Does Colorado require background checks for volunteers?

Colorado mandates checks only in its “shall” settings. Colorado’s VECHS statute (C.R.S. 24-72-305.3) only permits care organizations to request CBI and FBI fingerprint checks, and we found no Colorado statute requiring every nonprofit volunteer to be checked. The “shall” settings are private youth sports organizations (C.R.S. 26.5-4-403), CDEC-licensed child care and camps (8 CCR 1402-1 §§ 2.120, 2.121 and 2.412(E)), licensed neighborhood youth organizations (C.R.S. 26.5-5-308(4)) and programs funded by the State’s Domestic Violence Program (12 CCR 2512-2 § 12.201.8). Everyone else sets their own standard.

Do volunteer youth sports coaches in Colorado need a background check?

Yes, at a private youth sports organization. Since August 7, 2024, C.R.S. 26.5-4-403 requires every coach — “a person employed or volunteering as a coach, manager, or supervisor” — to obtain, before starting work, a criminal history check from a consumer reporting agency that discloses at least sexual offenses and felony convictions and includes a Social Security number trace and a search of the Colorado judicial public records access system. The organization may not hire a coach with a conviction, nolo plea, deferred sentence or deferred prosecution for felony child abuse or a felony sexual offense; we read that bar to cover volunteer coaches too. People who help only occasionally aren’t covered, and from July 1, 2025 every coach must complete mandatory-reporter training each year.

Do child care and camp volunteers in Colorado need fingerprints?

In licensed care, many do. CDEC’s rules require CBI and FBI fingerprints, a TRAILS child abuse check and registry checks, completed before care, for volunteers who care for or supervise children or have unsupervised access to them, and for volunteers counted in staff-child ratio who work 14 days (112 hours) or more in a calendar year. Day camps are child care centers under Colorado law. At a resident camp, volunteers used in ratio must be “equally qualified” and fully checked, and others who work 14 days (112 hours) or more a year need the same checks. CDEC was rewriting these rules in 2026, so confirm the current version.

What is VECHS, and what does it cost?

VECHS is the CBI’s program under C.R.S. 24-72-305.3 that lets a “qualified entity” — any public or private, for-profit or nonprofit organization that provides care to children, the elderly or people with disabilities — request Colorado and FBI fingerprint checks on employees and volunteers. It is optional. The CBI lists the volunteer fee at $33.50 (reason fingerprinted “NCPA/VCA VECHS VOLUNTEER”) against $39.50 for employees, plus the fee charged by the approved fingerprint vendor, IdentoGO or Colorado Fingerprinting. Licensed child care uses CDEC’s process instead.

Does C.R.S. 19-3-304 make Colorado volunteers mandated reporters?

Not by name for child abuse. C.R.S. 19-3-304 lists occupations — school officials and employees, workers at licensed child care and foster facilities, clergy, and coaches “employed” by private sports organizations, meaning paid beyond expenses — and anyone else may report. Since September 1, 2025, listed reporters must report within 24 hours and can’t delegate the report. For elder abuse, C.R.S. 18-6.5-108 requires listed people “whether paid or unpaid” — including volunteers who operate specialized transportation services — to report mistreatment of anyone 70 or older to law enforcement within 24 hours.

Will a VolunteerBadge report meet SB 24-113 or replace a CDEC check?

It never replaces a CDEC fingerprint or TRAILS check, or any other check Colorado law runs through the State. For youth sports coaches, C.R.S. 26.5-4-403 lists what a consumer-reporting-agency check must include; confirm with any vendor, VolunteerBadge included, that its report covers every element — including a search of the Colorado judicial public records access system — before relying on it. Its natural place is the Colorado church, mentoring and senior-program roles no rule reaches, and as an extra layer beside required checks.

Free guide · 2026 edition · VECHS, SB 24-113 coach checks and CDEC rules

Both Sides of the Divide: The Colorado guide to screening volunteers: the optional VECHS door, SB 24-113’s coach checks, CDEC child care and camp rules, the domestic violence program rule, the CAPS check and a reporting law rewritten in 2025

Colorado’s volunteer-screening law starts with a permission, not an order. Its VECHS statute lets organizations that care for children, older adults or people with disabilities ask the Colorado Bureau of Investigation for fingerprint checks — “may,” not “shall.” Checks become mandatory in a handful of settings: private youth sports coaches under SB 24-113, CDEC-licensed child care and camps, licensed neighborhood youth organizations and programs funded by the State’s Domestic Violence Program. Both Sides of the Divide sorts each Colorado setting onto the “may” or the “shall” side.

