# Maryland — Meal and rest break requirements by US state — hours worked before a break is owed, its length, and whether it's paid, quoted from the state's own labor law

For Maryland, meal break rule is An employer may not employ an employee at a retail establishment for more than 6 consecutive hours without providing a nonworking shift break of at least 30 minutes; rest break rule is If an employee works 8 consecutive hours in a single shift, the employer shall provide an additional nonworking shift break of at least 15 minutes for every additional 4 consecutive hours the employer employs the employee in the shift; statute or regulation is Md. Code, Lab. & Empl. § 3-710, recorded from its source on 2026-09-02.

- **State:** Maryland _(our reading, not quoted from the source)_
- **Meal break rule:** An employer may not employ an employee at a retail establishment for more than 6 consecutive hours without providing a nonworking shift break of at least 30 minutes _(verified: appears in its own passage below)_
- **Rest break rule:** If an employee works 8 consecutive hours in a single shift, the employer shall provide an additional nonworking shift break of at least 15 minutes for every additional 4 consecutive hours the employer employs the employee in the shift _(verified: appears in its own passage below)_
- **Statute or regulation:** Md. Code, Lab. & Empl. § 3-710 _(our reading, not quoted from the source)_

## What the source says

> An employer may not employ an employee at a retail establishment for more than 6 consecutive hours without providing a nonworking shift break of at least 30 minutes.

## Where each value comes from

This source states these in separate places, so each value is shown with the passage that states it.

### Meal break rule

> An employer may not employ an employee at a retail establishment for more than 6 consecutive hours without providing a nonworking shift break of at least 30 minutes.

### Rest break rule

> If an employee works 8 consecutive hours in a single shift, the employer shall provide an additional nonworking shift break of at least 15 minutes for every additional 4 consecutive hours the employer employs the employee in the shift.

## Source

- https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/Laws/StatuteText?article=gle&section=3-710&enactments=false

Last verified: 2026-09-02. Review by: 2027-09-02.
Part of [Meal and rest break requirements by US state — hours worked before a break is owed, its length, and whether it's paid, quoted from the state's own labor law](https://referencesource.org/meal-and-rest-break-requirements-by-state/).