Does Washington require background checks for volunteers?

Generally no. Washington gives organizations a way to ask, not a duty to — our research turned up no statute making a general nonprofit check volunteers. RCW 43.43.832 lets organizations that serve children under 16, vulnerable adults or people with developmental disabilities request State Patrol conviction records, and RCW 43.43.834(7) makes an organization liable for not checking only if that is gross negligence. Checks are required in regulated settings: DCYF-licensed child care (for volunteers counted in ratio or authorized for unsupervised access), DCYF foster and group care, CASA and volunteer guardians ad litem, adult family homes, and DSHS- or DCYF-regulated providers.

Can a Washington nonprofit get a volunteer’s criminal record for free?

The statute says so: RCW 43.43.838(2) provides that “no fee shall be charged to a nonprofit organization for the records check,” and WAC 446-20-600(6) repeats it. Other requesters pay $11 per WATCH name and date-of-birth search. WATCH is name-based, and the State Patrol says only fingerprints positively link a person to a record. Ask WSP how to set up a nonprofit account before paying per search.

What must we do if we request State Patrol records on a volunteer?

RCW 43.43.834 sets four duties: tell the applicant beforehand that an inquiry may be made; require them to disclose any convictions and civil adjudicative findings; notify them of the State Patrol’s response and give them a copy within ten days of receiving it; and use the record only for the initial engagement decision. Further use or dissemination exposes the organization to a civil action for damages.

Who reports abuse in a Washington volunteer program?

Mostly supervisors; most volunteers are not named. RCW 26.44.030(1)(b) instead makes anyone in an official supervisory capacity with a nonprofit or for-profit organization — paid or unpaid — a reporter: if they witness or receive a credible report that someone they regularly supervise, who coaches, trains, educates or counsels children or has unsupervised access to them, abused or neglected a child, they must report to law enforcement within 48 hours. CASAs and guardians ad litem and volunteers in the state ombuds office are named reporters, and anyone may report.

What changed with HB 1385 in 2025?

HB 1385 (Laws of 2025, ch. 60), effective July 27, 2025, created RCW 43.43.8325. A qualified entity — any organization that provides care or care placement services — can apply to the State Patrol to run state and FBI fingerprint checks on employees and volunteers who serve children, the elderly or people with disabilities. It must get WSP approval first, keep a signed waiver for each person, and give a reasonable time to correct the record before declining anyone.

Does a VolunteerBadge check replace a DCYF, DSHS or WSP fingerprint check?

No. A DCYF check, a DSHS check, a court’s CASA fingerprint check and any other State Patrol fingerprint check stay mandatory wherever Washington law calls for them; a commercial check can’t take their place. VolunteerBadge fits the league, church and other roles that RCW 43.43.832 leaves to your judgment, and adds a layer beside the checks the law requires.

Free guide · 2026 edition · RCW 43.43.832’s keys, and the duties that come with them

Sound Judgment: The Washington guide to screening volunteers: the State Patrol records RCW 43.43.832 lets you request, the duties that follow, where DCYF and DSHS require checks, and the supervisor’s duty to report

Washington hands nonprofits the keys, not a mandate. The State Patrol must give an organization serving children, vulnerable adults or people with developmental disabilities a volunteer’s conviction record when it asks — free, for a nonprofit — and the law then spells out exactly how to handle it. What Washington requires is narrower: checks in licensed and state-contracted care, and a 48-hour reporting duty for the people who supervise volunteers. The chapters below take each piece in turn, from RCW 43.43.830 to RCW 26.44.030.

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

Written for CASA programs, adult family homes and Washington child care, camp, league and church leaders
Why RCW 43.43.832 gives you the keys but not a mandate — and the four duties that follow
DCYF child care, CASA, adult family homes and HB 1385’s 2025 fingerprint channel
A notice-and-disclosure form and a supervisor’s 48-hour reporting card you can copy

Who Sound Judgment is for

Child care and early learning directors, CASA program staff, adult family home and senior-program coordinators, camp directors, league administrators, church leaders, executive directors and volunteer coordinators — any Washington organization deciding whether to request State Patrol records, and what it owes volunteers if it does.

3,427

children confirmed as victims of abuse or neglect in Washington in 2024 — 2.1 per 1,000 against 7.2 nationally, though 33,237 more received a family assessment and aren’t counted as victims.

ACF, Child Maltreatment 2024

32.8%

of Washingtonians volunteered through organizations in 2023 — 2.06 million people giving 157.8 million hours, worth an estimated $6.4 billion — against 28.3% nationally.

AmeriCorps / Census CEV, 2023

The State Patrol fee a nonprofit pays for a volunteer’s conviction-record check, by statute. Other requesters pay $11 per WATCH name search.

