Skip to main content

e-Li: Electronic Library

Seasonal Recreational Employees

Section 13(a)(3) of the FLSA provides an exemption from the minimum wage and overtime provisions of the FLSA for “any employee employed by an establishment which is an amusement or recreational establishment, if (A) it does not operate for more than seven months in any calendar year, or (B) during the preceding calendar year, its average receipts for any six months of such year were not more than 33-1/3 per cent of its average receipts for the other six months of such year.” Receipts for this purpose are fees received from admissions. Examples of recreational or amusement establishments that may qualify for this exemption are outdoor swimming pools, golf courses and recreational parks that operate on a seasonal basis. A publicly operated amusement or recreational establishment whose operating costs are met wholly or primarily from tax funds would fail to meet the requirements of (B) above so its employees could not qualify for the exemption under that section, but the employees could qualify under (A) above if the establishment is not open more than seven months each year.