By the VolunteerBadge research team · Sources checked September 12, 2026

Written for Colorado leagues, child care and camp directors, youth organizations and DV programs
Why VECHS is optional — and where Colorado says volunteers “shall” be checked
SB 24-113 coach checks, CDEC child care and camp rules and the CAPS check, rule by rule
A volunteer reporting card and a written screening policy you can adapt

Who Both Sides of the Divide is for

Executive directors, volunteer coordinators, league and club administrators, child care and camp directors, youth-organization and domestic violence program managers, church, mentoring and senior-program leaders — anyone in Colorado working out which side of the “may” and “shall” line their volunteers fall on.

8,185

child victims of abuse or neglect in Colorado in 2024 — 6.7 per 1,000 children, below the national 7.2, and down 29.5% from 2020 against a 14.1% fall nationally.

ACF, Child Maltreatment 2024

$33.50

the CBI’s VECHS fingerprint fee for a volunteer — against $39.50 for an employee — plus the approved vendor’s own fingerprinting fee.

CBI, Employment and Background Checks (read Sept. 11–12, 2026)

34.7%

of Coloradans volunteered through organizations in 2023 — 13th of 51 by our calculation, and 3rd for informal helping (67.4%).

AmeriCorps / Census CEV, state rates dataset

Cited to primary sources

Colorado at a glance

A VECHS “may,” at $33.50: A qualified entity — any organization that provides care to children, the elderly or people with disabilities — “may” ask the CBI for Colorado and FBI fingerprint checks on volunteers through VECHS. The CBI lists the volunteer fee at $33.50, against $39.50 for employees, plus the vendor’s fee.; C.R.S. 24-72-305.3(2)(a)(VII), (2)(b); CBI, Employment and Background Checks
Youth sports coaches: Since Aug. 7, 2024, a private youth sports organization must require every paid or volunteer coach, manager or supervisor to get a consumer-reporting-agency check before starting work, including sexual offenses, felony convictions, an SSN trace and a Colorado judicial records search. Occasional helpers are exempt.; C.R.S. 26.5-4-401(2)–(3), 26.5-4-403(1) (SB 24-113)
Child care volunteers (day camps included): Volunteers who care for or supervise children or have unsupervised access, and ratio volunteers working 14 days (112 hours) or more a year, need CBI and FBI fingerprints, a TRAILS check ($30) and registry checks, completed before care. The duty is in CDEC’s rule, not the statute; CDEC was redrafting the rules in 2026.; 8 CCR 1402-1 §§ 2.120(C)(1)(a), 2.121(D)(2)–(3); C.R.S. 26.5-5-303(3)(a)
Resident camp volunteers: Volunteers used in ratio must be “equally qualified” and fully checked; others must be supervised and never left alone with children, and need the checks once they work 14 days (112 hours) or more a year. Regular volunteers complete child abuse prevention training every year.; 8 CCR 1402-1 §§ 2.411(B), 2.412(E)
Youth organizations and DV programs: A licensed neighborhood youth organization checks volunteers who work directly with youth five or more days a month, before starting and every two years. A program funded by the Domestic Violence Program needs a completed criminal background check for every volunteer before the volunteer’s start date.; C.R.S. 26.5-5-308(4); 12 CCR 2512-2 § 12.201.8
Adults at risk: Listed adult-care employers must run a CAPS check ($9) on employees, but “employee” excludes volunteers; a volunteer check is optional. Listed reporters, “whether paid or unpaid,” must report mistreatment of anyone 70 or older to law enforcement within 24 hours.; C.R.S. 26-3.1-111(2), (6)(a)(IV); 18-6.5-108(1)
Child-abuse reporting after HB 25-1188: Colorado lists reporters by occupation; volunteer coaches aren’t named, since the sports entry covers personnel “employed” beyond expenses. Since Sept. 1, 2025, listed reporters report within 24 hours, only for what they learn in a professional capacity, and can’t delegate the report.; C.R.S. 19-3-304(1)(a), (1)(c), (2)(ii), (3.3)
Sealed records stay sealed: Clean Slate seals eligible civil infractions after 4 years, misdemeanors after 7 and eligible felonies after 10. Sealing orders reach private custodians, organizations may not require applicants to disclose sealed records, and the CBI’s $6 name search never shows them.; C.R.S. 13-3-117(1)(a.5); 24-72-703(2)(b), (2)(d)(I), (8)

