California Landscaping Contractor (C-27) License Practice Exam 2026 - Free C-27 Practice Questions and Study Guide

Hard manual labor is considered a higher-risk type of work, so laws set a higher minimum age for performing it. In California, a minor isn’t allowed to be employed as a hard laborer until they reach 16 years old. This reflects the safety concern that younger teens are less prepared to handle strenuous tasks like heavy lifting, digging, or using power tools. Younger ages—14 or 15—are only allowed in very restricted, nonhazardous work with permits and limitations, while 18 would be beyond what the rule requires for this job category. So 16 is the appropriate minimum age for a hard laborer.