Volunteer screening in Pennsylvania: the complete guide
The statutes that apply, which of your volunteers they reach, which agency runs which check, what organizations here actually get wrong, and the order to do it in.
What makes Pennsylvania different
Pennsylvania's Act 153 is directly attributable to the Penn State/Jerry Sandusky child sexual abuse scandal, making it one of the most politically scrutinized volunteer screening laws in the US. The Act explicitly covers faith communities, sports leagues, and any private nonprofit — no sector receives a blanket exemption. Pennsylvania has a large Catholic church volunteer base, significant youth athletics infrastructure (PIAA), and active scouting councils, all of which require full compliance. The 10-year continuous residency exemption for the FBI check is unique and often misunderstood by organizations with transient volunteer populations.
The short version: Pennsylvania has one of the most comprehensive mandatory volunteer background check regimes in the country, enacted via Act 153 of 2014 in response to the Jerry Sandusky/Penn State scandal. Any unpaid volunteer with direct contact with children must obtain three separate clearances: a Pennsylvania State Police criminal history check, a PA Department of Human Services child abuse history clearance, and (for non-10-year PA residents) an FBI fingerprint check. Clearances must be renewed every 60 months.
The statutes, one at a time
These are the laws that create the obligation. Read the citation, not a summary of it, before you build a policy around it.
- 1
Pennsylvania Act 153 of 2014 — Child Protective Services Law (CPSL) Amendments
23 Pa. C.S. §§ 6344, 6344.1, 6344.2; 24 P.S. § 1-111
Signed October 22, 2014 (effective December 31, 2014; volunteer provisions effective July 1, 2015). Requires three clearances for all employees and volunteers with direct contact with children: PA State Police PATCH check, PA DHS Child Abuse History Clearance, and FBI fingerprint check for non-10-year residents. No 501(c)(3) exemption. Clearances are free for volunteers.
- 2
Pennsylvania PATCH — Access to Criminal History (ACT 34)
18 Pa. C.S. § 9124; 22 Pa. Code Ch. 8
Pennsylvania State Police criminal background check required for all adults who work with or volunteer to serve children. Name-based check processed through the PA State Police central repository.
- 3
Pennsylvania Child Abuse History Clearance (ACT 151)
23 Pa. C.S. § 6338.1
Check of the PA DHS ChildLine and Abuse Registry to determine if a volunteer or employee has been identified as an alleged perpetrator in a child abuse investigation. Required for any person with direct contact with children.
- 4
FBI Criminal History Background Check (ACT 114)
28 C.F.R. Part 20; 23 Pa. C.S. § 6344
Fingerprint-based federal check required for volunteers who have not been continuous Pennsylvania residents for the last 10 years. Submitted through an approved PA-authorized channeler.
Which of your volunteers this reaches
Run your actual roster against this list. The roles below are where Pennsylvania's requirements apply; everyone else is a risk decision rather than a legal one.
- All unpaid volunteers with direct contact with children, regardless of nonprofit tax status
- Sunday school teachers and faith-based youth volunteers
- Youth sports coaches and activity leaders
- Foster and adoptive parents
- School employees, contractors, and school volunteers
- Any adult in a role involving child welfare or child-care supervision
Which check, from which agency
Pennsylvania does not use one check for everything. These are the distinct instruments in play — they search different databases and are not interchangeable.
- PATCH (Pennsylvania Access to Criminal History) — name-based state criminal check
- PA Child Abuse History Clearance (ChildLine registry check)
- FBI fingerprint-based national criminal history check (required for non-10-year PA residents)
- Sex offender registry check (embedded in PATCH/FBI results)
Administered by: Pennsylvania State Police (PATCH/ACT 34); Pennsylvania Department of Human Services, ChildLine (ACT 151); FBI/PA-authorized fingerprint channelers (ACT 114); PA Department of Education oversees school compliance
Typical processing: PATCH: 1–3 business days online; Child Abuse Clearance: 14 days online; FBI fingerprint: 2–6 weeks
What organizations in Pennsylvania get wrong
These are the specific, local mistakes — the exemption that gets misapplied, the second database nobody runs, the deadline that arrives before anyone has written a policy.
- 1
All three clearances (PATCH, Child Abuse, and FBI if applicable) must be in hand before a volunteer begins working with children — do not allow conditional access pending results, as this creates liability under the CPSL.
- 2
Clearances for unpaid volunteers are free through the PA state portals — coach volunteers and faith-based organizations frequently overpay commercial providers unnecessarily; direct volunteers to the official PA.gov portals.
- 3
Set up a 60-month (5-year) renewal calendar for each volunteer's three clearances and treat expired clearances as disqualifying — the CPSL treats lapsed clearances the same as having no clearance.
- 4
If your volunteer served in another state or country within the past 10 years, they need the FBI fingerprint check — do not rely on the 10-year exemption without confirming continuous PA residency with documentation.
