Bottom Line for New Hampshire Nonprofits
- ✓Designated school volunteers with regular unsupervised student access
- ✓Childcare facility volunteers and residential childcare facility staff
- ✓Volunteers in municipal roles involving children, elderly persons, home access, or money handling (at municipality's discretion)
- +1 more covered roles below
State Laws That Apply to Volunteer Background Checks
School Employee and Designated School Volunteer Criminal History Records Check
RSA 189:13-aRequires criminal history records checks — including fingerprints, state records, and FBI records — on all applicants for school employment and on designated school volunteers. Checks must cover NH records and the FBI database; applicants must submit a signed release form to the NH Division of State Police.
Child Care Personnel Background Check
RSA 170-E:7; RSA 170-E:29-aRequires criminal history record checks including fingerprints for child care personnel and residential facility staff. DHHS checks NH sex offender and abuse/neglect registries, sex offender registries from all states of residence in the past five years, and the National Sex Offender Registry.
Municipal Volunteer Background Check Authority
RSA 41:9-bAuthorizes towns to require background investigations and criminal history checks on candidates for volunteer positions who will work with children or elderly persons, enter homes of citizens, or manage money.
County Volunteer Background Check Authority
RSA 28:10-cAuthorizes county commissioners to require background checks on candidates for volunteer county positions; the definition of 'candidate for employment' explicitly includes volunteers.
Who Must Be Screened in New Hampshire
!Legally Required to Be Screened
- •Designated school volunteers with regular unsupervised student access
- •Childcare facility volunteers and residential childcare facility staff
- •Volunteers in municipal roles involving children, elderly persons, home access, or money handling (at municipality's discretion)
- •Volunteers in county roles (at county commissioners' discretion)
Types of Background Checks Required in New Hampshire
How to Get Background Checks in New Hampshire
$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 New Hampshire: What You Need to Know
New Hampshire's 2024 HB1197 conducted a systematic review of all statutes requiring national CHRI checks to ensure they remain appropriate and are processed efficiently. A 2024 law expanded school disqualification triggers to include failure to report abuse under RSA 169-C:29. New Hampshire's tourism industry generates significant volunteer activity in outdoor recreation and hospitality nonprofits, where no statutory mandate applies. NH has no state FCRA analog; the federal FCRA governs third-party vendor checks.
Compliance Tips for New Hampshire Nonprofits
- 1
For school programs, ensure the volunteer signs the NH Division of State Police criminal history release form — this signed authorization is the trigger for the background check process under RSA 189:13-a and cannot be skipped.
- 2
DHHS has a 45-day window to determine childcare personnel eligibility after receiving all required information — factor this into your volunteer onboarding timeline for childcare programs.
- 3
Municipal nonprofits contracting with towns should check whether the municipality's RSA 41:9-b policy requires volunteer background checks as a contract condition — this is increasingly common in New Hampshire municipal service contracts.
- 4
For childcare volunteers who have lived in multiple states, collect a complete residential history for the past five years — you are required to check the sex offender registry of every state listed.
- 5
Review the 2024 HB1197 implementation guidance from the NH Division of State Police to confirm whether any new efficiency timelines or forms have been issued for CHRI national checks.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does School Employee and Designated School Volunteer Criminal History Records Check apply to my nonprofit?
New Hampshire law applies to nonprofits with volunteers working in covered roles — typically involving direct, unsupervised contact with children, elderly individuals, or vulnerable adults. New Hampshire mandates criminal history records checks for designated school volunteers under RSA 189:13-a and for childcare volunteers under RSA 170-E:7.
What happens if we skip background checks in New Hampshire?
Failing to screen volunteers in New Hampshire 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 New Hampshire volunteer background check take?
Timing varies by check type. VolunteerBadge's national criminal database and sex offender registry checks return results instantly. Fingerprint-based checks through NH Division of State Police (Criminal Records Unit); NH DHHS (childcare licensing and eligibility determinations) typically take 3–10 business days.