Skip to content
Oakclause

Meal and Rest Break Laws in Colorado

Colorado requires a 30-minute duty-free meal period for shifts over 5 consecutive hours and a paid 10-minute rest period for each 4 hours of work or major fraction of 4 hours.

Last checked . General information, not legal advice.

Colorado at a glance

Meal break required
Yes
Meal break rule
30 minutes for shifts over 5 consecutive hours
Unpaid only if fully relieved of duty. If an uninterrupted break is impractical, the employee must be allowed to eat on duty and be paid for that time.
Rest break required
Yes
Rest break rule
Paid 10 minutes per 4 hours or major fraction
A shift over 2 hours and up to 6 hours requires one rest period; over 6 and up to 10 hours requires two.

Sources

Last checked

The rules in Colorado

Does Colorado law require meal breaks for adult employees?

Yes. Meal break required in Colorado: yes.

How long is the required meal break in Colorado, and when is it due?

Meal break rule in Colorado: 30 minutes for shifts over 5 consecutive hours. Unpaid only if fully relieved of duty. If an uninterrupted break is impractical, the employee must be allowed to eat on duty and be paid for that time.

Does Colorado law require rest breaks for adult employees?

Yes. Rest break required in Colorado: yes.

How long are required rest breaks in Colorado, and when are they due?

Rest break rule in Colorado: Paid 10 minutes per 4 hours or major fraction. A shift over 2 hours and up to 6 hours requires one rest period; over 6 and up to 10 hours requires two.

Where do the Colorado meal and rest break laws come from?

The rules above come from 7 Colo. Code Regs. 1103-1, Rule 5. Each source is linked on this page. We last checked them in October 2026.

Good to know

Meal periods should start at least 1 hour after the shift begins and end at least 1 hour before it ends, to the extent practical.

The rules are set by the Colorado Overtime and Minimum Pay Standards (COMPS) Order, 7 CCR 1103-1, and apply to all employees unless the Order exempts them.

What this means in practice

Put the break schedule in writing, for example in an employee handbook, and apply it consistently. State rules often depend on shift length, so the policy should say when a break is due and how long it lasts.

Under federal rules, short rest breaks are generally counted as paid work time, while a bona fide meal period during which the employee is fully relieved of duty usually does not have to be paid. If an employee is asked to stay at the workstation or answer calls, the meal period may count as work time.

Check whether a state rule covers your industry and workforce. Break laws can treat minors, health care workers, nursing mothers or employees under a collective bargaining agreement differently, and city ordinances may add requirements.

General information, not legal advice. Laws change, and cities can add their own rules, so check the current statute before you rely on it.