Every adult who coaches, referees, or volunteers with kids should be cleared before they step onto the field. A background check is where that starts.
The rules keep changing. California now requires fingerprint checks for most youth organizations, Florida moved youth coaches to Level 2 screening on July 1, 2026, and other states are tightening their own requirements. In this guide we'll review why background checks matter, who needs them, and the technical requirements for getting your organization compliant.
Youth sports build confidence, teamwork, and healthy habits. They also put kids in regular contact with adults outside their family. Screening those adults is part of running a safe program.
About 90% of children who experience sexual abuse know their abuser (National Children's Advocacy Center). In youth programs, the risk usually comes from someone who has earned the trust of kids and parents.
Background checks keep people with a known history of abuse or violence out of your program. They also deter people who'd rather not be screened at all.
They protect your organization, too. In Florida, a sanctioning authority that follows the state's screening rules gets a legal presumption that it wasn't negligent if a coach later commits sexual misconduct (Fla. Stat. 943.0438). Parents notice as well. A clear screening policy shows families you take their child's safety seriously.
A background check is one layer of protection. Pair it with abuse-prevention training, a code of conduct, and supervision rules like requiring two adults with kids at all times.
Screen every adult (18 and older) who has regular contact with youth athletes. That includes head and assistant coaches, team managers, referees, paid staff, board members with access to kids, and regular volunteers.
Two sources set the rules for your organization: the law in your state and the policy of your league or governing body. They don't always match, so check both and follow whichever is stricter.
Laws vary by state, and the trend is toward fingerprint-based checks and ongoing monitoring. Three states show where requirements are heading:
|
State |
Who's covered |
Check required |
What to know now |
|---|---|---|---|
|
California (AB 506) |
Administrators, employees, and regular volunteers of youth service organizations. A regular volunteer is 18+ with direct contact with kids more than 16 hours a month or 32 hours a year. |
Live Scan fingerprint check under Penal Code 11105.3 |
Organizations must enroll in CalVECHS before January 1, 2027to keep receiving FBI results. |
|
Florida (s. 943.0438) |
Coaches, assistant coaches, managers, and referees authorized by an independent sanctioning authority, paid or volunteer |
Level 2 fingerprint screening |
Required since July 1, 2026. The authority can't delegate screening to individual teams. |
|
Pennsylvania (Act 153) |
Employees and volunteers responsible for the welfare of children |
PA Child Abuse History Clearance and PA State Police check, plus FBI fingerprints for some volunteers |
Clearances must be renewed every 60 months. |
Other states run their own systems, such as Massachusetts CORI and SORI checks. For a deeper look, read our guides to California AB 506 and Florida Level 2 disqualifications.
Leagues and national governing bodies such as Little League, USA Lacrosse, USA Gymnastics, and Babe Ruth League already require screening. If you're affiliated with a U.S. Olympic and Paralympic national governing body, the U.S. Center for SafeSport also requires abuse-prevention training and reporting for adults in regular contact with minor athletes.
Yes. Best practice is to screen every adult who works with youth, whether or not your state requires it. A written policy that covers everyone holds up as laws change, limits your liability, and holds every coach and volunteer to the same standard.
If you don't have a written policy yet, make it your next step. Your policy should answer six questions:
The National Council of Youth Sports recommended guidelines are a solid starting point. For examples, see how the Gold Crown Foundation and Valparaiso Parks set up their policies.
Screen every new adult before they start, and rescreen returning adults every season or every year, whichever comes first. Some states set their own cycle. Pennsylvania clearances, for example, last 60 months.
A check is a snapshot of one day. Continuous monitoring closes the gap between checks. California's CalVECHS program includes state and federal subsequent arrest notifications, so organizations hear about new arrests without waiting for the next renewal.
The biggest difference between background checks is how the search is run: by name or by fingerprints. Each one catches things the other can miss.
|
Name-based check |
Fingerprint check |
|
|---|---|---|
|
How it searches |
Name, date of birth, and SSN matched against court, corrections, and registry records |
Fingerprints matched against state criminal history and FBI records |
|
Where it's done |
Online, in about 10 minutes |
In person at a Live Scan or fingerprinting site |
|
Strengths |
Fast, affordable, and can include sex offender registries and county court records nationwide |
Ties records to the person, not a name, and reaches FBI national records |
|
Gaps |
Commercial databases miss some counties and can lag on updates |
Records may lack final case outcomes, and some state checks skip sex offender registries |
|
When to use it |
The baseline for most youth sports organizations |
When your state or governing body requires it, or as an added layer |
You can use both. A fingerprint check meets a state mandate, and a name-based check adds registry and county coverage on top.
A name-based "national" check searches a commercial database compiled from courts, corrections departments, and registries across the country. It isn't an FBI search. Only fingerprint checks reach FBI records.
A strong package also searches the National Sex Offender Public Website, which is run by the U.S. Department of Justice and links every state registry. Look for a provider that verifies each database hit at the source court before reporting it.
Some states require their own search. Examples include the California Live Scan, Florida's Level 2 screening, the Massachusetts CORI and SORI, and the Pennsylvania clearances.
The U.S. has more than 3,100 counties, and multi-state databases don't capture all of their court records in real time. A county search covers the counties where the person has lived. Providers typically charge for it per county.
Depending on the role, you may also want identity verification, a motor vehicle record check for anyone who drives athletes, employment verification for paid staff, or drug testing.
When you run a background check through a screening company, the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) applies, and it covers volunteers as well as employees. Skipping a step can expose your organization to a lawsuit, even when the screening decision itself was sound.
Here's what the FCRA requires:
Some states and cities add their own rules on top of the FCRA. A good provider builds these notices into the process so your admins don't have to track them by hand.
Costs depend on the type of check and your state:
Decide up front who pays. Covering the cost removes a barrier for volunteers. Buying checks through a platform that screens at volume can also bring the per-person price down.
For a name-based check, you need the person's full name, date of birth, Social Security number, current address, and their signed FCRA disclosure and authorization. With Ankored, coaches and volunteers submit everything from their phone in about 10 minutes.
For a fingerprint check, the person also visits an approved fingerprinting site. In California, your organization must first register with the Department of Justice and receive an ORI number before it can request Live Scan checks.
Name-based checks usually return in one to three business days. County searches can add a few days when a court has to be searched by hand. Fingerprint checks vary by state and can take longer when FBI records are included.
Ask every provider these questions:
Running checks for a whole organization means chasing forms, switching between vendor portals, and tracking expiration dates in a spreadsheet. We built Ankored to replace that.
With Ankored, you can:
Every coach is cleared, every record is audit-ready, and your admins get their weekends back.
In many states, yes. California and Florida require them for regular volunteers and volunteer coaches. Even where the law is silent, best practice and most governing bodies require a check for every adult with regular access to youth athletes.
These terms come from Florida law. A Level 1 check is name-based and searches state records. A Level 2 check is fingerprint-based and searches both state and FBI records. Florida requires Level 2 screening for youth coaches of independent sanctioning authorities as of July 1, 2026.
It depends on your state and your policy. Common disqualifiers include any offense involving a child, sexual offenses, violent felonies, sex offender registration, and refusing to complete a check. States like Florida list specific disqualifying offenses in statute.
At least once a year or once a season is the standard best practice. Some states set their own cycle, and continuous monitoring can alert you to new arrests between checks.
No. Name-based "national" checks search commercial databases and registries. Only a fingerprint-based check searches FBI records.
This post was originally published in March 2023 and updated with new information.