Idaho Volunteer Background Check Requirements

Owners, operators and employees with direct contact with children, and all other individuals 13 or older who have unsupervised direct contact with children or are regularly on the premises of a daycare facility, must complete and pass an IDHW criminal history and background check at least every five years; checks on anyone under 18 include juvenile justice records. Family daycare homes caring for four or more children must meet the same check even if unlicensed (§ 39-1114). The check now runs under Title 56, chapter 27 (formerly § 56-1004A), and a person with an offense listed in § 39-1113(3) cannot hold a daycare license.

Authorizes IDHW fingerprint-based checks through the Idaho State Police and FBI, with the sex offender registry, adult and child protection registries and other records, for the programs listed in § 56-2704, and expressly covers employees, contractors, agents and volunteers of those programs who have direct access to children, elderly or vulnerable adults. The applicant pays a fee of up to $70 (IDAPA 16.05.06.050). A clearance is not a finding of suitability, but an employer that relies on it in good faith is immune for that decision (§§ 56-2706, 56-2707).

The State Department of Education, with the Idaho State Police, runs fingerprint-based ISP, FBI and sex offender registry checks on employees, substitutes and all individuals with unsupervised contact with students in a K-12 setting; the State Board rule lists volunteers with unsupervised contact. Prints are due within five days of the first unsupervised contact and the individual pays, and since 2025 each district must keep a background-check system, including a registry check, for everyone with unsupervised contact.

Coordinators, staff and anyone volunteering to serve as a guardian ad litem in a state-funded program must pass a fingerprint-based state, FBI and sex offender registry check. ICAR 47 applies the Supreme Court’s check to guardian ad litem program directors, staff, volunteers and board members, as well as parenting coordinators and other court roles, and requires programs to screen applicants before submitting the check.

Since July 1, 2026, a state statute authorizes private, noncriminal justice organizations that qualify under the National Child Protection Act and Volunteers for Children Act, and serve children, the elderly or people with disabilities, to submit fingerprints of employees and volunteers with supervised or unsupervised access to ISP BCI for state and FBI checks. Joining is optional; § 67-3008A(2) then says a qualified entity shall submit its requests through ISP, so confirm with ISP whether that reaches every covered volunteer. The entity must keep signed waivers, the person screened may challenge the report, and the entity alone decides fitness. ISP’s NCPA volunteer check fee is $35 as of January 1, 2026 (its program page still lists $31.25; confirm).

Does Idaho require background checks for my nonprofit’s volunteers?

Only for volunteers in specific roles or settings; no Idaho rule covers every nonprofit. Idaho has no general volunteer-screening law, and Idaho Code § 67-3008(5) says access to criminal records under that section creates no duty to check a volunteer; checks are required by setting.

How long does a Idaho volunteer background check take?

Official state checks: ISP BCI aims to return Idaho and FBI fingerprint results in 5–7 business days, excluding mail; the NCPA target is 15 business days. VolunteerBadge's national criminal search returns most results in minutes; a record that needs human FCRA review can take up to about 72 hours.