RCW 43.43.838(2); WSP WATCH FAQ

Cited to primary sources

Washington at a glance

Access, not a mandate: The State Patrol “shall disclose” a volunteer applicant’s conviction record when an organization serving children under 16, vulnerable adults or people with developmental disabilities asks. We found no statute making a general nonprofit ask; failing to is actionable only for gross negligence, and insurers may not require employee checks before issuing a policy.; RCW 43.43.832(1)(a); 43.43.834(6)–(7)
Who counts as an applicant: Any prospective volunteer with supervised or unsupervised access to children, the elderly or people with disabilities — and one with regularly scheduled unsupervised access to groups of five or fewer children under 12 or three or fewer aged 12 to 16.; RCW 43.43.830(2), (12), (18)
Four duties once you ask: Notify the applicant before the inquiry, require disclosure of convictions and civil findings, share the State Patrol’s response and a copy within ten days, and use the record only for the initial engagement decision — misuse invites a civil action for damages.; RCW 43.43.834(1)–(5)
No State Patrol fee for nonprofits: By statute no fee is charged to a nonprofit for the records check; other WATCH users pay $11 per name. WATCH is a name and date-of-birth search, and WSP says only fingerprints positively link a person to a record.; RCW 43.43.838(2); WAC 446-20-600(6); WSP WATCH FAQ
Fingerprints since July 27, 2025: Qualified entities — organizations providing care — may run state and FBI fingerprint checks on volunteers after WSP approval, with a signed waiver, and must allow a reasonable time to correct the record before declining anyone.; RCW 43.43.8325(5), (7)(b), (8); Laws of 2025, ch. 60
Child care: the ratio line: Every child care volunteer must be 14+ and under continuous oversight. Regular volunteers count in ratio only after a DCYF fingerprint-based check, which the rule repeats at least every three years — DCYF’s site says five.; WAC 110-300-0100(10); WAC 110-06-0040(1)
CASAs and adult family homes: Volunteer guardians ad litem need WSP and FBI fingerprints, updated every three years. Adult family home volunteers who may have unsupervised access need a Washington name and date-of-birth check through DSHS, renewed every two years.; RCW 13.34.100(3); WAC 388-76-10161(3), -10165(1)
Supervisors report within 48 hours: A person in an official supervisory capacity, paid or unpaid, must report to law enforcement a credible report that someone they regularly supervise who works with children abused or neglected a child — and organizations must post DCYF’s poster.; RCW 26.44.030(1)(b), (h), (23)

From the Sound Judgment executive summary

Six points on Washington’s records-on-request law

1
We found no statute requiring a general nonprofit to check volunteers.
The State Patrol “shall disclose” a volunteer applicant’s conviction record when an organization asks; nothing makes it ask. Failing to request is actionable only if it is gross negligence, and an insurer may not require background checks on employees before issuing a policy.
2
“Applicant” names volunteers.
RCW 43.43.830 covers any prospective volunteer with supervised or unsupervised access to children, the elderly or people with disabilities — and, separately, one with regularly scheduled unsupervised access to groups of five or fewer children under 12 or three or fewer aged 12 to 16.
3
Asking brings four duties.
Tell the applicant before the inquiry, require them to disclose convictions and civil findings, share the State Patrol’s response within ten days, and use it only for the initial decision. Misuse exposes the organization to a civil action for damages.
4
Two kinds of state check.
WATCH is a name and date-of-birth search; the State Patrol says only fingerprints positively link a person to a record. Since July 27, 2025, care providers can apply to become qualified entities and run state and FBI fingerprint checks on volunteers, with a signed waiver.
5
Required checks live in regulated care.
DCYF child care for volunteers counted in ratio or with unsupervised access, DCYF foster and group care, CASA and volunteer guardians ad litem, adult family homes, and DSHS- and DCYF-regulated providers each run their own check.
6
Supervisors must report.
Anyone in an official supervisory capacity, paid or unpaid, who witnesses or receives a credible report that a volunteer they regularly supervise — who coaches, trains, educates or counsels children or regularly has unsupervised access — abused or neglected a child must report it to law enforcement within 48 hours.

