Bottom Line for Missouri Nonprofits
- ✓School 'screened volunteers' who may be left alone with students in any public school or charter school (RSMo § 168.133)
- ✓Any person with unsupervised access to children in licensed child residential care facilities or child placing agencies (RSMo § 210.493)
- ✓Contractors, employees, and volunteers of licensed adult care facilities with resident contact
- +2 more covered roles below
State Laws That Apply to Volunteer Background Checks
Missouri Revised Statutes § 168.133
RSMo § 168.133 (eff. August 28, 2019)Requires school districts and charter schools to conduct criminal background checks on all 'screened volunteers' — any person who assists a school and may periodically be left alone with students, including tutors, mentors, library aides, overnight chaperones, and after-school coaches. Screened volunteers must complete the check before being left alone with any student.
Missouri Revised Statutes § 210.493
RSMo § 210.493Requires any person with unsupervised contact with residents of licensed child residential care facilities and child placing agencies — including contractors and volunteers — to submit fingerprints to the Missouri State Highway Patrol for state and federal fingerprint-based background checks.
13 CSR 35-71.015
13 CSR 35-71.015 (revised eff. June 30, 2025)Administrative regulation governing background checks for all personnel — including volunteers — of residential care facilities and child placing agencies licensed by the Missouri Department of Social Services. Updated regulation effective June 30, 2025 expands screening procedures.
Who Must Be Screened in Missouri
!Legally Required to Be Screened
- •School 'screened volunteers' who may be left alone with students in any public school or charter school (RSMo § 168.133)
- •Any person with unsupervised access to children in licensed child residential care facilities or child placing agencies (RSMo § 210.493)
- •Contractors, employees, and volunteers of licensed adult care facilities with resident contact
- •All individuals (including volunteers) connected to licensed cannabis facilities (2023 fingerprint mandate)
- •AmeriCorps and national service volunteers (R.S. 15:587.7 analog applies under federal Serve America Act)
Types of Background Checks Required in Missouri
How to Get Background Checks in Missouri
$5 per check — includes national criminal database, sex offender registry across all 50 states, SSN trace, and FCRA Certified Compliance Team review.
Start Free Today →Volunteer Screening in Missouri: What You Need to Know
Missouri's school volunteer law (§ 168.133, enacted 2019) is one of the more detailed state statutes specifically defining 'screened volunteer' and imposing a pre-clearance requirement before any unsupervised student contact. The 13 CSR 35-71.015 regulation was updated effective June 30, 2025 with new procedures for residential care facilities. Missouri has a large rural healthcare volunteer ecosystem and a growing St. Louis/Kansas City nonprofit corridor. No state FCRA analog applies — federal FCRA governs all consumer reporting agency background checks.
Compliance Tips for Missouri Nonprofits
- 1
Under RSMo § 168.133, a 'screened volunteer' is broadly defined — if your school volunteer might ever be left alone with even one student, treat them as a screened volunteer requiring a criminal background check before placement.
- 2
For child residential facilities, DSS will not accept fingerprint or name-based checks completed before your DSS application is approved — sequence the application first, then schedule fingerprinting through MSHP.
- 3
The updated 13 CSR 35-71.015 (effective June 30, 2025) includes revised documentation procedures — review your internal background check policy to ensure compliance with the new regulation.
- 4
Volunteers who will never be left alone with students (e.g., classroom parent helpers always supervised by a teacher) are not 'screened volunteers' under § 168.133 and do not legally require a check — but best practice is to screen them anyway and document your supervision policy.
- 5
Cannabis-sector volunteers must now be fingerprinted through MSHP under 2023 legislation — confirm this with your legal counsel before deploying volunteers in any cannabis-affiliated nonprofit program.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Missouri Revised Statutes § 168.133 apply to my nonprofit?
Missouri law applies to nonprofits with volunteers working in covered roles — typically involving direct, unsupervised contact with children, elderly individuals, or vulnerable adults. Missouri requires background checks for volunteers in specific high-risk sectors: schools (screened volunteers who may be left alone with students), licensed residential care facilities and child placing agencies, and the cannabis industry.
What happens if we skip background checks in Missouri?
Failing to screen volunteers in Missouri can expose your organization to negligent supervision liability, loss of insurance coverage, and — in sectors with mandatory requirements — regulatory penalties. Under the federal FCRA, running checks without proper procedures also creates compliance risk.
How long does a Missouri volunteer background check take?
Missouri State Highway Patrol (MSHP) — Criminal Records and Identification Division; Missouri Department of Social Services (DSS) for child welfare settings; Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) for school-based checks typically processes checks in 2–6 weeks for MSHP fingerprint-based checks; name-based school checks faster via county sheriff or vendor. VolunteerBadge's national criminal database search returns results instantly for most volunteers.