Bottom Line for Ohio Nonprofits
- ✓School employees and contractors with routine child contact (ORC 3319.39, 3319.391); school volunteers are expressly excluded
- ✓Owners, administrators, applicants and employees of licensed child care and child day camps (ORC 5104.013); volunteers at licensed child care centers and approved day camps who are never counted in ratio or left alone with children need no check (OAC 5180:2-12-09(C), 5180:2-18-07(C), eff. July 1, 2026)
- ✓Paid direct-care staff in Department of Aging programs (volunteer positions excluded, OAC 173-9-02(B)(1))
- +1 more required roles below
State Laws That Apply to Volunteer Background Checks
Ohio Revised Code § 109.572 — BCI Criminal Record Checks
Ohio Rev. Code § 109.572Sets how BCI runs fingerprint checks requested under other statutes, and the disqualifying-offense list for each setting: (A)(1) schools, (A)(3) elder care, home health, Medicaid and developmental-disability roles, (A)(4) out-of-home care, (A)(5) child care and day camps. FBI results are added when the requesting statute requires them.
Ohio Revised Code § 3319.391 — Non-licensed School Employee and Contractor Checks
Ohio Rev. Code § 3319.391Requires districts, educational service centers and chartered nonpublic schools to check non-licensed employees and contractors who have routine child contact at hire and again by September 5 every fifth year, and enrolls them in Rapback. Expressly does not apply to school volunteers, including parent volunteers.
Ohio Revised Code § 5104.013 — Childcare Background Checks
Ohio Rev. Code § 5104.013Requires BCI checks — with FBI fingerprints at first application — every five years for owners, administrators, applicants and employees of child care centers, family child care homes, child day camps and publicly funded programs, plus a statewide child welfare information system (SACWIS) search and sex-offender registry checks for licensed child care and approved day camps. Registered (non-approved) day camps run the BCI and FBI check themselves (ORC 5104.013(F)).
Ohio Revised Code § 173.38 / Ohio Admin. Code Chapter 173-9 — Department of Aging Direct-Care Checks
Ohio Rev. Code § 173.38; Ohio Admin. Code 173-9-02Requires criminal records checks for applicants and employees in paid direct-care positions in Department of Aging programs such as PASSPORT. Volunteer positions are expressly excluded.
Who Must Be Screened in Ohio
!Legally Required to Be Screened
- •School employees and contractors with routine child contact (ORC 3319.39, 3319.391); school volunteers are expressly excluded
- •Owners, administrators, applicants and employees of licensed child care and child day camps (ORC 5104.013); volunteers at licensed child care centers and approved day camps who are never counted in ratio or left alone with children need no check (OAC 5180:2-12-09(C), 5180:2-18-07(C), eff. July 1, 2026)
- •Paid direct-care staff in Department of Aging programs (volunteer positions excluded, OAC 173-9-02(B)(1))
- •Out-of-home care staff, including residential camps (ORC 2151.86): BCI with FBI at initial application, BCI every four years
Types of Background Checks Required in Ohio
How to Get Background Checks in Ohio
$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 Ohio law requires.
Start Free Today →Volunteer Screening in Ohio: What You Need to Know
Ohio’s volunteer statute is permissive, but it defines unsupervised access precisely (no other adult in the room, or outdoors within 30 yards or in visual contact) and pairs any check with a parent-notice duty and civil immunity. Only a BCI check earns the civil immunity, but a commercial check that shows a listed conviction still triggers the parent notice if the volunteer is kept. Recheck clocks differ by setting: four years for out-of-home care including residential camps, five years for child care and day camps, and every fifth year by September 5 for non-licensed school staff.
Compliance Tips for Ohio Nonprofits
- 1
Establish a BCI check renewal tracking system — Ohio’s recheck clocks differ by setting (four years for out-of-home care including residential camps, five years for child care and day camps, every fifth year by September 5 for non-licensed school staff), and many organizations discover expired checks only during audits; a simple spreadsheet with expiration date alerts can prevent compliance gaps.
- 2
Where the governing statute requires it (out-of-home care, child care, day camps, most school hires), request the FBI component with the BCI check at first application; Ohio-residency shortcuts appear only in specific statutes, such as certain school applicants (ORC 3319.39(A)(1)) and Department of Aging paid direct-care checks (ORC 173.38(F)(1)).
- 3
Use a WebCheck location and enter the correct Ohio Revised Code reason code — BCI returns cards unprocessed if the reason field is incomplete.
- 4
Department of Aging direct-care checks (reason code 173.38) cover paid staff only; volunteer positions are excluded (OAC 173-9-02(B)(1)).
- 5
Build check time into onboarding — the Ohio Attorney General says WebCheck results usually arrive within a matter of days, complicated cases can take up to 30 days, and mailed cards up to a month; approved day camps and licensed child care centers bar new hires from assigned duties or being near children until DCY’s preliminary approval (OAC 5180:2-18-07(I)(2)(b), 5180:2-12-09(I)(2)(b)).
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Ohio require background checks for my nonprofit’s volunteers?
Only for volunteers in specific roles or settings; no Ohio rule covers every nonprofit. Ohio has no general volunteer background-check mandate. Its volunteer statute (ORC 109.574–109.577) covers religious, charitable, scientific, educational, athletic and service organizations and local government entities that serve children.
How long does a Ohio volunteer background check take?
Official state checks: WebCheck: usually within days; complicated cases up to 30 days; mailed cards up to a month (Ohio AG). VolunteerBadge's national criminal search returns most results in minutes; a record that needs human FCRA review can take up to about 72 hours.