State labor rules diverge from the federal baseline in three places that cost contractors money: overtime triggers, mandatory breaks, and outdoor heat. The federal FLSA sets a floor — 1.5× the regular rate past 40 hours in a week — and roughly half the states stop there. The rest add their own layers, and they do not resemble each other. California and Colorado have daily overtime; Nevada has daily overtime only for workers paid under a threshold. California, Colorado, Nevada, Oregon, and Washington mandate meal breaks; Texas, Florida, and Arizona mandate none. New York mandates meals but no rest breaks.
Outdoor heat is the fastest-moving area and the most misreported. Enforceable state standards exist in California, Oregon, Washington, and Nevada; Colorado's covers agriculture only until August 2026. Texas and Florida have gone the other way, passing laws that preempt local heat ordinances. Federal OSHA's heat rule remains in active but extended rulemaking, not expected to bind before late 2027.