Short answer. An unpaid 30-minute meal period for non-exempt employees working 6 or more hours, a second at 14 hours and a third at 22. Paid in full if any duties are performed. A paid 10-minute rest period for every 4-hour segment or major part of one: one for a shift over 2 hours, two over 6, three over 10, four over 14.
Oregon breaks at a glance
- Meal break
- An unpaid 30-minute meal period for non-exempt employees working 6 or more hours, a second at 14 hours and a third at 22. Paid in full if any duties are performed.
- Rest breaks
- A paid 10-minute rest period for every 4-hour segment or major part of one: one for a shift over 2 hours, two over 6, three over 10, four over 14.
- Paid?
- Meal: unpaid if the employee is relieved of all duty; rest: paid.
- Minors (under 18)
- Minors get 15-minute paid rest breaks instead of 10 for each 4 hours, and a 30-minute meal period at 6 hours. Meal period exceptions never apply to 14- and 15-year-olds.
- Law
- ORS 653.261; OAR 839-020-0050
- Agency
- Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries (BOLI)
In Oregon's words
Meal break
"Meal periods of at least 30 minutes must be provided to non-exempt employees who work 6 or more hours in one work period."
Rest breaks
"an employer-paid rest period of not less than 10 minutes for every segment of four hours"
Minors
"Rest breaks for all minors are 15 minutes rather than 10."
Breaks by shift length in Oregon
For an adult working the hours in one stretch, Oregon's rule as we read it calls for:
| Shift | Meal break | Rest breaks |
|---|---|---|
| 2 hours | None yet | None yet |
| 2½ hours | None yet | 10 minutes |
| 4 hours | None yet | 10 minutes |
| 5½ hours | None yet | 10 minutes |
| 6 hours | 30 minutes | 10 minutes |
| 6½ hours | 30 minutes | 10 minutes and 10 minutes |
| 8 hours | 30 minutes | 10 minutes and 10 minutes |
| 10 hours | 30 minutes | 10 minutes and 10 minutes |
Other shift lengths: open the checker set to Oregon.
Who the Oregon rule covers
Non-exempt employees. An adult working alone in a retail or service business, who works under 5 hours in a 16-hour period and can leave to use the restroom, needn't get a rest break.
Waivers and exceptions in Oregon
Tipped food and beverage servers 18 or older may voluntarily waive the meal period in writing. Rest breaks can't be added to a meal period or taken at the start or end of a shift.
Worth knowing in Oregon
BOLI lists four meal period exceptions: unforeseeable circumstances, an industry custom of a paid 20- to 29-minute break, undue hardship with notice and pay, and the tipped server waiver.
Not stated on the Oregon pages we read: a penalty.
Official Oregon sources
- Oregon BOLI: Meals and breaks (checked November 2026)
- Oregon BOLI: Minor workers (checked November 2026)
Oregon 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.
Oregon break questions
When is a meal break required in Oregon?
An unpaid 30-minute meal period for non-exempt employees working 6 or more hours, a second at 14 hours and a third at 22. Paid in full if any duties are performed. Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries (BOLI) puts it as "Meal periods of at least 30 minutes must be provided to non-exempt employees who work 6 or more hours in one work period."
How many rest breaks does Oregon require?
A paid 10-minute rest period for every 4-hour segment or major part of one: one for a shift over 2 hours, two over 6, three over 10, four over 14.
Is a meal break paid in Oregon?
On the official page we checked, the meal break is unpaid if the employee is relieved of all duty. If the employee has to keep working or stay on duty, the time is paid.
Can a Oregon employee skip or waive a break?
Tipped food and beverage servers 18 or older may voluntarily waive the meal period in writing. Rest breaks can't be added to a meal period or taken at the start or end of a shift.
Who is covered by the Oregon break rule?
Non-exempt employees. An adult working alone in a retail or service business, who works under 5 hours in a 16-hour period and can leave to use the restroom, needn't get a rest break.
What breaks do minors get in Oregon?
Minors get 15-minute paid rest breaks instead of 10 for each 4 hours, and a 30-minute meal period at 6 hours. Meal period exceptions never apply to 14- and 15-year-olds. (Ages: under 18.)
All states: meal and rest break laws by state · New York · Rhode Island