Bottom Line for North Dakota Nonprofits
- ✓Child care volunteers with unsupervised child access
- ✓Volunteers serving children in licensed group, center, and family child care settings
- ✓Out-of-state volunteers in child care (must complete FBI fingerprint check)
- +2 more covered roles below
State Laws That Apply to Volunteer Background Checks
Early Childhood Services Background Check Requirement
N.D. Cent. Code § 50-11.1 and N.D. Admin. Code 75-03-08, 75-03-09, 75-03-10Volunteers in licensed or regulated child care facilities who have unsupervised access to any child in care must meet qualifications equivalent to a paid staff member, including undergoing criminal background checks. Volunteers who have resided outside North Dakota within the past five years must complete an FBI fingerprint-based check via Next Generation Identification.
Criminal Background Check — Bureau of Criminal Investigation
N.D. Cent. Code § 12-60-24Authorizes the BCI within the ND Attorney General's Office to conduct criminal history record checks for entities serving children and vulnerable adults, including nonprofit volunteer organizations requesting checks under the National Child Protection Act.
Who Must Be Screened in North Dakota
!Legally Required to Be Screened
- •Child care volunteers with unsupervised child access
- •Volunteers serving children in licensed group, center, and family child care settings
- •Out-of-state volunteers in child care (must complete FBI fingerprint check)
- •Social work and mental health volunteers (Board of Social Work Examiners guidance)
- •Healthcare facility volunteers serving vulnerable adults
Types of Background Checks Required in North Dakota
How to Get Background Checks in North Dakota
$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 North Dakota: What You Need to Know
North Dakota's economy is driven by agriculture and energy (oil/gas), with a large proportion of volunteers in disaster response (flooding is a recurring emergency), rural community organizations, and faith-based programs. The state has a small population and many child care facilities are family-based, making volunteer screening particularly important in informal care settings. No ban-the-box statute applies to volunteers.
Compliance Tips for North Dakota Nonprofits
- 1
Any volunteer who has lived outside North Dakota within the last five years must complete an FBI fingerprint check — do not skip this step even for short-term volunteer placements.
- 2
Name-based checks cost $18 and fingerprint checks cost $30 through ND BCI; plan for this expense in your volunteer program budget.
- 3
Process checks before the volunteer begins unsupervised duties — North Dakota's child care rules do not permit a provisional start period for uncleared volunteers with unsupervised child contact.
- 4
Document the check results and retention dates; ND administrative rules require records of background check completion as part of licensing audits.
- 5
Organizations serving Native American populations near reservations may need to coordinate with tribal background check processes in addition to state BCI checks.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Early Childhood Services Background Check Requirement apply to my nonprofit?
North Dakota law applies to nonprofits with volunteers working in covered roles — typically involving direct, unsupervised contact with children, elderly individuals, or vulnerable adults. North Dakota requires criminal background checks for volunteers in child care settings and organizations serving vulnerable populations under NDCC Chapter 50-11.
What happens if we skip background checks in North Dakota?
Failing to screen volunteers in North Dakota 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 North Dakota volunteer background check take?
North Dakota Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI) — Office of the Attorney General; North Dakota Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) for child care provider oversight typically processes checks in 7–10 business days for name-based checks; 2–4 weeks for FBI fingerprint checks. VolunteerBadge's national criminal database search returns results instantly for most volunteers.