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 the state of Georgia, there are no specific state statutes that mandate employers to provide breaks or meal periods for adult employees. This means that employers in Georgia are not legally required to provide lunch breaks or rest periods for those 18 years and older. However, for minors under the age of 18, Georgia law requires a 30-minute meal or rest break if the minor works more than six hours continuously. This is in accordance with Georgia's child labor laws, which provide additional protections for minor employees. As for federal law, while it does not require employers to offer lunch or coffee breaks, if an employer chooses to provide short breaks (usually lasting about 5 to 20 minutes), the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) requires that these breaks be counted as compensable work hours. These hours must be included when calculating overtime pay. Meal periods, on the other hand, are typically at least 30 minutes long, are not considered work time, and thus are not compensable under federal law, provided the employee is completely relieved from duty during the meal period.