- 5
Train your staff and volunteer coordinators on mandatory reporter obligations under the CPSL — Act 153 also expanded mandatory reporting requirements, and organizations can face liability for unreported suspected child abuse by their volunteers.
The order to do it in
- 1
Write the policy before you screen anyone
Decide which roles require a check, who reviews a result, and who makes the final call — in writing, before you have a result to review. Deciding under pressure with a parent on the phone is how organizations end up with a decision they cannot defend. Our free policy generator will draft one you can edit.
- 2
Sort your roster by unsupervised access, not by job title
The statutes above turn on contact and supervision, not on what a role is called. A "greeter" who walks children to the restroom has unsupervised access; a "coach" who is never alone with anyone may not.
- 3
Match each role to the right instrument
Where Pennsylvania mandates a specific channel — fingerprint, a named registry, an agency portal — use that channel for that role. Use a broad multi-source check as the baseline for everyone else.
- 4
Collect consent correctly the first time
FCRA requires a standalone written disclosure and a separate written authorization. Bundling either into a volunteer application or a waiver is the single most common compliance defect, and it is the one plaintiffs' lawyers look for.
- 5
Run the check, then follow adverse action if anything surfaces
Pre-adverse notice with a copy of the report and a summary of rights, a reasonable window to dispute, then the final notice. Build the waiting period into your start dates rather than discovering it under pressure.
- 6
Set a re-screen interval and let it run
A clearance describes the day it was run. Most organizations use one to two years; some insurers require annual for roles with unsupervised access to children.
Questions Pennsylvania organizations ask
Does Pennsylvania require background checks for all volunteers?
Pennsylvania has one of the most comprehensive mandatory volunteer background check regimes in the country, enacted via Act 153 of 2014 in response to the Jerry Sandusky/Penn State scandal. Any unpaid volunteer with direct contact with children must obtain three separate clearances: a Pennsylvania State Police criminal history check, a PA Department of Human Services child abuse history clearance, and (for non-10-year PA residents) an FBI fingerprint check. Clearances must be renewed every 60 months.
Which of my volunteers does Pennsylvania law actually reach?
Based on the statutes cited on this page: All unpaid volunteers with direct contact with children, regardless of nonprofit tax status; Sunday school teachers and faith-based youth volunteers; Youth sports coaches and activity leaders; Foster and adoptive parents; School employees, contractors, and school volunteers; Any adult in a role involving child welfare or child-care supervision. Those categories are where Pennsylvania's requirements bite. Volunteers outside them are a policy decision for your organization rather than a statutory one — which does not mean the answer is "skip it", only that the reason to screen is risk management rather than a citation.
Who administers the check in Pennsylvania?
Pennsylvania State Police (PATCH/ACT 34); Pennsylvania Department of Human Services, ChildLine (ACT 151); FBI/PA-authorized fingerprint channelers (ACT 114); PA Department of Education oversees school compliance. Typical processing is PATCH: 1–3 business days online; Child Abuse Clearance: 14 days online; FBI fingerprint: 2–6 weeks.
Does a VolunteerBadge check satisfy Pennsylvania's requirement?
It depends on what your state or licensor mandates, and we would rather be straight with you about it than sell past the question. Our $5 check is a broad, FCRA-compliant multi-source criminal and sex-offender search — an excellent primary screen and, for many volunteer roles, the whole answer. It is not a fingerprint or live-scan check. Where Pennsylvania specifically mandates a fingerprint-based state or FBI channel for a role, that requirement stands on its own and our check supplements rather than replaces it.
We operate in more than one state. Whose rules apply?
Generally the rules of the state where the volunteer serves, not where your organization is incorporated. Organizations near a border routinely have volunteers under two different regimes at the same event. For Pennsylvania that most often means Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, West Virginia. The practical approach is to screen to the strictest standard among the states you operate in, so one process covers all of them.
What happens if we run a check and find something?
That is where federal law takes over from state law. Running background checks makes you a user of consumer reports under the FCRA, so before you decline anyone based on the report you must send a pre-adverse action notice with a copy of the report and a summary of rights, allow a reasonable window to dispute, and only then send the final notice. It is not optional, and it is the step organizations most often miss.
Operating across a Pennsylvania border?
Volunteers are generally governed by the state where they serve. If your programs cross a line, these are the neighbors you are most likely to need.
General information, not legal advice. We are a consumer reporting agency, not a law firm. The statutes cited above are real and current as of August 21, 2026, but they are amended — and a citation is not a substitute for reading how it applies to your specific program. Confirm with Pennsylvania State Police (PATCH/ACT 34); Pennsylvania Department of Human Services, ChildLine (ACT 151); FBI/PA-authorized fingerprint channelers (ACT 114); PA Department of Education oversees school compliance, your licensor, your insurer, or your own counsel before relying on any of it. Spot an error? Tell us — we would rather fix it.
Screen your Pennsylvania volunteers for $5
A broad national criminal search, all 50 state sex-offender registries plus the national registry, and the FCRA disclosure, authorization and adverse-action workflow built in — because step four and step five above are where organizations get into trouble.
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