- a Washington meal period, according to Washington State Department of Labor and Industries, must be at least 30 minutes long and start between the second and fifth hour of the shift.
- in California, according to California Department of Industrial Relations, a second meal period must be provided no later than the end of the employee’s tenth hour of work when the employee works more than 10 hours.
- in Wisconsin, according to Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development, an authorized break of less than 30 consecutive minutes is counted as work time and must be paid by your employer.
- check your own state labor agency page before you write a crew break policy, since this post covers five publishers and your state may not be one of them.
Meal and rest break limits for crews are set state by state, so a rule from one state does not carry over to another. A meal period, according to Washington State Department of Labor and Industries, must be at least 30 minutes long and start between the second and fifth hour of the shift. That is one state's wording, so it answers the question for Washington crews and not automatically for crews elsewhere.
This article quotes five state publishers, sets each rule beside its source, and leaves decisions about your own crew to your state agency and your counsel. Read the full source before you change a schedule, because a short summary can drop a condition that matters.
Key takeaways
Meal and rest break limits by state: what five publishers say
Field-service schedules are built around drive time, job length and the next appointment, so a break rule is easy to lose when the day gets full. For the dispatch side, see the field service work order checklist. The five publishers below are quoted one sentence at a time, so a reader can open the full source and check the surrounding context. Quoting exact sentences instead of summaries keeps each figure tied to its source rule.
In Washington, according to Washington State Department of Labor and Industries, additional 30-minute meal periods must be given within five hours from the end of the first meal period and for each additional five hours worked. A dispatcher planning a long job can mark when each additional period falls due on the crew plan, counting from the end of the first meal period.
Exact wording matters when you write a crew policy, because a paraphrase can drop a condition such as the shift length named in the rule. The quoted sentence can sit beside each figure in the plan, so the people reading it see which hours the figure covers. Your crew lead can review the wording whenever a job runs longer than planned.
In general, according to New York State Department of Labor, employers must provide at least 30 minutes of unpaid time off if an employee works more than 6 hours. The word unpaid matters when a crew timesheet is built, so the window should not be recorded as paid work. Your timesheet can mark the unpaid window so no one records it as paid time.
A crew that works in more than one state needs a separate check for each state's wording. Your team can keep a link to each state's agency page next to the crew plan.
Washington's meal period rule: at least 30 minutes, starting between the second and fifth hour
The Washington wording, according to Washington State Department of Labor and Industries, sets two conditions at once: the length of the meal period and the window in which it starts. Each condition needs its own check, since a meal period can meet the length condition and still start outside the window. A job plan that checks length alone will miss the start window.
In California, according to California Department of Industrial Relations, an employer may not employ an employee for a work period of more than five hours per day without providing the employee with a meal period of not less than thirty minutes. The same California wording, according to California Department of Industrial Relations, allows a waiver for a total work period of no more than six hours by mutual consent of both the employer and employee.
In Minnesota, according to Minnesota Revisor of Statutes, an employer must allow each employee who is working for six or more consecutive hours a meal break of at least 30 minutes. Compare the six-hour threshold with the five-hour threshold in the California wording, since the two states set different thresholds.
In Wisconsin, according to Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development, if you are under 18 years old, your employer must provide you with a 30-minute duty-free meal period for every six consecutive hours of work. Crews that include younger workers need a separate schedule check for that group. For scheduling checks on younger workers, see youth work hours.
Your team can build the meal window into the shift plan before the crew leaves the shop, and note the hour when each meal should start.
Washington's paid rest period: 10 minutes for every 4 hours worked
In Washington, according to Washington State Department of Labor and Industries, employees must be allowed a paid rest period, free from duties, of at least 10 minutes for every 4 hours worked. The phrase free from duties is the condition to check on a busy day, since the quote names it as part of the paid rest period.
Washington's rule calls them “mini” rest breaks, and according to Washington State Department of Labor and Industries, these must total at least 10 minutes over a 4-hour period. Because the quote speaks of a total over a 4-hour period, the crew plan should show the running total for each block.
The rest minutes can go into each block on the crew plan before the day starts, so the total can be checked against the quoted period.
A weekly rest is a different rule from a daily break. In New York State, according to New York State Department of Labor, employers must provide certain employees with at least 24 consecutive hours of rest in any calendar week. For paid minutes in other states, see technician rest breaks.
Each technician's rest minutes can go on the timesheet, so a reader can see the four-hour total on the record.
When a second meal period applies after a long field shift
In California, according to California Department of Industrial Relations, when an employee works for a period of more than 10 hours, a second meal period must be provided no later than the end of the employee’s tenth hour of work (in other words, no later than the start of the employee’s eleventh hour of work).
The waiver, according to California Department of Industrial Relations, is narrower: a second meal period of not less than thirty minutes is required, except that if the total hours worked is no more than 12 hours, the second meal period may be waived by mutual consent of the employer and employee, but only if the first meal period was not waived. The waiver condition is a separate test from the tenth-hour deadline, so both need a check.
