Does New Hampshire require background checks for volunteers?

Only where a specific RSA or DHHS rule reaches the program; our search turned up no statute obliging New Hampshire nonprofits across the board to check volunteers. Checks are required in specific settings: youth skill camps (for volunteers who may be left alone with a child), youth recreation camps (all staff, volunteers included), licensed child care (volunteers who might be alone with children or count in ratios), residential child care and child-placing agencies, public schools (for the “designated volunteers” each board names), health facilities licensed under RSA 151 (volunteers with direct client contact) and DHHS-licensed, certified or funded adult programs (the BEAS registry). Towns and counties may require checks for their own volunteer positions.

What does RSA 632-A:10 mean for volunteer programs?

It makes it a class A felony for a person convicted, anywhere, of a sexual assault, a felony offense involving child sexual abuse images or a felony physical assault on a minor to knowingly work or volunteer as a teacher, coach, child-athletics worker, day care worker, scout leader or camp counselor, or in any role that serves minors exclusively or predominantly, supervises minors or involves one-on-one work with them. Knowingly failing to disclose the conviction when applying, or when offering volunteer opportunities, is a class B felony. The 2024 rewrite, effective January 1, 2025, broadened the bar. It binds the offender and puts no screening duty on organizations, but it is a strong reason to ask about those convictions on every application for work with minors.

Is our sports clinic or arts camp a youth skill camp?

It may be. RSA 170-E:55, II defines a youth skill camp as a nonprofit or for-profit program that lasts 8 hours or more in a year to teach a skill to minors, including sports, the arts and scientific inquiry; DHHS’s rule, He-C 4004.03(c), adds a curriculum over 3 or more consecutive days. A youth skill camp must check volunteers who might be left alone with a youth before that happens and at least once each calendar year, and certify to DHHS with a $25 fee before youth arrive. Whether a weekly practice schedule falls outside the 3-consecutive-day definition is our reading, not a stated exemption — ask the DHHS unit.

Which New Hampshire child care volunteers go through NHCIS?

In licensed child care, those who might be alone with children or are counted in staff-to-child ratios (He-C 4002.40(b)). They submit through the NHCIS portal for a DHHS check — FBI fingerprints, New Hampshire’s sex offender and abuse registries and the sex offender registries of every state lived in during the past 5 years — before starting and every 5 years. Until DHHS’s first notice they may attend orientation or training but not interact with children, and DHHS must decide within 45 days of receiving everything.

Must New Hampshire volunteers report suspected abuse under RSA 169-C:29?

Yes. RSA 169-C:29 lists professions and then “any other person having reason to suspect that a child has been abused or neglected,” so every volunteer must report — orally and immediately to DCYF, with a written report within 48 hours if requested. Knowingly failing to report is a misdemeanor, and good-faith reporters are immune from liability. RSA 161-F:46 puts the same any-person duty on suspected abuse, neglect, self-neglect or exploitation of a vulnerable adult.

Can VolunteerBadge stand in for a DHHS, school or State Police check in New Hampshire?

No. VolunteerBadge is not a fingerprint channel, and its check does not count toward any DHHS, school or State Police fingerprint check. Where New Hampshire law requires a check — DHHS child care and residential licensing checks, camp and youth skill camp checks, RSA 151 facility checks, BEAS registry checks or a school’s designated-volunteer fingerprint check — that check is required. Whether any commercial check satisfies a youth skill camp’s background check rule is for DHHS to say. Its place is the New Hampshire roles no RSA or He-C rule reaches, such as most mentoring and congregation roles outside camps and licensed care.

Free guide · 2026 edition · RSA 632-A:10, skill camps and the BEAS registry in New Hampshire

Exclusively or Predominantly: The New Hampshire guide to screening volunteers: the RSA 632-A:10 felony bar, youth skill camps and recreation camps, DHHS licensing checks, designated school volunteers, the BEAS registry and a reporting duty on any other person

Nothing in the RSAs tells every New Hampshire nonprofit to check its volunteers. The state does two other things. It makes it a felony for a person convicted of a sexual assault, a felony child-sexual-abuse-image offense or a felony physical assault on a minor to volunteer in work that serves minors “exclusively or predominantly,” supervises them or works with them one on one — and a felony to hide the conviction. And it requires checks setting by setting: youth skill camps of 8+ hours over 3 or more days, recreation camps, licensed child care and residential programs, the volunteers a school board designates, health facilities and DHHS-funded adult programs. Each setting gets its own chapter, with the RSA or He-C rule behind it.

