Does Tennessee require background checks for volunteers?

Across the board, no: we found no Tennessee statute requiring every nonprofit to check every volunteer. Checks are required by setting: volunteers with direct contact in licensed mental health and substance-abuse services (Tenn. Code Ann. § 33-2-1202) and in disability and aging services (§ 52-2-1002); certain roles in DHS- and DCS-licensed child care (§§ 71-3-507, 37-5-511); and an Abuse Registry check for volunteers at any entity licensed by a state agency under Titles 33, 37, 52, 68 or 71 (§ 68-11-1004). Churches, community leagues, co-ops and exempt camps set their own standard.

Do Tennessee volunteers have to report child abuse?

Yes. Tennessee’s duty covers any person. Under Tenn. Code Ann. § 37-1-403, anyone who knows of harm to a child that reasonably indicates abuse or neglect must report immediately to DCS, the juvenile judge, the county sheriff or the city’s chief law enforcement officer, and § 37-1-605 requires anyone who knows or has reasonable cause to suspect child sexual abuse to report to DCS. Knowingly failing to make a report § 37-1-403 requires is a Class A misdemeanor; a second failure or an intentional failure is a Class E felony.

What is the Tennessee Abuse Registry, and who has to check it?

It is the Health Facilities Commission’s registry of people found by agencies or courts to have abused, neglected or exploited vulnerable people — and anyone under 18 counts as vulnerable. Under Tenn. Code Ann. § 68-11-1004, state agencies under Titles 33, 37, 52, 68 or 71, entities they license, and care contractors must check it before a prospective employee or volunteer serves, and may not let anyone listed serve. The registry is public and searchable online.

When does a Tennessee child care volunteer need TBI fingerprints?

It depends on the role and the licensing agency. In DHS-licensed child care, unpaid substitutes used to meet staffing standards for more than 36 hours in a calendar year need a TBI fingerprint review; other volunteers may never be counted in ratio or left alone with children, and since Nov. 20, 2025, no one may have unsupervised contact before a clearance letter. In DCS-licensed child care agencies, new volunteers expected to serve more than 20 hours a month with significant contact must be fingerprinted by the TBI and FBI and checked against the Abuse Registry.

How much does a TBI background check cost?

The TBI charges $29 for a Tennessee-only name-based check anyone can buy. Fingerprint checks run through the TBI’s contractor, IdentoGO: $33.15 for a volunteer’s Tennessee-and-FBI check for qualified organizations ($37.15 for an applicant), or $50 for an FBI-only check. The TBI publishes no turnaround time that we found.

Does a VolunteerBadge check replace a TBI, DHS or DCS check?

No. Where Tennessee law requires a TBI fingerprint check, a DHS or DCS clearance, or the Abuse Registry check, Tennessee requires that specific check, and no commercial report takes its place. Use it for Tennessee churches, community leagues, co-ops and exempt camps that set their own standard, or layered on top of a required check.

Free guide · 2026 edition · For Tennessee child care, behavioral health, aging and youth programs

The Volunteer State: The Tennessee guide to screening volunteers: the duty every person has to report, the Abuse Registry check that covers every child, DHS and DCS child care, Titles 33 and 52, schools and TBI records

Tennessee does not order a criminal check of every volunteer. What it has is broader in one way and narrower in another: any person must report child abuse, and every entity licensed by a state agency to serve children or vulnerable adults must check the Abuse Registry before a volunteer serves. Criminal checks follow the setting — child care, behavioral health, disability and aging services. The guide follows each duty through the Tennessee Code, from § 37-1-403 to § 68-11-1004.

