State laws (statutes and regulations) generally govern the number and length of breaks and meal periods employers must provide employees—usually based on the number of consecutive hours the employee has worked that day. These laws vary from state to state and many states have separate provisions requiring meal periods specifically for minors (when minors are covered by two provisions, employer must observe the higher standard).

Federal law does not require lunch or coffee breaks for employees, but if employers do offer short breaks (usually lasting about 5 to 20 minutes) federal law considers the breaks compensable work hours that must be included in the number of hours worked when calculating overtime pay. Unauthorized extensions of authorized work breaks need not be counted as hours worked when the employer has expressly and unambiguously communicated to the employee that the authorized break may only last for a specific length of time, that any extension of the break is contrary to the employer's rules, and that any extension of the break will be punished. Bona fide meal periods (typically lasting at least 30 minutes) serve a different purpose than coffee or snack breaks, are not work time, and are not compensable.

In Alabama, there are no state laws that require employers to provide breaks or meal periods to employees who are 16 years of age and older. This means that employers in Alabama are not legally obligated to provide lunch breaks or rest periods for adult employees. However, for minors under the age of 16, Alabama law does require a 30-minute meal or rest period after 5 consecutive hours of work. Employers must adhere to this provision for minors. As for federal law, while it does not mandate lunch or coffee breaks, it does require that any short breaks offered by the employer, typically lasting from 5 to 20 minutes, be considered compensable work hours. These hours must be included when calculating overtime pay. Meal periods, on the other hand, are usually at least 30 minutes long, are not considered work time, and thus are not compensable, provided they are bona fide meal periods during which the employee is completely relieved from duty.