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

Written for New Hampshire camp and skill-clinic directors, child care and residential staff, PTO leads and adult-services volunteer managers
What RSA 632-A:10’s felony bar means for every youth program’s application form
Youth skill camps, recreation camps, child care, schools and adult services, rule by rule
An any-person reporting card and two application questions you can adapt

Who Exclusively or Predominantly is for

Volunteer coordinators and executive directors; child care, residential and child-placing program staff; camp directors and anyone running a sports clinic, arts week or science camp for minors; PTO and school-volunteer leads; nursing home, assisted living, home health and adult-services volunteer managers; church, Scout, 4-H and league leaders — anyone who recruits volunteers in New Hampshire.

5.3

child victims of abuse or neglect per 1,000 New Hampshire children in federal fiscal year 2024 — below the national 7.2, but 1,328 children in all, up 12.4% since 2020.

ACF, Child Maltreatment 2024

$25

the yearly DHHS certification fee for a youth skill camp — which the statute defines as a program of 8 or more hours a year teaching minors a skill, sports included — covering volunteers who may be left alone with a child.

RSA 170-E:55, II; RSA 170-E:56, II(b) (read Sept. 12, 2026)

29.6%

of New Hampshire residents volunteered through an organization in 2023 — 31st of 50 states by our ranking, down from 35.7% in 2017.

VolunteerBadge analysis of AmeriCorps CEV data

Cited to primary sources

New Hampshire at a glance

Camps through RSA 151 facilities: We found no RSA requiring every New Hampshire nonprofit to check volunteers; its screening duties attach to settings — camps, licensed child care and residential care, school designated volunteers, RSA 151 health facilities and DHHS-licensed, certified or funded adult programs.; RSA 170-E:56, II; RSA 189:13-a, VII; RSA 151:2-d, II; RSA 161-F:49, VII; He-C 4002.40(b)
The RSA 632-A:10 felony bar: A person convicted of a sexual assault, a felony child-sexual-abuse-image offense or a felony physical assault on a minor commits a class A felony by knowingly working or volunteering in named roles such as coach or camp counselor, or in any role serving minors exclusively or predominantly, supervising them or working one on one with them. Knowingly hiding the conviction — including when offering volunteer opportunities — is a class B felony. The 2024 rewrite broadened the bar.; RSA 632-A:10, I–II (2024, 53:1, eff. Jan. 1, 2025)
Youth skill camps: A program of 8 or more hours a year teaching minors a skill, sports included, must keep a background check policy for volunteers who may be left alone with a child: a criminal check in each state of residence and the national sex offender registry, before first being alone and every calendar year. The DHHS rule adds a 3-consecutive-day curriculum test. The operator certifies to DHHS and pays $25 before youth arrive.; RSA 170-E:55, II; RSA 170-E:56, II; He-C 4004.03(c), 4004.04(b), 4004.05, 4004.07
Recreation camp volunteers are staff: Licensed day and resident camps check everyone who manages the camp or works with campers, volunteers included: a criminal check in every state lived in, the National Sex Offender Registry, a notarized DCYF registry form for New Hampshire residents of the past 7 years, and references. No one is alone with campers while the registry result is pending.; He-C 4003.03(am), 4003.17(b)–(k)
Licensed child care: NHCIS and 45 days: Volunteers who might be alone with children or count in ratios submit through NHCIS for FBI fingerprints and registry checks before starting and every 5 years. Before DHHS’s first notice they may not interact with children; DHHS decides within 45 days, and since July 1, 2025 a pending charge for a listed offense disqualifies.; RSA 170-E:7, I-a, II, III, IV-c; He-C 4002.40(b), (h)–(j)
Designated school volunteers: Public schools check the volunteer categories their board designates by policy, with a State Police and FBI fingerprint check through the school, which may charge the actual cost and must destroy the records within 60 days. Nonpublic schools may opt in. Since 2023, suspended or revoked educators may not volunteer.; RSA 189:13-a, I(b), II, III-a, IV, VII, VII-a
Adult services: two checks: RSA 151 facility volunteers with direct client contact authorize a State Police public record before starting. Programs licensed, certified or funded by DHHS search the BEAS registry for volunteers who may have contact with vulnerable adults before they start and every year; other employers may not require it. Since August 31, 2026, entries post on DHHS’s decision; 7-year retention is older.; RSA 151:2-d, II–IV; RSA 161-F:49, IV, VII, VIII-a (2026, 278:4)
The State Police route: Any person may obtain another’s New Hampshire public criminal record for a fee with a signed release. The rule fee is $25, or $10 for volunteers of nonprofits serving children, the elderly or the disabled — confirm the current fee with the Criminal Records Unit. The legislature’s 2024 findings say FBI results never go to non-governmental entities.; RSA 106-B:14, I(c); Saf-C 5703.06, 5703.07(c); 2024, 366:1, VII
DCYF by phone, in writing if asked: Anyone with reason to suspect a child has been abused or neglected must report to DCYF immediately by phone, with a written report within 48 hours if asked; knowing failure is a misdemeanor and good-faith reporters are immune. Any person who suspects abuse, neglect or exploitation of a vulnerable adult must also report.; RSA 169-C:29–31, 169-C:39; RSA 161-F:46, 161-F:50

