Bottom Line for California Nonprofits
- ✓Regular volunteers (18+) at youth service organizations (more than 16 hrs/month or 32 hrs/year of direct contact with or supervision of children)
- ✓Volunteers with contact with children at CDSS-licensed child care centers and family child care homes (a directly supervised volunteer providing time-limited specialized services, at the facility no more than 16 hours a week and never alone with children, is exempt, as are relatives of a child in care)
- ✓Volunteers with client contact at licensed community care facilities and residential care facilities for the elderly (supervised, limited-role volunteers exempt)
State Laws That Apply to Volunteer Background Checks
Assembly Bill 506 (AB 506) — California Business and Professions Code § 18975
Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code § 18975 (Chapter 2.9)Requires administrators, employees, and 'regular volunteers' (18 or older with direct contact with, or supervision of, children for more than 16 hours per month or 32 hours per year) of youth service organizations to undergo a fingerprint-based DOJ check under Penal Code § 11105.3 (phase-in for organizations not already screening ended January 1, 2024), complete child abuse identification and reporting training, and adopt policies including, to the greatest extent possible, two mandated reporters present with children.
California Penal Code § 11105.3 — Live Scan Fingerprint Check
Cal. Pen. Code § 11105.3Authorizes the California DOJ to release criminal history information for employment, licensing, and volunteer screening purposes for organizations serving vulnerable populations, including children and elderly adults.
California Health and Safety Code §§ 1522 et seq. — Community Care Facility Background Checks
Cal. Health & Safety Code § 1522Requires criminal background checks for all applicants, licensees, adult residents, certain volunteers, and employees at community care facilities who have contact with clients. Applies to licensed community care facilities, including residential facilities and adult day programs; licensed child day care is governed separately by Health and Safety Code § 1596.871.
Investigative Consumer Reporting Agencies Act (ICRAA)
Cal. Civ. Code §§ 1786–1786.60California analog to the federal FCRA that governs investigative consumer reports from private agencies: for employment purposes, a standalone written disclosure naming the agency, written authorization, and a check box to request a copy (sent within three business days); most records, including convictions, limited to seven years.
Who Must Be Screened in California
!Legally Required to Be Screened
- •Regular volunteers (18+) at youth service organizations (more than 16 hrs/month or 32 hrs/year of direct contact with or supervision of children)
- •Volunteers with contact with children at CDSS-licensed child care centers and family child care homes (a directly supervised volunteer providing time-limited specialized services, at the facility no more than 16 hours a week and never alone with children, is exempt, as are relatives of a child in care)
- •Volunteers with client contact at licensed community care facilities and residential care facilities for the elderly (supervised, limited-role volunteers exempt)
Types of Background Checks Required in California
How to Get Background Checks in California
$5 per check — a national criminal database search, sex offender registries in all 50 states and an SSN trace, with human FCRA review when a record needs it. It never replaces a check California law requires.
Start Free Today →Volunteer Screening in California: What You Need to Know
California has no single volunteer screening law: it layers AB 506’s youth-organization rule, CDSS clearances for licensed care, and separate rules for schools, camps, child performer services and CASA programs. AB 506 was sponsored by Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara and passed the Assembly 74-0. CalVECHS regulations (11 CCR §§ 401–406) took effect July 1, 2026; DOJ says agencies authorized under Penal Code § 11105.3 must enroll by the end of 2026 to keep receiving state and federal records. Coverage turns on whether an organization employs or uses mandated reporters under Penal Code § 11165.7(a)(7) — administrators or employees of a youth center, youth recreation program, or youth organization.
Compliance Tips for California Nonprofits
- 1
Register with the DOJ as an authorized applicant agency and enroll in CalVECHS, then have covered people fingerprinted at a Live Scan site using form BCIA 8016VECHS — a name-only commercial check does not satisfy Penal Code § 11105.3.
- 2
Track volunteer hours carefully: the more-than-16-hours-a-month or more-than-32-hours-a-year threshold triggers mandatory screening under AB 506 — implement a volunteer hour-logging system to avoid compliance gaps.
- 3
Enroll in CalVECHS before the end of 2026. Its rules took effect July 1, 2026, and every fingerprinted employee or volunteer must sign the BCIA 9018 waiver before fingerprinting and annually after that.
- 4
Whether ICRAA reaches volunteer screening is unsettled; if you use a private background-check company, the cautious course is a standalone written ICRAA disclosure and written authorization first (Civ. Code § 1786.16(a)(2)); for DOJ Live Scan checks, keep the annually signed waiver Penal Code § 11105.3 requires.
- 5
Implement mandated reporter training alongside background checks as AB 506 requires both for covered youth-serving volunteers.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does California require background checks for my nonprofit’s volunteers?
Only for volunteers in specific roles or settings; no California rule covers every nonprofit. California requires DOJ fingerprint checks for regular volunteers of youth service organizations under AB 506 — adults with more than 16 hours a month or 32 hours a year of direct contact with, or supervision of, children — and CDSS clearances for volunteers with client contact in licensed child care, community care and elder care facilities, with narrow exemptions.
How long does a California volunteer background check take?
Official state checks: DOJ says no-hit Live Scan results are generally processed electronically within 48 to 72 hours; records that match require manual review that can take an indeterminate amount of time. VolunteerBadge's national criminal search returns most results in minutes; a record that needs human FCRA review can take up to about 72 hours.