From the Both Sides of the Divide executive summary

Six Colorado lines between “may” and “shall”

1
VECHS says “may,” not “shall.”
The VECHS statute, C.R.S. 24-72-305.3, says a qualified care organization “may contact” the State for CBI and FBI fingerprint checks on volunteers. We found no Colorado statute requiring every nonprofit volunteer to be checked.
2
Youth sports coaches must be checked.
Since August 7, 2024, a private youth sports organization must require every paid or volunteer coach, manager or supervisor to get a consumer-reporting-agency check before starting work. The statute lists the report’s minimum contents — confirm them with any vendor.
3
CDEC’s rule, not the statute, reaches child care volunteers.
C.R.S. 26.5-5-316 names owners, employees and resident adults. CDEC’s rule reaches volunteers who care for, supervise or have unsupervised access to children, and ratio volunteers who work 14 days (112 hours) or more a year.
4
Day camps are child care centers.
Colorado’s definition of a child care center includes “day camps, and summer camps,” so their volunteers follow the child care rules. Resident camps have their own volunteer rule, § 2.412(E).
5
Volunteers aren’t named child-abuse reporters — but some must report elder abuse.
Colorado’s child-abuse list names occupations and, since September 1, 2025, sets a 24-hour limit. The elder-abuse statute binds its listed reporters “whether paid or unpaid” for anyone 70 or older.
6
Sealed means sealed — for you too.
Clean Slate now seals many convictions automatically. Sealing orders reach private record holders, organizations may not require applicants to disclose sealed records, and an applicant may say no public record exists.

Inside Both Sides of the Divide, chapter by chapter

01
VECHS’s open door and the mandatory settings
VECHS, the mandatory settings and Colorado’s maltreatment, fee and volunteering figures on one page.
02
“Shall” or “may”: Colorado’s settings, role by role
Coaches, child care, camps, DV programs and the rest, each matched to its Colorado statute or rule — or none.
03
The VECHS door: C.R.S. 24-72-305.3
Who qualifies, what the CBI searches, the $33.50 volunteer fee and two wrinkles in the rule.
04
Colorado’s state checks, side by side
The $6 name search, VECHS, CDEC fingerprints, TRAILS and CAPS — and why InstaCheck isn’t one of them.
05
Youth sports: SB 24-113’s coach checks
Who is a coach, what the check must include, the bar, the immunity and the conduct policy.
06
More for coaches: training, concussions and immunity
Mandatory-reporter training, the concussion course, Alyssa’s Act and the bills that failed.
07
Child care: where CDEC checks volunteers
The 14-day and care-or-access triggers, TRAILS, renewals, disqualifiers and the pending rule rewrite.
08
Camps: day camps are child care centers
Resident camp volunteer rules, annual training and the out-of-state seasonal exemption.
09
Youth organizations, DV programs, schools and foster homes
Two rules that name volunteers, and two settings that check staff instead.
10
Adults at risk: the CAPS check and a 24-hour duty
An optional APS check for volunteers and a reporting duty “whether paid or unpaid.”
11
Reporting child abuse after HB 25-1188
The 24-hour limit, professional capacity, no delegation — and whether a volunteer is a reporter.
12
What a Colorado record shows — and what it hides
Clean Slate, arrest sealing, what sealing means for you, and registrants.
13
Chance to Compete, the FCRA and charities
The Chance to Compete Act (8-2-130), FCRA consent and Secretary of State registration.
14
HB 22-1295 to CDEC’s 2026 rulemaking
A dated timeline, CDEC’s 2026 rulemaking and the bills that didn’t pass.
15
SB 24-113 coach checks, never CDEC’s
VolunteerBadge beside SB 24-113’s coach-check elements, and the CDEC and TRAILS checks it can never replace.
A
Appendix A: SB 24-113 coaches to DV-funded programs
Checkboxes for every Colorado setting in this guide, from SB 24-113 coaches to DV-funded programs.
B
Appendix B: A reporting card and a written screening policy
A volunteer card for child and elder abuse, and a background check policy you can adapt.
C
Appendix C: OLLS, CDEC, CBI and CDHS sources, dated
OLLS 2026 statute titles, CDEC, CBI and CDHS pages and our other sources, with the day each was pulled.

