Volunteer screening in Wyoming: 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 Wyoming different
Wyoming has the smallest population of any U.S. state and a strong ranching, energy, and outdoor recreation culture. Volunteer sectors include search and rescue, wildfire response, and rural community health outreach. The state's volunteer fire department network is one of the most extensive per capita in the West. Volunteer background check fees are among the lowest nationally ($10 for state check for qualifying youth-serving volunteers), reflecting a state policy to encourage volunteerism in rural communities.
The short version: Wyoming conditionally requires background checks for volunteers in licensed child care facilities (including full national fingerprint checks), Medicaid waiver programs, and youth-serving organizations. The Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI) processes checks under W.S. § 7-19-201. No blanket volunteer mandate exists for all nonprofits.
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.
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State or National Criminal History Record Information
Wyo. Stat. § 7-19-201 (2024)
Authorizes state and national criminal history record information requests for volunteers in youth-serving organizations and domestic violence safe houses. Volunteer checks for youth programs (Big Brothers Big Sisters model) are available at a reduced fee of $10 for state-only checks.
- 2
Child Care Licensing Background Check Rules
Wyoming Administrative Code 048-47, Chapter 47, § 47-17
Requires a full national fingerprint-based criminal background check and Wyoming Central Registry check for all child care providers, directors, staff, volunteers, substitutes, and household members over 18 in licensed child care facilities. Disqualifying offenses include felony abuse, sexual offenses, violence, and drug convictions, as well as violent misdemeanors within the last five years.
- 3
Medicaid Waiver Volunteer Background Check
Wyoming Administrative Code 048-34, Chapter 34, § 34-10
Requires all adult volunteers with potential unsupervised access to Medicaid waiver participants to complete a background screening. Volunteers convicted of a sexual offense are categorically barred. Minor volunteers must be under direct supervision of a screened provider.
Which of your volunteers this reaches
Run your actual roster against this list. The roles below are where Wyoming's requirements apply; everyone else is a risk decision rather than a legal one.
- All licensed child care facility volunteers, substitutes, and household members over 18
- Adult Medicaid waiver program volunteers with unsupervised access
- Volunteers in youth-serving organizations (Big Brothers Big Sisters, domestic violence safe houses)
- Volunteer fire district members (fingerprinting for state and national check)
Which check, from which agency
Wyoming does not use one check for everything. These are the distinct instruments in play — they search different databases and are not interchangeable.
- State criminal history check via Wyoming DCI (WIN database)
- National FBI fingerprint-based criminal history check
- Wyoming Central Registry of Child Abuse and Neglect check
- Sex offender registry check
- Medicaid exclusion list check (for Medicaid program volunteers)
Administered by: Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI) — Office of the Attorney General; Wyoming Department of Family Services (DFS) for child care sector
Typical processing: Approximately 2 weeks standard; can extend to 5–6 weeks during high-volume periods
What organizations in Wyoming 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.
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Child care volunteers must complete background checks before starting service — Wyoming's licensing rules do not permit provisional placement with unsupervised child access for uncleared volunteers.
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Take advantage of the $10 reduced fee for youth-serving volunteer checks under W.S. § 7-19-201 — ensure your organization formally qualifies by documenting your youth-service mission.
- 3
For Medicaid waiver volunteers, maintain records of check completion and perform re-checks when a volunteer has a gap in service of more than 12 months.
- 4
Volunteer fire companies should now comply with fingerprint background check requirements — work with the local fire district to coordinate DCI submissions.
- 5
Wyoming has no ban-the-box law, so criminal history questions on volunteer applications are permissible — but consult your insurance carrier's requirements before making individualized decisions.
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 Wyoming 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 Wyoming organizations ask
Does Wyoming require background checks for all volunteers?
Wyoming conditionally requires background checks for volunteers in licensed child care facilities (including full national fingerprint checks), Medicaid waiver programs, and youth-serving organizations. The Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI) processes checks under W.S. § 7-19-201. No blanket volunteer mandate exists for all nonprofits.
Which of my volunteers does Wyoming law actually reach?
Based on the statutes cited on this page: All licensed child care facility volunteers, substitutes, and household members over 18; Adult Medicaid waiver program volunteers with unsupervised access; Volunteers in youth-serving organizations (Big Brothers Big Sisters, domestic violence safe houses); Volunteer fire district members (fingerprinting for state and national check). Those categories are where Wyoming'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 Wyoming?
Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI) — Office of the Attorney General; Wyoming Department of Family Services (DFS) for child care sector. Typical processing is Approximately 2 weeks standard; can extend to 5–6 weeks during high-volume periods.
Does a VolunteerBadge check satisfy Wyoming'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 Wyoming 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 Wyoming that most often means Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nebraska, South Dakota, Utah. 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 Wyoming 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 Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI) — Office of the Attorney General; Wyoming Department of Family Services (DFS) for child care sector, 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 Wyoming 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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