Background Check Policy Examples: Three Sample Reports
These background check policy examples are real outputs of our policy builder for three fictional employers. A large hospital in San Francisco, a 25-person warehouse in Chicago, and an eight-person IT company in Ohio. Together they show 110 cited recommendations across ten layers of federal, state, and local law. Open any sample to read the full report as HTML or download it as a PDF.
Build your own report for $25See the three samplesCompare them side by side
The three sample background check policy reports
Each sample page opens with a guide to the scenario. Then it shows the complete report with the same color-coded cards the employer saw on screen. The employers and contacts are fictional. However, every rule, citation, penalty, and date is real and current as of the date printed on the report.
Registered Nurse, San Francisco
A large hospital hires a nurse who works in San Francisco and Oakland. The report stacks the California Fair Chance Act and the San Francisco ordinance as amended in August 2026. It adds cannabis testing limits, OIG and SAM screening, and a FACIS® Level 3 search. It is the heaviest of the three samples.
Required 26Recommended 10Best practice 0Reminders 10
Warehouse Shipping Clerk, Chicago
A 25-person logistics company hires a clerk at one Chicago site and runs a criminal check only. Even so, four layers of law apply. Illinois sets interview-stage timing and a six-factor assessment, and Chicago and Cook County add their own ordinances. It shows how much a small employer still owes.
Required 13Recommended 7Best practice 1Reminders 12
IT Sales, remote in Cincinnati
An eight-person IT company hires a remote sales representative who lives in Ohio. Ohio has no fair-chance law for private employers, and the company sits below Title VII. Nevertheless, the FCRA applies in full. The $128,500 salary lifts the seven-year limit on non-convictions, and the adverse action gap leads the change list. It is the lightest sample.
Required 7Recommended 11Best practice 3Reminders 10
Same builder, three very different policies
The three employers answered the same questionnaire. Yet the reports differ on almost every line. The position, the size of the employer, and the place decide which laws apply. The table below pulls the headline rules from each sample.
| Rule | Registered Nurse, San Francisco | Warehouse Shipping Clerk, Chicago | IT Sales, remote in Cincinnati |
|---|---|---|---|
| Employer | Private hospital, 1,547 employees | Private logistics company, 25 employees | Private IT company, 8 employees |
| Layers of law | Federal, California, City and County of San Francisco | Federal, Illinois, City of Chicago, Cook County | Federal, Ohio, City of Cincinnati |
| Items in the report | 46 (26 required) | 33 (13 required) | 31 (7 required) |
| When to ask about criminal history | After a conditional offer | After the applicant is found qualified or selected for an interview | No timing law; conditional offer recommended |
| Wait after the pre-adverse notice | At least 7 business days | At least 5 business days | At least 5 business days |
| Lookback | 7 years (state cap) | 7 years (best practice) | 7 years (best practice) |
| Written individualized assessment | Required by California and San Francisco | Required by the Illinois Human Rights Act | Recommended under EEOC guidance; no statute |
| Salary history | Banned by California and San Francisco | Banned by Illinois; pay scale required in postings | Permitted; Cincinnati ban starts at 15 employees |
| Position-specific checks | OIG and SAM, FACIS® Level 3, license verification, THC-limited drug test | Sex offender registry optional; no verifications | Motor vehicle record, employment verification, social media review |
| Change list | Four: non-conviction records, marijuana convictions, written assessment, THC test | Two: written policy, written assessment | Three: adverse action letters, written policy, written assessment |
Therefore, a single national template cannot serve all three. The nurse needs seven business days and two sets of state notices. The clerk needs interview-stage timing and a six-factor assessment. The IT seller needs, above all, the two FCRA letters the company was unsure about.
How to read any sample report
Every report uses the same structure and the same four labels. Each recommendation is a card with a colored label and a plain-English instruction. A source line cites the statute, regulation, or guidance behind it, so your employment counsel can verify every item quickly.
A law that applies to the position requires or prohibits the step. Where two laws conflict, the report shows the strictest one as required.
No statute compels the step, but skipping it creates real legal risk. Most of these come from EEOC guidance and negligent-hiring case law.
A step that well-run screening programs take everywhere. The Ohio sample has three; the San Francisco sample has none, because every item rose higher.
Context the employer needs: which laws apply and why, record-keeping periods, and the draft policy language itself.