By the VolunteerBadge research team · Sources checked September 11, 2026

Written for Tennessee child care directors, church and co-op leaders, leagues and senior-program coordinators
The any-person reporting duty and the Abuse Registry check that covers every child
DHS and DCS child care, Titles 33 and 52, schools and TBI records, rule by rule
A volunteer reporting card and a pre-service screening record you can copy

Who The Volunteer State is for

Executive directors, volunteer coordinators, child care and preschool directors, camp directors, church and youth-ministry leaders, league administrators, senior-program and disability-services coordinators, PTO officers and co-op leaders — anyone in Tennessee who needs to know where the Abuse Registry, the TBI and the reporting duty reach their volunteers.

9,364

Tennessee children found to be abuse or neglect victims in 2024 — up 7.8% since 2020 while the national count fell 14.1%; 5.9 per 1,000 children against 7.2 nationally.

ACF, Child Maltreatment 2024

1.89M

Tennesseans volunteered through organizations in 2022–23, giving 134.7 million hours worth an estimated $4.0 billion.

AmeriCorps / Census CEV, 2023

$33.15

The TBI’s fee for a volunteer’s Tennessee-and-FBI fingerprint check for qualified organizations — against $29 for a Tennessee-only name check anyone can buy.

TBI, Background Checks fee schedule

Cited to primary sources

Tennessee at a glance

A permission, not a mandate: We found no Tennessee statute requiring every nonprofit to check every volunteer. Child care agencies, state agencies and state contractors “may require” anyone working or volunteering with children to submit to a fingerprint-based TBI review and registry checks; refusal means exclusion from the role, and the requester pays.; Tenn. Code Ann. § 71-3-507(g)(1)(A), (g)(4)(F)
Report to DCS, a judge or police: Anyone who knows of harm to a child that reasonably indicates abuse or neglect must report immediately, and anyone who knows or has reasonable cause to suspect child sexual abuse must report to DCS. Knowingly failing to make a required report is a Class A misdemeanor; a second or intentional failure is a Class E felony.; Tenn. Code Ann. §§ 37-1-403(a), 37-1-605(a), 37-1-412(a)
The Abuse Registry covers every child: Anyone under 18 is a “vulnerable person.” Entities licensed by a state agency under Titles 33, 37, 52, 68 or 71, and care contractors, must check the registry before a prospective volunteer serves, and no listed person may serve. The Health Facilities Commission has run it since July 1, 2022.; Tenn. Code Ann. §§ 68-11-1002(8)(A), 68-11-1004; Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. ch. 0720-39
Direct contact in Titles 33 and 52: Licensed mental health and substance-abuse services, and disability and aging services, area agencies on aging and state contractors, must complete a criminal background check on volunteers with direct contact or direct responsibility before contact, and check the Abuse Registry.; Tenn. Code Ann. § 33-2-1202(b)–(c); § 52-2-1002 (2024 Tenn. Pub. Acts ch. 688, § 2)
DHS child care: Unpaid substitutes used to meet staffing standards for more than 36 hours in a calendar year need a TBI fingerprint review, repeated at least every five years. Volunteers may never be counted in ratio or left alone with children, and since Nov. 20, 2025, no one may have unsupervised contact before a Final Clearance or Conditional Letter.; Tenn. Code Ann. § 71-3-507(a)(1)(B), (d)(2); Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. 1240-04-01-.06(5), -.07(2)(c)
DCS-licensed agencies: A new volunteer expected to serve more than 20 hours a month in a position where significant contact with children is likely must disclose their record, be fingerprinted by the TBI and FBI, and be checked against the Abuse Registry.; Tenn. Code Ann. § 37-5-511(a)(1)(B), (a)(2)
Schools: a policy, not a mandate: Each local board and charter school must adopt a background-check policy for volunteers and contract workers, and may require state and national checks of volunteers upon Tennessee’s acceptance into the FBI Rap Back program. Contractors with direct contact are fingerprinted before contact.; Tenn. Code Ann. § 49-5-413(d), (g), as amended by 2026 Tenn. Pub. Acts ch. 1040 (eff. July 1, 2026)
Registrants barred from volunteering near children: For registered sex offenders, “employment” includes volunteering. They may not knowingly accept it within 1,000 feet of a school, child care facility, public park, playground, recreation center or public athletic field, or be alone with a minor in a private area; a violation is a Class E felony with at least 90 days for a first offense.; Tenn. Code Ann. §§ 40-39-202(3), 40-39-211(a)(1), (f), (g)(1), (k)(2)
TBI fees: A Tennessee-only name check costs $29 and anyone can buy it. Fingerprint checks run through IdentoGO: $33.15 for a volunteer’s Tennessee-and-FBI check for qualified organizations, or $50 for an FBI-only check. The TBI publishes no turnaround time that we found.; TBI, Background Checks; Tenn. Code Ann. § 38-6-109

