Minnesota Employment Law — Minnesota Employment Guide

The chapters that govern

Most of what a Minnesota employee needs is in a handful of chapters of the Minnesota Statutes. Each link goes to the Office of the Revisor of Statutes, which publishes the current text.

Minn. Stat. ch. 177 — Labor Standards and Wages: minimum wage, overtime, breaks, and enforcement by the Department of Labor and Industry.
Minn. Stat. ch. 181 — Employment: final paychecks, the Whistleblower Act (§§ 181.931–181.935), the Personnel Record Review and Access Act (§§ 181.960–181.966), the noncompete ban (§ 181.988).
Minn. Stat. ch. 181A — Child Labor Standards Act: hours, occupations, and permits for minors.
Minn. Stat. ch. 363A — Minnesota Human Rights Act: the Minnesota Human Rights Act — discrimination, harassment, reprisal, and the Department of Human Rights charge process.
Minn. Stat. ch. 268 — Unemployment insurance: benefits, quit and discharge determinations, appeals.
Minn. Stat. ch. 268B — Family and Medical Benefits: the paid family and medical benefit insurance program.
Minn. Stat. ch. 176 — Workers' compensation: work injuries.

The federal statutes alongside them

Federal law sits alongside these and mostly does not displace them. Where a guide on this site describes a federal rule, it says so.

Fair Labor Standards Act, 29 U.S.C. § 203 — wages and hours
Title VII, 42 U.S.C. § 2000e — race, color, religion, sex, national origin
Age Discrimination in Employment Act, 29 U.S.C. § 630 — age
Americans with Disabilities Act, 42 U.S.C. § 12111 — disability
Family and Medical Leave Act, 29 U.S.C. § 2611 — unpaid, job-protected leave

Four things that catch Minnesotans out

Minnesota's discrimination law covers employers the federal statutes do not

Minn. Stat. § 363A.03, subd. 16, defines an employer as

a person who has one or more employees.

The federal thresholds are fifteen employees for Title VII (42 U.S.C. § 2000e(b)) and the ADA (42 U.S.C. § 12111(5)(A)), twenty for the ADEA (29 U.S.C. § 630(b)), and fifty for the FMLA (29 U.S.C. § 2611(4)(A)(i)), each counted across twenty or more calendar weeks. A six-person Minnesota company is outside all four and inside chapter 363A.

Noncompetes signed since July 1, 2023, are void

Minn. Stat. § 181.988, subd. 2(a):

Any covenant not to compete contained in a contract or agreement is void and unenforceable

subject to sale-of-business and dissolution exceptions. Laws 2023, ch. 53, art. 6, § 1, made it "effective July 1, 2023, and applies to contracts and agreements entered into on or after that date." It does not reach nondisclosure or nonsolicitation agreements, which subd. 1(a) carves out, and its definition of employee includes independent contractors.

The break rules changed on January 1, 2026

Minn. Stat. § 177.254, subd. 1, now requires a meal break of at least 30 minutes at six or more consecutive hours; the prior text required "sufficient time to eat" at eight. Section 177.253, subd. 1, now sets a rest break of

at least 15 minutes or enough time to utilize the nearest convenient restroom, whichever is longer

within each four consecutive hours. Both gained a liquidated-damages remedy. Laws 2025, 1st Spec. Sess., ch. 6, art. 5, §§ 1–5.

Your personnel file is free, in seven working days

Minn. Stat. § 181.961, subd. 2(a) and 2(d):

The employer may not charge a fee for the copy.