What New York requires
Camps in New York are regulated by New York State Department of Health — permits issued by your local health department.
Every employee and volunteer, before starting and annually
Statute or regulationThe camp operator must ascertain whether an employee or volunteer is listed on the New York State DCJS Sex Offender Registry before that person commences work at camp, and annually thereafter before their arrival. This applies to all camp types and all personnel regardless of position or employment status — paid and volunteer alike.
- 10 NYCRR § 7-2.5(l)
The public website does NOT satisfy the rule
Regulator guidanceThe Department of Health states plainly that a web-based search does not meet the requirement, because the public site only identifies Risk Level 2 and 3 offenders. You must submit to DCJS — by phone on (518) 417-3384, or by email, CD, fax or mail. The check is free. You must keep on file a copy of what you submitted and the DCJS response; for phone screening, keep the date, the response, and the screener ID number.
The director faces two additional checks that staff do not
Statute or regulationThe camp director must additionally obtain a Statewide Central Register clearance confirming they have not been the subject of an indicated report (form LDSS-3370), and file a Prospective Children’s Camp Director Certified Statement regarding convictions and pending criminal actions (form DOH-2271). The standard applied is whether an offence bears a direct relationship to the role or poses an unreasonable risk — not a fixed disqualifying list.
- 10 NYCRR § 7-2.5(a)
- Form DOH-2271
Counselors get a character inquiry, not a criminal history check
Statute or regulationFor counselors the operator must verify background and character "through reasonable and diligent inquiries, including but not limited to character references submitted." Note what this is not: New York does not require fingerprint-based criminal history checks for children’s camp staff under this Subpart. Directors who assume New York means fingerprints are mistaken.
- 10 NYCRR § 7-2.5(b)
Abuse-prevention training runs through your safety plan
Statute or regulationNew York has no standalone camp training statute. Instead the operator must develop, annually review and submit for approval a camp safety plan whose staff-training component expressly includes child abuse recognition and reporting, plus camper supervision and discipline procedures. The plan is approved by the permit-issuing official, so this is enforceable through your permit.
- 10 NYCRR § 7-2.5(n)
Only the director is a mandated reporter
Statute or regulationSocial Services Law names the director of a children’s overnight camp, summer day camp or traveling summer day camp as a mandated reporter. Rank-and-file counselors and other camp staff are not mandated reporters under the statute as written. Bills to add paid camp staff have been introduced but not enacted.
- N.Y. Soc. Serv. Law § 413
Permit timing and ratios
Statute or regulationApply at least 60 days before your first day of operation, including the written safety plan; permits run one year and camps are inspected at least twice yearly, including once before opening. Overnight ratios are 1:10 for campers 8 and over and 1:8 for under 8; summer day and traveling day camps are 1:12, relaxing to 1:25 for passive activities. Counselors must be 18+ at overnight camps and 16+ at day camps.
- 10 NYCRR §§ 7-2.4, 7-2.5(b)–(d)
What we could not verify
- Whether church camps, school-district programmes, or camps on school grounds are categorically exempt. We found no exemption list in the regulation — coverage turns on the definitional gates (age, dates, and whether more than one activity is offered).
- What a camp must do if someone IS listed on the registry. We found no mandatory-exclusion language in the rule.
- New York City operates a separate regime under NYC Health Code Article 48, and we could not retrieve its text. If you operate in the five boroughs, confirm directly with NYC DOHMH.
- Permit fees, which are set by local health departments rather than statewide.
We publish these rather than filling the gap with a plausible answer. Confirm with the regulator or your counsel before relying on anything in this section.
When to start, so everyone clears before opening day
The most common screening failure at camps is not a bad policy — it is starting in May. A clear result usually returns in minutes, but anything that surfaces a possible record goes to human review, and a seasonal hiring wave arrives all at once.
- 1
November – December
Budget for screening every adult on site, not just counselors. Confirm what your insurer requires — carriers serving camps often expect a written child-protection policy as a condition of abuse coverage.
- 2
January – February
Write or refresh the policy: which roles get which depth of check, the two-adult rule, and who a concern gets reported to. Decide disqualifying offences now, not case by case in June.
- 3
March – April
Screen returning staff first — they are the easiest to reach and the fastest to clear. Send invites as offers go out rather than batching them.
- 4
May
Screen the late hires: kitchen, maintenance, weekend and short-term volunteers. This is the group most often missed.
- 5
Opening week
Run the roster one final time and confirm nobody is serving unscreened. Diary next season now.
Free resources for New York camp directors
Everything here is free to use and none of it requires an account with us.
- NY DOH children’s camp operators pageThe single most useful page for a New York director — forms, publications, guidance.
- Free DOH camp safety plan templatesEditable .docx master plan plus activity-specific templates (aquatics, ropes, riding, trips). Free.
- Requirements for Children’s Camps in NYS (pub. 3603)The plain-language summary of what the regulation requires.
- Subpart 7-2 regulation textThe rule itself, if you want to read the source.
- New York State Camp Directors AssociationThe state association — tracks legislation and regulation affecting NY camps.
- ACA New York & New JerseyRegional ACA field office, accreditation and training.
From VolunteerBadge, also free
- Policy CenterFree, editable child-protection and screening policy templates. No sign-up.
- Volunteer screening requirements by stateThe wider picture beyond camps, state by state, with citations.
- Every source we searchAll 3,241, by name and jurisdiction. Worth asking any provider you consider for the same list.
- What background checks actually catchThe evidence on what screening does and does not do — including which industry statistics are fabricated.
This is not legal advice
We are a consumer reporting agency, not a law firm. State camp regulation changes, and local health departments frequently add requirements beyond the state rule. Treat this page as a starting point and a set of citations to check — not as a compliance determination. If a requirement matters to your accreditation or your insurance, confirm it with New York State Department of Health — permits issued by your local health department or your counsel.
Other states
- California camp screening requirements
- Ohio camp screening requirements
- Pennsylvania camp screening requirements
- Texas camp screening requirements
- Florida camp screening requirements
- Michigan camp screening requirements
- North Carolina camp screening requirements
- Illinois camp screening requirements
- Colorado camp screening requirements
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