The crew plan can count hours worked from the start of each long shift, so the tenth hour is visible to the dispatcher.
Whether the first meal period was waived matters before any waiver is planned, since, according to California Department of Industrial Relations, the waiver depends on that step.
A job that runs longer than expected can be rechecked against the plan, so the second meal period still falls no later than the end of the tenth hour.
Illustrative example: a 12-hour job
Suppose a technician in California works a job that totals 12 hours. The crew plan marks the end of the tenth hour as the deadline for a second meal period. Because the total is no more than 12 hours, the second period may be waived by mutual consent, but only if the first meal period was not waived. The timesheet should record the first meal period and any waiver agreed for the day.
When a short break counts as work time that must be paid
In Wisconsin, according to Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development, if your authorized break is less than 30 consecutive minutes long, it is counted as work time and must be paid by your employer. The full sentence is worth reading before a short break gets logged.
The longer case uses a different test, according to Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development: if your break is more than 30 consecutive minutes long but you are “on duty” during your break, meaning you are not relieved on your work duties or free to leave the premises, your break is counted as work time and must be paid by your employer.
Wisconsin's source also covers the opposite case, according to Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development: if you are relieved of your work duties and free to leave the premises, breaks of more than 30 consecutive minutes are not counted as work time and therefore are not paid by your employer.
Meal breaks are handled differently in Minnesota, where, according to Minnesota Revisor of Statutes, except for subdivision 4, nothing in this section requires the employer to pay the employee during the meal break.
Your crew plan can record, before each shift, whether a technician is relieved during a break, since, according to Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development, the Wisconsin wording turns on that point. That choice can go on the timesheet for the day, so the paid time matches the plan. Keep the start and end times of each break on the timesheet, so the length can be checked from the record.
Meal and rest break reference table: what each state publisher says
Each row names one publisher and quotes one sentence from its page or statute, so the cells can be compared as separate rules. The table does not combine the rows into one answer.
| Publisher | Topic | Quoted wording |
|---|---|---|
| Washington State Department of Labor and Industries | Meal period | A meal period must be at least 30 minutes long and start between the second and fifth hour of the shift. |
| California Department of Industrial Relations | Second meal period | When an employee works for a period of more than 10 hours, a second meal period must be provided no later than the end of the employee’s tenth hour of work (in other words, no later than the start of the employee’s eleventh hour of work). |
| New York State Department of Labor | Unpaid time off | In general, employers must provide at least 30 minutes of unpaid time off if an employee works more than 6 hours. |
| Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development | Short break pay | If your authorized break is less than 30 consecutive minutes long, it is counted as work time and must be paid by your employer. |
| Minnesota Revisor of Statutes | Meal break | An employer must allow each employee who is working for six or more consecutive hours a meal break of at least 30 minutes. |
The table covers one sentence from each publisher, so it is a starting point for a schedule check rather than a full summary of any one page.
Next step: open one meal breaks entry in your own system today and check it against the reference table.
Related guides: California paid sick leave: 4 numbers for part-time techs · Check 4 leave counts before you approve time off.
FAQ on technician meal breaks, rest breaks and paid time
How long must a technician meal period be?
The Washington rule, according to Washington State Department of Labor and Industries, sets the minimum length at 30 minutes and the start window between the second and fifth hour of the shift. That is one state's answer, so a crew in another state needs that state's own wording. Your team can check the agency page for each state where technicians work.
When is a second meal period required?
The California rule, according to California Department of Industrial Relations, sets the deadline for a second meal period at the end of the tenth hour of work. The deadline applies when an employee works more than 10 hours. A waiver of that second period, according to California Department of Industrial Relations, needs mutual consent and depends on the total hours worked.
Does a break under 30 minutes count as paid time?
Under Wisconsin's wording, according to Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development, a break of less than 30 consecutive minutes is paid work time. The quotes from the other publishers set different rules, so the Wisconsin answer should not be assumed for another state. Keep the break start and end times on the timesheet so the length can be checked from the record.
Can a technician be required to work through a meal break?
Under the California and Minnesota rules, according to California Department of Industrial Relations and Minnesota Revisor of Statutes, a meal period must be provided once a shift reaches a set length: more than five hours in California and six or more consecutive hours in Minnesota. The Wisconsin source addresses a related case, according to Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development: a break of more than 30 consecutive minutes is counted as work time when the worker is on duty, meaning not relieved of work duties or free to leave the premises. Before you ask a technician to keep working through a break, read the full text of your state rule.
Does my own state require a meal break for my crew?
Each state sets its own break rules, so your state needs its own check. Your team can open the labor agency page for your state and compare its wording with the quotes in the table. For a question about your own crew, take the question to counsel.
Is this article legal advice?
No, this article is not legal advice, and it does not say what a break rule means for one specific crew. Each quoted sentence links to its publisher, so the full text can be read in context. Take questions about your own business to your state labor agency and to counsel.