From the Exclusively or Predominantly executive summary

Six New Hampshire rules, from the felony bar to any-person reporting

1
Camps, licensed care and school designees carry the duty.
No RSA we found makes New Hampshire nonprofits at large background-check volunteers; the duties attach instead to settings: youth skill camps and recreation camps, licensed child care and residential programs, school designated volunteers, RSA 151 health facilities and DHHS-licensed, certified or funded adult programs.
2
A felony bar reaches the volunteer.
RSA 632-A:10 makes it a class A felony for a person convicted of a sexual assault, a felony child-sexual-abuse-image offense or a felony physical assault on a minor to knowingly work or volunteer as a coach, camp counselor or scout leader, or in any role that serves minors exclusively or predominantly, supervises them or involves one-on-one work with them. Knowingly hiding the conviction is a class B felony — including for someone offering volunteer opportunities.
3
Short skill programs can count.
A youth skill camp is a program of 8 or more hours a year teaching minors a skill, sports, the arts and science included; the DHHS rule adds a curriculum over 3 or more consecutive days. It must check volunteers who might be left alone with a youth before that happens and every calendar year, and certify to DHHS with a $25 fee before youth arrive.
4
Licensed programs screen through DHHS.
In licensed child care, volunteers who might be alone with children or count in staff-to-child ratios submit through NHCIS for FBI fingerprints and registry checks before starting and every 5 years; DHHS decides within 45 days, and since July 1, 2025 a pending charge for a listed offense also disqualifies. Residential programs check every adult who works there, volunteers included.
5
Each school board decides.
Public schools need not check every volunteer, but each board must designate categories of “designated volunteers,” who get a State Police and FBI fingerprint check through the school and may be asked to pay its actual cost. Since 2023, suspended or revoked educators may not volunteer.
6
RSA 169-C:29 ends with “any other person.”
RSA 169-C:29 names professions and then “any other person having reason to suspect that a child has been abused or neglected.” Reports go to DCYF immediately by phone; knowingly failing to report is a misdemeanor. A parallel any-person duty covers vulnerable adults.

Inside Exclusively or Predominantly, chapter by chapter

01
What New Hampshire asks, in brief
The rules, the New Hampshire numbers and seven points to act on.
02
A role-by-role map of New Hampshire law
Each setting, the volunteers it covers, the check and the rule.
03
Exclusively or predominantly: RSA 632-A:10
The felony bar, its 2024 rewrite, the disclosure felony and registrants.
04
Youth skill camps: eight hours and a yearly certification
What counts, what the policy and check must include, and the $25 certification.
05
Recreation camps: volunteers are staff
He-C 4003.17’s multi-state checks, Form 2501, references and who may not serve.
06
Licensed child care: NHCIS and the 45-day clock
Which volunteers, what DHHS runs, the waiting rules, disqualifiers and exemptions.
07
Residential programs, placing agencies and foster homes
RSA 170-E:29-a, He-C 4001 and 6448, foster homes and the central registry limit.
08
Designated volunteers: each board’s choice
RSA 189:13-a: fingerprints, cost, 60-day destruction, immunity and the 2023 changes.
09
Health facilities and the BEAS registry
RSA 151:2-d, the He-P rules and the adult abuse registry, including the 2026 changes.
10
The State Police route and its two tiers
Public records any organization may request, the rule fees, the notary conflict and FBI limits.
11
Any other person: the reporting duty
RSA 169-C:29 for children, RSA 161-F:46 for adults, timing, immunity and penalties.
12
Annulment, old convictions and fair questions
RSA 651:5, the open RSA 359-B questions, ban-the-box and registry limits.
13
Charitable trusts, raffles and the volunteer shield
Charitable Trusts Unit registration, gaming permits and RSA 508:16–17.
14
New Hampshire’s recent changes, dated
The 2023–2027 acts and rules touching volunteers, in date order — from the RSA 632-A:10 rewrite to the BEAS changes.
15
Never toward a DHHS or school print check
Why a consumer report never counts toward a DHHS, school or State Police fingerprint check — and the roles where it helps.
A
Appendix A: Program checklists for New Hampshire
The floor, youth skill camps, recreation camps, child care and residential care, schools and adult services.
B
Appendix B: A reporting card and two application questions
An any-person reporting card, questions drawn from RSA 651:5 and RSA 632-A:10, and a skill-camp worksheet.
C
Appendix C: Our search scope and every citation
Related guides, our search scope and every citation with its read date.

