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, or a free 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.
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 (checked November 2026)
- Connecticut DOL: 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) (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) (checked November 2026)
- Justia (statute text) (secondary source): Conn. Gen. Stat. 31-51ii, meal periods (2022 Connecticut General Statutes, Justia) (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."
All states: meal and rest break laws by state · Colorado · Delaware