: 30 min, at 7½ hrs for meals, no state rule for rest breaks, with Connecticut's own wording and a shift-length table." url: "https://mcc-solutionsnj.com/bookkeeping/meal-break-laws-connecticut" --- Breaks · Connecticut # Connecticut meal and rest break laws When Connecticut requires a meal break, whether short rest breaks are required, the rule for young workers, and what Connecticut's official pages say about waivers, who is covered and missed breaks. [![Intuit ProAdvisor Gold tier badge](/img/credentials/intuit-proadvisor-gold.png)](https://proadvisor.intuit.com/app/accountant/search?searchId=matthew-coleman77)Gold tier in Intuit's ProAdvisor program. [See my Intuit listing](https://proadvisor.intuit.com/app/accountant/search?searchId=matthew-coleman77) Keeping your own books? Tallyfinch does invoices, bank import and reports on your computer. [See Tallyfinch](/bookkeeping/mcc-books-downloadable-bookkeeping-software) **Short answer.** A 30-minute meal period for employees who work 7½ or more consecutive hours, some time after the first 2 hours and before the last 2 hours. No separate short rest breaks are required. ## Connecticut breaks at a glance Meal break A 30-minute meal period for employees who work 7½ or more consecutive hours, some time after the first 2 hours and before the last 2 hours. Rest breaks No state rest-break requirement: Connecticut isn't in the US DOL table of state paid rest-period rules (revised January 1, 2023), which says states not listed don't require paid rest periods. Minors No separate meal-break rule for workers under 18: the US Department of Labor's state meal period table (revised January 1, 2023; checked November 2026) doesn't list Connecticut among the 35 jurisdictions with meal periods specifically for minors, so minors follow the adult rule. Law Conn. Gen. Stat. 31-51ii (meal periods) Agency Connecticut Department of Labor, Wage and Workplace Standards Division ## In Connecticut's words **Meal break** Hiring in another state? [Employer registration in Connecticut, done for you](/bookkeeping/out-of-state-employer-registration), or [a free bookkeeping health check](/bookkeeping/health-check). "½ hour at some time after first 2 hours and before last 2 hours for employees who work 7½ consecutive hours or more." **Rest breaks** "States not listed do not require paid rest periods." **Minors** "The following 35 jurisdictions also have separate provisions requiring meal periods specifically for minors" ## Breaks by shift length in Connecticut For an adult working the hours in one stretch, Connecticut's rule as we read it calls for: | Shift | Meal break | Rest breaks | | --- | --- | --- | | 4 hours | None yet | No state rule | | 7 hours | None yet | No state rule | | 7½ hours | 30 minutes | No state rule | | 8 hours | 30 minutes | No state rule | Other shift lengths: [open the checker set to Connecticut](/bookkeeping/meal-and-rest-break-checker?state=ct). ## Who the Connecticut rule covers US DOL table: excludes any employer that provides 30 or more total minutes of paid rest or meal periods within each 7½-hour work period. The Labor Commissioner may grant exemptions by regulation (public safety, single-employee duties, continuous operations, fewer than 5 employees on a shift). ## Waivers and exceptions in Connecticut US DOL table: the rule doesn't alter or impair a collective bargaining agreement in effect on July 1, 1990, and a written employer-employee agreement can provide otherwise. ## If a Connecticut employer misses a break Conn. Gen. Stat. 31-51ii: an employer that violates the meal-period rule "may be subject to civil penalties in accordance with section 31-69a." ## Worth knowing in Connecticut Connecticut's rule (Conn. Gen. Stat. 31-51ii) is taken from the US DOL state meal-period table; the official statute page we opened wouldn't load the section's text. ## Connecticut sources - [Connecticut General Statutes, Chapter 557: Employment Regulation](https://cga.ct.gov/2025/pub/chap_557.htm) (checked November 2026) - [Connecticut DOL: Wage and Hour](https://portal.ct.gov/dol/divisions/wage-and-workplace-standards/wage-and-hour) (checked November 2026) - [U.S. Department of Labor: Minimum Paid Rest Period Requirements under State Law for Adult Employees in Private Sector (revised January 1, 2023)](https://www.dol.gov/whd/state/rest.htm) (checked November 2026) - [U.S. Department of Labor: Minimum Length of Meal Period Required under State Law for Adult Employees in Private Sector (revised January 1, 2023)](https://www.dol.gov/agencies/whd/state/meal-breaks) (checked November 2026) - [Justia (statute text) (secondary source): Conn. Gen. Stat. 31-51ii, meal periods (2022 Connecticut General Statutes, Justia)](https://law.justia.com/codes/connecticut/2022/title-31/chapter-557/section-31-51ii/) (checked November 2026) Sourced from official pages; a few facts from vetted secondary sources, marked "(secondary source)". Connecticut rules as published on the pages above, checked November 2026. General information, not legal advice; we are not lawyers. A union contract, an industry order or a city ordinance can add to them. ## Connecticut break questions **When is a meal break required in Connecticut?** A 30-minute meal period for employees who work 7½ or more consecutive hours, some time after the first 2 hours and before the last 2 hours. Connecticut Department of Labor, Wage and Workplace Standards Division puts it as "½ hour at some time after first 2 hours and before last 2 hours for employees who work 7½ consecutive hours or more." **Does Connecticut require short rest breaks?** No state rest-break requirement: Connecticut isn't in the US DOL table of state paid rest-period rules (revised January 1, 2023), which says states not listed don't require paid rest periods. **Can a Connecticut employee skip or waive a break?** US DOL table: the rule doesn't alter or impair a collective bargaining agreement in effect on July 1, 1990, and a written employer-employee agreement can provide otherwise. **Who is covered by the Connecticut break rule?** US DOL table: excludes any employer that provides 30 or more total minutes of paid rest or meal periods within each 7½-hour work period. The Labor Commissioner may grant exemptions by regulation (public safety, single-employee duties, continuous operations, fewer than 5 employees on a shift). **What breaks do minors get in Connecticut?** No separate meal-break rule for workers under 18: the US Department of Labor's state meal period table (revised January 1, 2023; checked November 2026) doesn't list Connecticut among the 35 jurisdictions with meal periods specifically for minors, so minors follow the adult rule. **What happens if a Connecticut employer skips a required break?** Conn. Gen. Stat. 31-51ii: an employer that violates the meal-period rule "may be subject to civil penalties in accordance with section 31-69a." 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