From the The Volunteer State executive summary

Six ways Tennessee law reaches the Volunteer State’s volunteers

1
Settings, plus one permission.
We found no Tennessee statute requiring every nonprofit to check every volunteer. Checks attach to settings. Outside them, Tenn. Code Ann. § 71-3-507(g) lets child care agencies, state agencies and state contractors require checks of anyone with access to children — a permission, not a duty.
2
Any person must report child abuse.
Anyone who knows of, or has reasonable cause to suspect, child abuse must report it immediately — to DCS, the juvenile judge, the sheriff or city police. Knowingly failing to make a required report is a Class A misdemeanor; a second failure, or an intentional one, is a Class E felony.
3
Every child is a “vulnerable person.”
Entities licensed by a state agency under Titles 33, 37, 52, 68 or 71, and care contractors, must check the Abuse Registry before a prospective volunteer serves. No one listed may volunteer. The registry is public and searchable online.
4
Direct contact triggers a criminal check.
Licensed mental health and substance-abuse services (Title 33) and, since July 1, 2024, disability and aging services (Title 52) must complete a criminal background check on volunteers with direct contact or direct responsibility before contact.
5
Child care draws the line by role.
In DHS child care, unpaid substitutes counted toward staffing standards for more than 36 hours a year are fingerprinted, and other volunteers may never be in ratio or alone with children. In DCS-licensed agencies, new volunteers expected to serve more than 20 hours a month with significant contact are fingerprinted.
6
Schools must have a volunteer policy.
Every local board and charter school must adopt a background-check policy for volunteers and contract workers. Boards may require state and national checks of volunteers once Tennessee is accepted into the FBI’s Rap Back program — the statute still speaks of acceptance.

Inside The Volunteer State, chapter by chapter

01
Report always, check by setting
The any-person duty, the registry and the setting rules on one page, with 2024 Tennessee child-welfare data.
02
What § 71-3-507(g)’s “may require” allows
Role by role, which Tennessee statute applies, if any — and what § 71-3-507(g)’s “may require” allows.
03
“Any person”: Tennessee’s reporting duty
Sections 37-1-403 and 37-1-605, the penalties and the DHS child care rule.
04
The Abuse Registry covers every child
Section 68-11-1004: who must check, when, and how to search well.
05
Direct contact: Title 33 and Title 52
Behavioral health, disability and aging services after the 2024 Act.
06
Child care: DHS licensing and clearance letters
The 36-hour substitute rule, the five-year clock and the Nov. 2025 letters.
07
DCS-licensed agencies and foster homes
The 20-hour volunteer threshold and DCS Policy 16.4’s five checks.
08
Camps, leagues, churches and co-ops
The camp exemption, community leagues on public land and charity registration.
09
Schools and school coaches
Section 49-5-413 after the July 2026 act, and the “applicable” coach rule.
10
Older adults: nursing homes, assisted care and reporting
Facility rules, the registry, § 71-6-103 and a mis-cited EMS statute.
11
Getting Tennessee records from the TBI
TORIS name checks, IdentoGO fingerprints, fees and what we couldn’t confirm.
12
Registrants, expunction and fair chance
Where registrants may not volunteer, expunged records and seven factors.
13
The Registry’s 2022 move to the 2026 school act
Dated: the registry’s July 2022 move to the Health Facilities Commission, the 2024 Disability and Aging Act, the Nov. 2025 clearance letters and the 2026 school act.
14
Beside TBI prints and the Abuse Registry
What a commercial check adds beside TBI prints, DHS and DCS clearances and the Abuse Registry — and what it can’t stand in for.
A
Appendix A: Licensed care, child care, Titles 33 and 52
The baseline, licensed care, DHS and DCS child care, Titles 33 and 52, schools.
B
Appendix B: A reporting card and a pre-service record
An any-person reporting card and a screening record you can copy.
C
Appendix C: Tenn. Code Ann., rules and TBI sources
Related guides and every Tenn. Code Ann., rule and TBI source, with the date we read each.