Get the free guide

Exclusively or Predominantly: New Hampshire questions answered

Does New Hampshire require background checks for volunteers?: Only where a specific RSA or DHHS rule reaches the program; our search turned up no statute obliging New Hampshire nonprofits across the board to check volunteers. Checks are required in specific settings: youth skill camps (for volunteers who may be left alone with a child), youth recreation camps (all staff, volunteers included), licensed child care (volunteers who might be alone with children or count in ratios), residential child care and child-placing agencies, public schools (for the “designated volunteers” each board names), health facilities licensed under RSA 151 (volunteers with direct client contact) and DHHS-licensed, certified or funded adult programs (the BEAS registry). Towns and counties may require checks for their own volunteer positions.
What does RSA 632-A:10 mean for volunteer programs?: It makes it a class A felony for a person convicted, anywhere, of a sexual assault, a felony offense involving child sexual abuse images or a felony physical assault on a minor to knowingly work or volunteer as a teacher, coach, child-athletics worker, day care worker, scout leader or camp counselor, or in any role that serves minors exclusively or predominantly, supervises minors or involves one-on-one work with them. Knowingly failing to disclose the conviction when applying, or when offering volunteer opportunities, is a class B felony. The 2024 rewrite, effective January 1, 2025, broadened the bar. It binds the offender and puts no screening duty on organizations, but it is a strong reason to ask about those convictions on every application for work with minors.
Is our sports clinic or arts camp a youth skill camp?: It may be. RSA 170-E:55, II defines a youth skill camp as a nonprofit or for-profit program that lasts 8 hours or more in a year to teach a skill to minors, including sports, the arts and scientific inquiry; DHHS’s rule, He-C 4004.03(c), adds a curriculum over 3 or more consecutive days. A youth skill camp must check volunteers who might be left alone with a youth before that happens and at least once each calendar year, and certify to DHHS with a $25 fee before youth arrive. Whether a weekly practice schedule falls outside the 3-consecutive-day definition is our reading, not a stated exemption — ask the DHHS unit.
Which New Hampshire child care volunteers go through NHCIS?: In licensed child care, those who might be alone with children or are counted in staff-to-child ratios (He-C 4002.40(b)). They submit through the NHCIS portal for a DHHS check — FBI fingerprints, New Hampshire’s sex offender and abuse registries and the sex offender registries of every state lived in during the past 5 years — before starting and every 5 years. Until DHHS’s first notice they may attend orientation or training but not interact with children, and DHHS must decide within 45 days of receiving everything.
Must New Hampshire volunteers report suspected abuse under RSA 169-C:29?: Yes. RSA 169-C:29 lists professions and then “any other person having reason to suspect that a child has been abused or neglected,” so every volunteer must report — orally and immediately to DCYF, with a written report within 48 hours if requested. Knowingly failing to report is a misdemeanor, and good-faith reporters are immune from liability. RSA 161-F:46 puts the same any-person duty on suspected abuse, neglect, self-neglect or exploitation of a vulnerable adult.
Can VolunteerBadge stand in for a DHHS, school or State Police check in New Hampshire?: No. VolunteerBadge is not a fingerprint channel, and its check does not count toward any DHHS, school or State Police fingerprint check. Where New Hampshire law requires a check — DHHS child care and residential licensing checks, camp and youth skill camp checks, RSA 151 facility checks, BEAS registry checks or a school’s designated-volunteer fingerprint check — that check is required. Whether any commercial check satisfies a youth skill camp’s background check rule is for DHHS to say. Its place is the New Hampshire roles no RSA or He-C rule reaches, such as most mentoring and congregation roles outside camps and licensed care.

Beyond Exclusively or Predominantly

The New Hampshire sources behind Exclusively or Predominantly

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.