Nevada Daycare Background Check

Who Needs a Background Check

Nevada's background check requirement for child care facilities isn't limited to the person applying for the license. Under NRS 432A.175, every adult aged 18 and older who lives in the home must undergo a fingerprint-based background check — whether or not they participate in child care. That includes the licensee, any employees, volunteers, and every adult household member.

This catches a lot of applicants off guard. If your adult child lives with you, if your partner works from home, if a roommate occupies the spare bedroom — each of them must be cleared before your facility can be licensed.

The NABS System

All background checks for Nevada child care facilities are processed through the Nevada Automated Background Check System (NABS), administered by DWSS Child Care Licensing. NABS is the state's system for processing and tracking child-care background checks.

Here's how the process works:

Step 1: Download the Background Check Consent and Release Form from the DWSS Child Care Licensing forms page. Each person being screened must sign the form.

Step 2: Register each individual in the NABS system.

Step 3: Take the completed NABS referral forms to a fingerprinting location. This can be a local law enforcement agency or an approved private LiveScan vendor. The fingerprint technician completes their section of the form and either submits electronic prints or sends physical cards to the Nevada Department of Public Safety (DPS) Criminal History Repository in Carson City.

What Gets Screened

The background check is a triple screening:

• FBI national criminal history check via fingerprints
• Nevada DPS state criminal history through the Criminal History Repository
• DCFS Child Abuse and Neglect Registry screening

This is thorough. It's not a name-based records check that misses aliases — it's a fingerprint match against federal and state databases plus a separate review of child welfare records.

If anyone being screened has lived outside Nevada in the last five years, they must also obtain an official background check from their previous state of residence. That out-of-state check is submitted alongside the Nevada results.

Fees and Processing Time

Fingerprinting and processing typically costs $60 to $90 per person, depending on the LiveScan vendor. This fee covers the DPS processing and FBI submission.

Processing time is the critical planning factor. Fingerprint results take four to eight weeks to come back from DPS — and your entire 90-day licensing window is ticking from the moment DWSS accepts your application. This is why experienced providers submit fingerprints as early as possible in the process, often before the home is fully set up for the inspection.

If results haven't come back by the time everything else is ready, your surveyor can't schedule the final physical inspection. A background clearance delay is the single most common reason Nevada daycare applications run up against the 90-day deadline.

The Five-Year Renewal

Background clearances aren't permanent. Every cleared individual must renew their background check every five years. If a renewal lapses while the facility is operating, the state can cite the facility during an unannounced annual inspection — and expired background checks are one of the most frequent compliance violations surveyors find.

Household Changes After Licensing

If a new adult moves into your home after you've already been licensed, you must register them in NABS and submit their fingerprints immediately. You cannot wait for the next annual inspection cycle. Operating with an unscreened adult in the household is a serious violation that can trigger enforcement action.

The same applies if you hire a new employee or bring on a volunteer: each must be cleared through NABS before starting.

What Disqualifies Someone

The state reviews results under the disqualifying-offense rules in NRS Chapter 432A. The outcome depends on the offense and the applicable state review process.

If you're worried about a household member's history, the most practical step is to submit fingerprints early. If a disqualification surfaces, it's better to learn before you've spent thousands on home modifications and licensing fees.

For a complete walkthrough of the background check process alongside every other step in the licensing timeline, the Nevada Home Daycare Licensing Guide sequences fingerprinting against your other deadlines so nothing stalls.

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