Get the free guide

The Volunteer State: Tennessee questions answered

Does Tennessee require background checks for volunteers?: Across the board, no: we found no Tennessee statute requiring every nonprofit to check every volunteer. Checks are required by setting: volunteers with direct contact in licensed mental health and substance-abuse services (Tenn. Code Ann. § 33-2-1202) and in disability and aging services (§ 52-2-1002); certain roles in DHS- and DCS-licensed child care (§§ 71-3-507, 37-5-511); and an Abuse Registry check for volunteers at any entity licensed by a state agency under Titles 33, 37, 52, 68 or 71 (§ 68-11-1004). Churches, community leagues, co-ops and exempt camps set their own standard.
Do Tennessee volunteers have to report child abuse?: Yes. Tennessee’s duty covers any person. Under Tenn. Code Ann. § 37-1-403, anyone who knows of harm to a child that reasonably indicates abuse or neglect must report immediately to DCS, the juvenile judge, the county sheriff or the city’s chief law enforcement officer, and § 37-1-605 requires anyone who knows or has reasonable cause to suspect child sexual abuse to report to DCS. Knowingly failing to make a report § 37-1-403 requires is a Class A misdemeanor; a second failure or an intentional failure is a Class E felony.
What is the Tennessee Abuse Registry, and who has to check it?: It is the Health Facilities Commission’s registry of people found by agencies or courts to have abused, neglected or exploited vulnerable people — and anyone under 18 counts as vulnerable. Under Tenn. Code Ann. § 68-11-1004, state agencies under Titles 33, 37, 52, 68 or 71, entities they license, and care contractors must check it before a prospective employee or volunteer serves, and may not let anyone listed serve. The registry is public and searchable online.
When does a Tennessee child care volunteer need TBI fingerprints?: It depends on the role and the licensing agency. In DHS-licensed child care, unpaid substitutes used to meet staffing standards for more than 36 hours in a calendar year need a TBI fingerprint review; other volunteers may never be counted in ratio or left alone with children, and since Nov. 20, 2025, no one may have unsupervised contact before a clearance letter. In DCS-licensed child care agencies, new volunteers expected to serve more than 20 hours a month with significant contact must be fingerprinted by the TBI and FBI and checked against the Abuse Registry.
How much does a TBI background check cost?: The TBI charges $29 for a Tennessee-only name-based check anyone can buy. Fingerprint checks run through the TBI’s contractor, IdentoGO: $33.15 for a volunteer’s Tennessee-and-FBI check for qualified organizations ($37.15 for an applicant), or $50 for an FBI-only check. The TBI publishes no turnaround time that we found.
Does a VolunteerBadge check replace a TBI, DHS or DCS check?: No. Where Tennessee law requires a TBI fingerprint check, a DHS or DCS clearance, or the Abuse Registry check, Tennessee requires that specific check, and no commercial report takes its place. Use it for Tennessee churches, community leagues, co-ops and exempt camps that set their own standard, or layered on top of a required check.

Beyond The Volunteer State

The Tennessee sources behind The Volunteer State

Checked September 11, 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 11, 2026.