Inside Sound Judgment, chapter by chapter

01
Records on request, checks in licensed care
Records on request, the four duties, the required care settings and the supervisor rule, with Washington’s figures, on one page.
02
Five kinds of regulated care, and the rest
Each volunteer role matched to the RCW or WAC that reaches it — or to none.
03
The keys, not a mandate
RCW 43.43.830–.834: who counts as an applicant, gross-negligence immunity and the insurer rule.
04
Once you ask: the four duties
Notice, disclosure, ten days and one use — and when conditional engagement is allowed.
05
WATCH, fingerprints and the 2025 qualified-entity check
Name searches, the nonprofit fee rule and HB 1385’s state and FBI fingerprint channel.
06
What a Washington record shows — and leaves out
The “conviction record,” vacated convictions and what stays visible.
07
Child care and early learning: DCYF
Ratio volunteers, occasional volunteers and the three-year versus five-year recheck.
08
Foster care, group care, CASA and state-contracted care
WAC 110-04-0040, RCW 13.34.100 and RCW 43.43.837.
09
Adult family homes and long-term care
Adult family homes, long-term care, sworn disclosures and permissive reporting.
10
Schools, camps, sports, churches and charities
The school “may,” the seasonal camp exemption, Lystedt and charity registration.
11
The supervisor’s duty to report
RCW 26.44.030(1)(b), the 48-hour clock, the poster and clergy since 2025.
12
Offenders, fair chance and the adverse decision
Criminal trespass against children, the registry’s gaps and the volunteer carve-out.
13
HB 1385 and Washington’s other changes since 2023
Washington’s 2023–2026 changes in date order, HB 1385 among them.
14
Where Washington asks nothing
What a commercial check can add where Washington asks nothing, and why it never substitutes for DCYF, DSHS or WSP fingerprints.
A
Appendix A: WSP requests, child care and fingerprints
Starting from a baseline, then WSP records requests, child care, adult and contracted care, and fingerprints.
B
Appendix B: A notice-and-disclosure form and a supervisor’s card
An RCW 43.43.834 notice-and-disclosure form and an RCW 26.44.030(1)(b) supervisor’s card to copy.
C
Appendix C: RCWs, WACs and agency pages, dated
RCWs, WACs and agency pages we relied on, each dated, with related guides to read next.

Get the free guide

Sound Judgment: Washington questions answered

Does Washington require background checks for volunteers?: Generally no. Washington gives organizations a way to ask, not a duty to — our research turned up no statute making a general nonprofit check volunteers. RCW 43.43.832 lets organizations that serve children under 16, vulnerable adults or people with developmental disabilities request State Patrol conviction records, and RCW 43.43.834(7) makes an organization liable for not checking only if that is gross negligence. Checks are required in regulated settings: DCYF-licensed child care (for volunteers counted in ratio or authorized for unsupervised access), DCYF foster and group care, CASA and volunteer guardians ad litem, adult family homes, and DSHS- or DCYF-regulated providers.
Can a Washington nonprofit get a volunteer’s criminal record for free?: The statute says so: RCW 43.43.838(2) provides that “no fee shall be charged to a nonprofit organization for the records check,” and WAC 446-20-600(6) repeats it. Other requesters pay $11 per WATCH name and date-of-birth search. WATCH is name-based, and the State Patrol says only fingerprints positively link a person to a record. Ask WSP how to set up a nonprofit account before paying per search.
What must we do if we request State Patrol records on a volunteer?: RCW 43.43.834 sets four duties: tell the applicant beforehand that an inquiry may be made; require them to disclose any convictions and civil adjudicative findings; notify them of the State Patrol’s response and give them a copy within ten days of receiving it; and use the record only for the initial engagement decision. Further use or dissemination exposes the organization to a civil action for damages.
Who reports abuse in a Washington volunteer program?: Mostly supervisors; most volunteers are not named. RCW 26.44.030(1)(b) instead makes anyone in an official supervisory capacity with a nonprofit or for-profit organization — paid or unpaid — a reporter: if they witness or receive a credible report that someone they regularly supervise, who coaches, trains, educates or counsels children or has unsupervised access to them, abused or neglected a child, they must report to law enforcement within 48 hours. CASAs and guardians ad litem and volunteers in the state ombuds office are named reporters, and anyone may report.
What changed with HB 1385 in 2025?: HB 1385 (Laws of 2025, ch. 60), effective July 27, 2025, created RCW 43.43.8325. A qualified entity — any organization that provides care or care placement services — can apply to the State Patrol to run state and FBI fingerprint checks on employees and volunteers who serve children, the elderly or people with disabilities. It must get WSP approval first, keep a signed waiver for each person, and give a reasonable time to correct the record before declining anyone.
Does a VolunteerBadge check replace a DCYF, DSHS or WSP fingerprint check?: No. A DCYF check, a DSHS check, a court’s CASA fingerprint check and any other State Patrol fingerprint check stay mandatory wherever Washington law calls for them; a commercial check can’t take their place. VolunteerBadge fits the league, church and other roles that RCW 43.43.832 leaves to your judgment, and adds a layer beside the checks the law requires.

Beyond Sound Judgment

The Washington sources behind Sound Judgment

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.