Get the free guide

Both Sides of the Divide: Colorado questions answered

Does Colorado require background checks for volunteers?: Colorado mandates checks only in its “shall” settings. Colorado’s VECHS statute (C.R.S. 24-72-305.3) only permits care organizations to request CBI and FBI fingerprint checks, and we found no Colorado statute requiring every nonprofit volunteer to be checked. The “shall” settings are private youth sports organizations (C.R.S. 26.5-4-403), CDEC-licensed child care and camps (8 CCR 1402-1 §§ 2.120, 2.121 and 2.412(E)), licensed neighborhood youth organizations (C.R.S. 26.5-5-308(4)) and programs funded by the State’s Domestic Violence Program (12 CCR 2512-2 § 12.201.8). Everyone else sets their own standard.
Do volunteer youth sports coaches in Colorado need a background check?: Yes, at a private youth sports organization. Since August 7, 2024, C.R.S. 26.5-4-403 requires every coach — “a person employed or volunteering as a coach, manager, or supervisor” — to obtain, before starting work, a criminal history check from a consumer reporting agency that discloses at least sexual offenses and felony convictions and includes a Social Security number trace and a search of the Colorado judicial public records access system. The organization may not hire a coach with a conviction, nolo plea, deferred sentence or deferred prosecution for felony child abuse or a felony sexual offense; we read that bar to cover volunteer coaches too. People who help only occasionally aren’t covered, and from July 1, 2025 every coach must complete mandatory-reporter training each year.
Do child care and camp volunteers in Colorado need fingerprints?: In licensed care, many do. CDEC’s rules require CBI and FBI fingerprints, a TRAILS child abuse check and registry checks, completed before care, for volunteers who care for or supervise children or have unsupervised access to them, and for volunteers counted in staff-child ratio who work 14 days (112 hours) or more in a calendar year. Day camps are child care centers under Colorado law. At a resident camp, volunteers used in ratio must be “equally qualified” and fully checked, and others who work 14 days (112 hours) or more a year need the same checks. CDEC was rewriting these rules in 2026, so confirm the current version.
What is VECHS, and what does it cost?: VECHS is the CBI’s program under C.R.S. 24-72-305.3 that lets a “qualified entity” — any public or private, for-profit or nonprofit organization that provides care to children, the elderly or people with disabilities — request Colorado and FBI fingerprint checks on employees and volunteers. It is optional. The CBI lists the volunteer fee at $33.50 (reason fingerprinted “NCPA/VCA VECHS VOLUNTEER”) against $39.50 for employees, plus the fee charged by the approved fingerprint vendor, IdentoGO or Colorado Fingerprinting. Licensed child care uses CDEC’s process instead.
Does C.R.S. 19-3-304 make Colorado volunteers mandated reporters?: Not by name for child abuse. C.R.S. 19-3-304 lists occupations — school officials and employees, workers at licensed child care and foster facilities, clergy, and coaches “employed” by private sports organizations, meaning paid beyond expenses — and anyone else may report. Since September 1, 2025, listed reporters must report within 24 hours and can’t delegate the report. For elder abuse, C.R.S. 18-6.5-108 requires listed people “whether paid or unpaid” — including volunteers who operate specialized transportation services — to report mistreatment of anyone 70 or older to law enforcement within 24 hours.
Will a VolunteerBadge report meet SB 24-113 or replace a CDEC check?: It never replaces a CDEC fingerprint or TRAILS check, or any other check Colorado law runs through the State. For youth sports coaches, C.R.S. 26.5-4-403 lists what a consumer-reporting-agency check must include; confirm with any vendor, VolunteerBadge included, that its report covers every element — including a search of the Colorado judicial public records access system — before relying on it. Its natural place is the Colorado church, mentoring and senior-program roles no rule reaches, and as an extra layer beside required checks.

Beyond Both Sides of the Divide

The Colorado sources behind Both Sides of the Divide

Checked September 12, 2026. The guide cites each one where it is used.

General information, not legal advice. Laws and agency practice change. Confirm anything you rely on with the agencies named here, your licensor, your insurer or qualified counsel. Spot an error? Tell us and we will fix it.

VolunteerBadge is owned and operated by ScreenForge Labs, LLC, an FCRA-regulated Consumer Reporting Agency that has obtained its FCRA Certificate from the Consumer Data Industry Association (CDIA). This guide is general educational information and is not legal advice. Laws change; this guide's sources were checked as of September 12, 2026.