Yes. Pennsylvania requires background checks for youth sports coaches under 23 Pa. C.S. § 6344, § 6344.2, and § 6344.4. The law requires three separate clearances: a Pennsylvania State Police criminal record check, a child abuse history certification, and an FBI fingerprint check.
What Pennsylvania’s Background Check Law Requires
Pennsylvania’s three-clearance structure is more layered than most other states’ youth sports screening laws. Each clearance draws on a different record system: state criminal history through the state police, the child abuse history certification through the state’s child welfare system, and a national fingerprint-based check through the FBI.
Who the Law Covers
The requirement applies broadly to those working with children, including youth sports coaches, whether paid or volunteer. Pennsylvania does carve out one narrow exception: unpaid volunteers who have lived in Pennsylvania for the full previous ten years and who swear in writing that they are not disqualified may skip the fingerprint clearance, though they still need the other two.
What the Check Includes
All three clearances must be renewed every 60 months. Intentionally failing to require them is a third-degree misdemeanor in Pennsylvania, which makes the renewal schedule as much a compliance requirement as the initial screening itself.
Tracking Three Clearances on One Schedule
Pennsylvania’s biggest operational challenge is not any single clearance, it is keeping all three current for every coach at the same time. A program can end up with a coach whose state police check is fresh but whose child abuse history certification lapsed months earlier, and Pennsylvania law does not treat two out of three clearances as compliant.
How Pennsylvania’s Law Compares to Other States
Pennsylvania is one of thirteen states with a youth sports background check statute, and its three-clearance requirement, plus a fingerprint-based FBI check, makes it one of the more layered laws on the list. See our breakdown of which states require background checks for youth sports for how Pennsylvania compares to states that rely on a single check.
What This Means for Your Youth Sports Organization
Because Pennsylvania mixes a fingerprint-based FBI clearance with two other record checks, it’s worth understanding how fingerprint-based checks differ from name-based checks before setting up a coach onboarding process, and building in the 60-month renewal cycle from the start so no clearance quietly lapses.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Pennsylvania require background checks for youth sports coaches?
Yes. Pennsylvania law (23 Pa. C.S. § 6344, § 6344.2, § 6344.4) requires three clearances: a Pennsylvania State Police criminal record check, a child abuse history certification, and an FBI fingerprint check.
Can a volunteer coach in Pennsylvania skip the FBI fingerprint check?
Only in a narrow case. Unpaid volunteers who have lived in Pennsylvania the full previous ten years and swear in writing that they are not disqualified may skip the fingerprint clearance, but they still need the state police check and the child abuse history certification.
How often do Pennsylvania coach clearances need to be renewed?
Every 60 months. Pennsylvania requires all three clearances to be renewed on that schedule.
What happens if a Pennsylvania organization intentionally skips requiring clearances?
Intentionally failing to require the clearances is a third-degree misdemeanor under Pennsylvania law.