Thirteen sections in a fixed order
Each report opens with the FCRA steps every employer must follow. Then it explains which laws apply and when the employer may ask about criminal history. Next, it covers which records count and how far back to look. After that come notices, the search package, credit reports, drug testing, salary history, and other checks. Finally, it lists the process changes and a numbered draft policy for counsel to review.
Gaps become a change list
Near the end, “Your process: what to change” repeats only the cards where the employer’s current practice falls short. Consequently, the employer sees at a glance what to fix first. The draft policy then folds every required item into language the company can adopt.
Pick the sample closest to you
Regulated industry, large employer, or a strict state such as California, New York, or Illinois: start with the nurse report. Small employer in a city with its own ordinances: start with the shipping clerk report. Very small employer, remote staff, or a state with few screening laws: start with the IT sales report.
What the three examples prove about screening policy
Place decides the rules
The nurse waits seven business days; the clerk waits five; the IT seller follows the FCRA alone. Each number comes from the state and city where the work is done. Neither the headquarters nor the job title sets it.
Size changes the labels
At 1,547 or 25 employees, uniform criteria are required under Title VII. At eight employees, the same step becomes a recommendation. The report re-labels every card as the answers change.
The FCRA never goes away
All three reports open with the same three required cards. They are the stand-alone disclosure, the signed authorization, and the two-step adverse action. Every employer that orders a report owes them, whatever its size or state.
Background check policy examples: frequently asked questions
What are these background check policy examples?
They are three complete reports produced by the screeningpolicy.com policy builder for fictional employers. Each one lists every federal, state, and local screening rule that applies to one position. It labels each rule by weight, cites its source, and ends with draft policy language. You can read each report as a web page or download it as a PDF.
Are the employers in the samples real?
No. uStayWell Hospital, ACME Logistics, and Tom’s Mobile IT Solutions are fictional, and the contact names are invented. The answers were chosen to show three common hiring scenarios. However, every rule, citation, penalty amount, and effective date in the reports is real.
Why do the three reports have such different numbers of items?
The number of items follows the law that applies. A California hospital hiring a nurse triggers 26 required rules from federal, state, and city law. A 25-person Chicago warehouse triggers 13. An eight-person Ohio company hiring remotely triggers 7. Ohio has no private-employer fair-chance law, and the company sits below Title VII.
Which sample should I read first?
Choose the one closest to your situation. Regulated industries, large employers, and strict states should start with the nurse report. Small employers in cities with their own ordinances should start with the shipping clerk report. Very small employers and remote hiring should start with the IT sales report.
Do the samples show every law the builder covers?
No. The builder holds the rules of all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and 29 city and county ordinances. It also holds the federal FCRA, EEOC, ADA, DOT, E-Verify, and healthcare exclusion rules. The three samples show California, Illinois, and Ohio with their local ordinances. Your report applies the rules for your own locations.
Can I copy the draft policy language from a sample?
The draft policy in each sample is written for that position, that employer size, and those locations. Copying it to a different position or state would import the wrong rules. Instead, run the builder for your own position and have your employment counsel review the draft it produces.
How current are the laws in the samples?
Each report carries the date its rules were current, printed on every page. The San Francisco sample already reflects the Fair Chance Ordinance amendments effective August 10, 2026. We update the rule set as legislatures act and recommend re-running a report when the position, location, or law changes.
What does a report cost and how long does it take?
Each report costs $25 and covers one position and its work locations. The questionnaire takes about ten minutes. The report appears on screen instantly and arrives by email as a PDF. There is no subscription, and nothing you enter is stored on our servers.
Do the reports work for remote employees?
Yes. The IT sales sample is a fully remote hire. Screening law follows the place where the work is done. Therefore, you enter the city and state where each remote employee lives and works. The report then applies that jurisdiction alongside the federal rules.
Are the sample reports legal advice?
No. The reports are general compliance information prepared from the laws in effect on the date shown. They are designed for review and sign-off by your employment counsel, who remains responsible for the final policy. screeningpolicy.com and Langley Porter AG LLC are not a law firm.
Get a report like these for your own position
Enter the position, the pay, and every place the person will work. Our engine compiles the applicable federal, state, and local screening laws. In about ten minutes, it returns a color-coded report with draft policy language. Then your counsel reviews it and signs off.
Build your policy report for $25Back to the samples
screeningpolicy.com is operated by Langley Porter AG LLC. Reports are general compliance information, not legal advice, and do not create an attorney-client relationship. Confirm every recommendation with your employment counsel before adopting a policy.