Fingerprinting Service Frequently Asked Questions

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About Fingerprinting

Sacramento City Unified School District provides Live Scan fingerprinting services to school district employees, and now offers the service to anyone needing Live Scan fingerprinting services.

The Live Scan fingerprinting service generates revenue and provides the following benefits: 

  • The service pays for the operator to do the actual rolling of the prints.
  • The Live Scan service provides a service to the community and has the longest and latest hours in the area.

Why does it cost so much?

You will pay two (2) fees:

  • Roll Fee: This is the fee charged by the Live Scan Facility providing the service.
  • Other Fees: The other fees are for the Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Child Abuse Index, and Firearms background checks. These fees are set by each of these agencies. The Live Scan provider does not control these fees.

There are many types of background checks or combination of checks, and the fees will vary depending on the following:

  • Requesting agency
  • What type of check is required? (DOJ is checking within the state [California]; FBI is a Federal Check.)

The level of service, requesting agency, and application type will determine what categories will be checked during the background.

Some of the categories are:

  • Criminal records
  • Child abuse
  • Firearms violations

Why do I have to be fingerprinted?

At this time fingerprinting is the most reliable method of identifying a person and tracking their records, whether it is employment, licenses, permits, or criminal records.

Laws have been passed to protect the public, maintain security of various types of government agencies, and maintain the integrity of school employees and school volunteers. The law under many of the state codes, such as the Penal Code, Vehicle Code, Business and Professions Code, and Education Code, require that when hiring employees and volunteers, that each person passes a fingerprint background check. In the case of school districts, all persons having direct contact with schoolchildren must be fingerprinted for the protection of the children.

I was just fingerprinted last year (month, week, or yesterday). Why do I have to do it again?

Due to the privacy laws, there is no sharing of information allowed. The person receiving your background information must have been cleared by the Department of Justice prior to obtaining the records.

Because the law requires each of these agencies to do background checks, you must be fingerprinted for each agency that you are making applications. This includes volunteers at schools and churches. It is not uncommon for a person to be fingerprinted several times in a year.

Example: You apply to be a substitute teacher at Sacramento City Unified School District, and you have passed your Real Estate License exam and decided that it would be helpful to be a Notary Public to go along with your Real Estate License. You have been contacted by your child’s school in Elk Grove and asked to volunteer on the class field trips that are coming up soon. Of course, you will volunteer at the school.

You will need to be fingerprinted for the following:

  • Sacramento City Unified School District
  • Department of Real Estate
  • Secretary of State (Notary Public)
  • Your child’s school

How long does it actually take to “ROLL” my fingerprints?

The following categories will determine how long it will take to “roll” your prints.

  • Do you have your Live Scan form? We do not supply Live Scan forms for other agencies. (We only have forms for Sacramento City Unified School District Employees.)
  • Is your form filled in completely and legibly?
  • If your driver’s license will not scan on the card reader, the information will have to be typed in manually.
  • Is your correct address on your license? Do not use a PO Box.
  • If “Employer Information” is required, it will have to be manually typed in. Some people do not have good legible fingerprints, and they may have to be rolled several times to obtain the best quality possible.

Under perfect conditions, allow five (5) to seven (7) minutes per person. Considering a combination of other conditions as listed, it could be up to 15 minutes per person.